Tuition Paid, Lessons Learned

Add A Little Drama: Break A Dish

Akago Kitsune — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:00:22 +0000

If you’re at a tense point in your relationship and you’re desperate for release, go to another room and break a dish. This might sound extreme, but, it’s one of those things where you don’t know how great it is until you try it. (Just be careful to not injure your eyes.)

Invite your partner to join you. You both might have fun. (Think of the 2011 Captain Morgan commercial where tension is relieved and a smashing party started by breaking dishes.)

Wanna save dishes? Invite your partner to bounding a ball against the side of your building a la racquetball, instead.

Putting A Lesson Learned To Work

Akago Kitsune — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:00:26 +0000

Following is an example of how you can benefit from understanding the impact a person’s bias has on her interpretation of information. If a person seems to suffer from middle child syndrome, then she might be habitually suspicious of the reasons behind a person’s actions. As such, even if explaining you are proposing a solution to a problem, the person might interpret your actions as suggesting you wanted the problem to exist. If this is the case, you’re probably better off not saying anything, but helping guide the person to the same conclusions on her own instead.

Understanding A Person’s Bias Improves Communication (2012/01/23)

Understanding A Person’s Bias Improves Communication

Akago Kitsune — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 03:00:07 +0000

To effectively negotiate relationships, it’s important to acknowledge that our bias taints our perceptions. It’s equally important to recognize that the perceptions of others are affected by their biases. Doing this will enable you to effectively relay information by anticipating the response of others. Likewise, understanding how a person’s bias affects how he assimilates and communicates information can improve dialog, maximizing your gains – such as knowledge – from a conversation.

Perception Controls Fact

Akago Kitsune — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:00:34 +0000

Generally, fact matters less than perception: perception is fact to the perceiver – it doesn’t matter what was the real intent or what was really done, what matters is how people perceive the words or actions. It is because perception forms reality that it is possible to change a person’s understanding of reality.

Ahhh, The Benefits Of Swimming….

Akago Kitsune — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:00:43 +0000

There are great benefits to swimming for men and women.

For women – even those uncomfortable with their appearance – it’s a great way to find a date for a number of reasons. For example, there’s less competition. Generally, health club pools are dominated by men. Often, women at a health club pool tend to be married or are there with their children. Also, men using a health club pool are likely to be in good health. Swimming requires coordination and stamina, and frequently compliments exercise routines. Plus, swimming provides an excellent opportunity to check out the physique of potential dates while disguising your own. Most serious male swimmers wear fitted swim trunks, not board shorts. Nor will they wear shirts in a pool. Yet, it’s acceptable for women to wear concealing shirts, which can be provocative evocations of bedroom attire, in a natatorium. Lastly, hot tubs are wonderful flirt spots.

Also for women, swimming can lead to tighter stomach muscles and stronger lower back muscles, resulting in straighter posture. Two factors contribute to this. First, stomach muscles are used to maintain horizontal buoyancy. Second, a number of swim strokes include flexing stomach and back muscles.

For men, swimming is a great way to develop arm and chest muscles while performing a full body aerobic exercise. In fact, a person can utilize swimming to develop nearly any muscle he’d like to target.

Additional reading:

Health Benefits of Water-Based Exercise (CDC)

Mood alteration with yoga and swimming: aerobic exercise may not be necessary. (Berger BG, Owen DR, Dept of Physical Education, Brooklyn College, City University of New York (excerpt from NIH).)

Aerobic exercise: Top 10 reasons to get physical (Mayo Clinic staff)

Exercise for weight loss: Calories burned in 1 hour (Mayo Clinic staff)

Your Future You Depends On You

Akago Kitsune — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:00:38 +0000

Sowing seeds for your future isn’t limited to money; it includes the actions you take that affect your long-term interests. Your future you is relying upon the steps the current you is taking in order to realize dreams, vitality, and financial security. Consider what the future you will need, want, or regret having done or not having done. Then take the actions necessary to achieve those goals.

Thirty years from now, will you want to be able to bend, raise your leg over a bar, or take stairs with ease? Then this might require exercise now that will reinforce physical flexibility.

Twenty years from now, will you want to have regular contact with people you consider friends? Then make an effort to develop and maintain those relationships now. Create a recurring event such as a card night with neighbors. Call every once in a while to see how a friend is doing; conversations don’t have to be long in order to maintain a connection. Occasionally invite different friends to join you in an activity, such as attending an art museum gala.

Ten years from now would you like to be a VP? Then no matter how much you hate your current job or boss, suck it up, keep your nose to the grindstone, and an eye open for opportunities, even outside your department and group. Leave your current position only if it benefits that goal of becoming a VP.

Akago Kitsune — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:00:52 +0000

To be satisfied at work, you have to accept that it’s okay to be occasionally dissatisfied with your job. Not every day is going to be rosy.

Akago Kitsune — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 03:00:27 +0000

Each of us has knowledge or expertise that someone else does not. We can all take pride in this.

You’re The Pilot To Your Career

Akago Kitsune — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:00:48 +0000

Ultimately you are responsible for your own career development. Don’t depend on others for your growth. Generally, managers are motivated to develop an employee only to the extent of the employee’s initiative. Why should an employer invest more in an employee than the employee is willing to invest in himself?

Let Someone Else Be The Bait

Akago Kitsune — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:00:57 +0000

Don’t get baited by a crazymaker. Don’t spin your wheels trying to figure out why the crazymaker is doing what she is doing. That is why a crazymaker does what she does: she wants attention. She wants the target to be focused on her and what she is doing to affect the target. That’s how crazymakers hook people. There’s plenty of fish for the crazymaker to bait. Let someone else spend time worrying about her.

Also, the fewer questions you ask a crazymaker, the fewer opportunities they have to make you crazy.