Friday, November 9, 2007

Those Darn Work Personality Tests

I'll admit I am an extrovert. Big, giant, E for this working Mpls woman. And while it's very all fine and good these workplace test that want to put you into categories in boxes, my dolphin is outraged and it's in full effect. Watch out world, particularly South where I am writing this afternoon.

Have you taken the "what time of animal are you in the workplace test?" Well if not, here's your chance. Oddly enough I am either a Dolphin or a Horse. And I feel like both at this very moment. a Horphin, perhaps?

I'm just rambling for the sake of rambling and because I am annoyed. Wishing there was more of an interesting twist on that statement, but it's November pre-Thanksgiving, where it gets cold and work piles up and we are often left in Minnesota thinking, why do you we like it here? But than T-Day happens and we become Thankful for all our Minnesota goodness, stoicism, sarcasm and passive aggressive tendencies. There's a reason why we humbly think we are better than the other 50 states. It's or MinnE spirit.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Queen of Slack

This could be a bit of a rant. But WTH? I feel like the queen of slack lately, who is co-habitating, (not a word I realize, but you get the drift) in a den of slack. And it's not because I am slacking at work. In fact it's the opposite, I feel like I am slacking in the other aspects of my life, particularly this site, as well as the other enjoyable writing projects I have.

Balance. It's always been my issue - the work life/personal life balance. Because, as confident as the sounds, most of the coworkers I've had and currently have, like me. Granted I can be a bit obnoxious, over-the-top and annoying, but I'm usually enjoyed in a group of people because of being able to relate well to others.

And this morning while taking the train to work I was conversing in ASL with man who is deaf. He was telling me about how he was raising money for himself and nine other people so they can go to Little Rock and rebuild a deaf community center. Granted we were conversing in ASL, which I'm still a little rusty at, since I haven't had to use it since college, but that feeling of connecting with someone out of a honest, pure connection to help, I miss that.

Being a PR person and working in marketing, I struggle with the paradox of shaping info for the best possible good. And it's a day-to-day decision and something that can be tiring. But talking with that man today, there weren't any strings attached. He was simply sharing a story, I was listening and trying to help. And that spirit of that conversation, those are the things us individuals have to tap into. It's easy to place a "think globally, live locally" bumpersticker on a car and think you are making a difference.

But it's the little things. Like smiling to a stranger. Listening to someone. I know we have become desensitized to homeless people begging on the street, and murders of kids in North Mpls, but can't we all pick up the slack in our small ways? Instead of simply slacking, placing blame or ignoring situations.