Most of the properties I viewed were either substandard surrounded by equally (or worse, if that’s possible) substandard housing; were acceptable-looking surrounded by substandard-and therefore overpriced in my eyes; acceptable/attractive in middle-class environments that were income-controlled (the max level of income being below what I will make in my promotional position); or were in middle class environments but had no amenities other than “great neighbors”-not to mention small space.  There was no happy medium or in-between.  So my search continues.  Hopefully I find something that ticks my boxes soon.

Friday, I received the offer letter, replied in email, and signed the offer letter to be submitted this week.  Am I happy?  YES, definitely.  But I’m a bit nervous and a LOT anxious.  Getting ready to work in a new facility, making history as one of the first trainers, and setting up the training schools and modules is going to be a big responsibility.  Everything that happens in the learning department from that moment forward will be the result of what myself and the other trainers and learning coordinators do. But I am sure that I will enjoy making history, creating the environment that we want to see.   I have waited for a moment like this, and I’m not going to let apprehension, fear, nervousness, etc. to take away from that.  In a little over three weeks, I will be on my way to Northern KY to begin training in the new position.  Until then, I am making physical preparation to ensure a smooth transition.

On the one hand, I am not sure what I want to do on this blog going forward.  I have practically written myself into a wall, I think.  On the other, I want to keep it going.  I want to continue mapping out my progress….because I said that’s what I wanted to do in the previous post.  I want to keep that promise, but I am finding it tough to do.  On the horns of these two dilemmas, I am stuck.  So for now, I’ll take a blogging break and sort it all out.

THOUGHTFUL…a thoughtful person is one that thinks, researches, investigates, strategizes.   And, in order for the rest of the brand to make sense, THOUGHTFUL has to be at the heart of it.  One cannot be savvy, maximum, active, agile, articulate, reliable, and relatable without being THOUGHTFUL.   Thoughtfulness requires humility and grace, intention, purpose, and attentiveness.   Those are the things that I am and hope to be.  THOUGHTFUL…

In my work life, I am thoughtful in that I now choose the opportunities to be engaged in rather than hoping someone will choose ME.  Right now, that means choosing to get to know more of my co-workers, interacting with them on issues that matter to us all, and eventually growing my influence through greater roles and responsibilities.  Having that focus before me helps me to define the direction I would like to go.

In my personal life, I am thoughtful in choosing how to prioritize my time.  Currently, it’s writing…poetry, blog posts, status updates, tweets…anything having to do with writing.  To supplement my writing, I read.   I have dozens of books on my NOOK and Kindle, and I have a list of books that I still want to read!  Writing and reading are my away-from-work life…activities of choice for me as I balance my life and keep my sanity.

The opportunities I see on the horizon for my work life are, as I said before, seasonal roles (leaning toward ambassador, PA, or trainer) and committee work.   For personal, I have a book that I am working on and a collection of poetry.  Additionally, I will do an open mic soon….at the earliest, August…no later than October.    I am holding all this up in prayer and being patient for outcomes.

Being thoughtful has allowed me to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  I find that I am not as impulsive; I am more strategic and intentional.  I am not as apt to get upset or stressed out about things and people I cannot control; I let it go, offer it up for prayer, and move on.   That way, I can use my energy more purposefully and do that which is beneficial.   My goal is to move upward, move onward, and move forward the SMART way.

When I say reliable, I say that I am one who is timely, professional, and consistent. I meet deadlines, upholding the highest professional standard, and you can always count on me to do what I am supposed to do and be where I am supposed to be. I know everyone can say that…and probably do…but I believe, in my case, my reliability is why I lead all my work groups in performance and quality. Why I always receive positive commendations week in, week out for my work….and why more opportunities come my way. My challenge now is keeping my priorities straight….making sure that I meet deadlines and keep high professional standards in AREAS THAT MATTER (doing the right things, in the right way, at the right times). It is a work in progress.

An