Category: Career

Career, Life

I Need a Reminder to Pay Attention to My Reminders 

Posted on by GratuitousRex

So I put lots of reminders in my personal and work calendar. Perhaps too many because I’ve started to not check what some are for. 

That’s not good. Sometimes, it could be to say my affirmations and sometimes it’s because I have a conference call. So they span the spectrum of importance, but all are important enough to make a reminder for.

I’m not going to lie to myself. I miss them because I’m being distracted, caught up and sloppy. My mind moves quickly and often I’m scattered. I know life moves fast but I need to slow it down enough to pay attention to things on my schedule. Victim mentality is not the path to a successful life. 

Focused mentality. Careful, purposeful, deliberate. Calm. Thats what I’m going to bring moving forward. 

2
Career

I Want to be Star of the Month

Posted on by GratuitousRex

I’ve been at my company almost a year now. Every month, the broader client service team that I’m a part of has a conference call and the leader of the call is my boss’ boss, Joyce. And on every call she announces a “Star of the Month”.

And that has never been me. Not me alone. Have I been playing it safe to do my job as well, but not above and beyond?  Havre I been year-long on leadership roles? Not often. 

In my last cotporate client service role I kicked so much ass, and got 2 awards plus a 40% raise once.This is a similar role.

I really have to step up a few levels. I want to earn this award. I want to succeed in this role. Now I need to act like it. I need to be proactive. I need to lean forward in it and put my foot on the gas. 

I am Star of the Month!

0
Career, fun

When at an outdoor work lunch, don’t be the first one to say you smell marijuana

Posted on by GratuitousRex

I was out with peers and superiors having coffee and apps. We went to Bryant Park. Behind the big NY Public Library there are these two places, one is like an outdoor bar, the other is more of a restaurant. A co-worker suggested we go there. 

I used to work near there two lives ago. The place for drinks was jammed every Thursday Happy Hour. I’ve been to the restaurant a few times too.

We got to the restaurant and it was closed for a private party. HOWEVER the roof deck was open to the public. 

AWW YEAH. Coffee and snacks on a rooftop deck on the boss. All goes well, talk talk talk, bella nice nice.

Then all of a sudden, there it was: the smell of pot. Let’s just say, I DEFINITELY know what that smells like. NY has gotten very laid back on the status of pot. I’m not sure what it is anymore. I smell it all the time walking down the street. I even smell it sometimes while DRIVING. The other day I saw a van and it was decorated saying that they sell weed. Not sure if it was real. 


Anyway, there I was on the roof deck with peers and bosses… and the smell of pot. I didn’t think it wss appropriate to be the first to say “whoa, did you smell THAT?!” I thought it was best to be prudent… at this… juncture  (to quote Dana Carvey’s George H W Bush.) I didn’t think it was wise you reveal my knowledge and thought I’d wait to see what the bosses said. 

Conversation went along with no mentions. 

As we got up from the table, my boss’ boss, Nadia, finally said “was that pot I smelled earlier?”

 THEN we all chimed in. Yeah, it sure was.  NY is loosening up” etc etc. Gotta be careful eco knows what about me. 

1
Career, Life, Responsibility

Overwhelmed and Needing to be Responsible with Time

Posted on by GratuitousRex

Times are tight.  

My team at work is down one and a replacement is not being hired. What we’re doing is training people from other teams how you do my team’s work. Seems like they’re saving $ on salary and having us do more with less. 

I’m learning other team’s work too, but if you don’t use it you lose it and I’m finding shifting gears from my work to another team’s takes effort. Maybe it’s self- created stress. The stress of doubt.

So with things being busy, I usually work late. 

BUT my photography side job takes more time than just the picture taking. I have to “curate” the pics first, meaning upload,  choose the best shots if I take multiples, ensure that I have the right pics for addresses… all that takes time during the week in the evening. 

On the weekends, I’m either taking pics or seeing Mona. I haven’t cleaned my apt in weeks. And things are getting bad. I don’t maintain cleanliness well. It always seems like I don’t have time because I’m rushing to do something else.

And I need to start looking for the next step in my career. 

I need to prioritize better.  I need to honor that prioritization. I need to put down my phone more. My game is getting bigger. I need to be bigger, expand my capacity and honor my responsibilities better. 

I have no time to be lazy or mopey or low energy. Not anymore. Rex has hit a new level.

0
Career

I WANT to go into the office all the time?!?!

Posted on by GratuitousRex

So I normally work from home but I occasionally go into the office. Infrequently for work purposes, usually it’s because I’m doing something in the city after 5pm that day. 

Yes, it’s almost an hour commute each way, plus it’s $2.75 (I think) for the subway. But you know, I gotta be honest… I’d prefer going into the office. The fact that it’s a “No Fucking Around” zone probably has a lot to do with it. Helps keep me focused. 

But I do like being around people too – the camaraderie, the easy collaborations… even the fun. I’d rather be around people.

Working from home has many advantages of course, but in my upcoming job search, I’m going to use my powerful Jedi vibes to get a job in the office again… and to make a shit-ton more money : )

0
Career, Life

My Morning Mosey Commute

Posted on by GratuitousRex

Normally, I work from home…

“Waitaminute, Rex. If you work from home but the title of this blog post is about your commute, that makes no sense! What gives?!”

Eesh, back off. Read on and it’ll make sense. Patience.

Anyway, normally I work groom home… HOWEVER today I had to go into my company’s office in Manhattan.

“Oooooooh. I got it”

Now, technically I live in New York City because I’m in one of the “five boroughs” (Brooklyn, to be specific) but since I live in outer Brooklyn, it still takes me a while to get into Manhattan (“the city” as we native New Yorkers call it.) 

I live near a subway stop, however it is a local train (many stops) and to optimize my time I normally transfer to an express subway line (fewer stops) to get into the city faster.

HOWEVER… today I got ready, got breakfast and got onto the subway EARLY. I don’t go into the office a lot, so I tend to run early to ensure I get into the office by 9.

FURTHERMORE… since I work from home normally, I do not have a card key to my office, and the receptionist does not get in earlier than she has to. So in the past, I’ve stood there knocking on our glass door until a Jane/John Earlybirdwormgetter opens the door.

Ugh. 

But today… I’m running VERY EARLY and I got something on my local train that I’ll never get in an express train: 

A seat. 

So the algorhythm ran in my head, with permutations of time, subway lines and my office receptionist coming in.

The answer? STAY ON THE LOCAL LINE. 

It’ll take longer,  time-wise, sure. ButI can relax,  say some prayers, and most importantly… BLOG

0
Career

Needing to stop my nervous pattern of failure aka Integrity Ninja

Posted on by GratuitousRex

So at work I missed an email from a client.  Then he followed up yesterday and I missed that too. Ok, I didn’t miss them. I saw them, I read them and got nervous.  They were about something I couldn’t do and I feel bad about not being able to do it yet and I had to ask my coworker for help. 

The coworker was out the day it came in and I conveniently forgot to follow up, allowing a rush of work to distract me. If I can’t be honest on an anonymous blog, where can I? That’s what really happened. 

So I finally reached out to the client but it was too late. He got what he needed from someone else at my company. 

On its own, it’s not awful. But I’ve been noticing I’ve had to apologize regularly lately. If my boss notices, it won’t be good.  If not now then at my next review. 

And to be honest, this is a repetitive thing in my career. I’ll get a task, get nervous by it, my mind worries, I get confused and caught up, I procrastinate, I get distracted, things don’t get done, at some point it gets noticed or someone will definitely notice so I finally act on it and have to make some kind of apology.

The way my coworkers see me is probably NOT busy or even overwhelmed or anxious… they probably just think I’m irresponsible.

That… fucking… sucks. 

Yes, I realize that those are not characteristics of a good employee. When things are easy, I’m great. When things get difficult, or seem difficult anyway… I’ll get nervous, confused, will panic, shut down, then apologize and have to catch up. 

This is NOT how a successful person operates. I’m not proud of this. 

Truth be told, this is how I’ve always operated, since I was a kid. The typical procrastination thing. Which means I haven’t really grown up. 

That sucks. 

Why do I do it?  Whether it’s out of laziness, or lack of confidence/ worth, or low self esteem, or that’s the example I picked up from my parents, or whatever, it doesn’t matter. 

It’s time to put my Man Pants on.  

I’m not writing this to beat myself up. I’m writing this to make a change. 

I’m done with that behavior. I AM going to put that aside, and let something great take its place. I AM going to succeed in life. There are many things I need to improve on, this is one of them that I will.

Pride is vital and I need some. People will say that pride comes first to do great things, and some may say that I need great things to be proud of. It’s probably both. 

I’m going to up my level of integrity. There are always levels above current levels but one just has to own up to what’s so. And I’m doing that. That’s what’s so. 

Every day is a new opportunity to be better, and I’m going to take that opportunity. I’m going to start with a list of all the things I need to catch up on, and bang them out until I’m done. 

Integrity Ninja. I know it sounds corny but I need a term to associate with it to help remind me. 

There. 

Have a good night all.

2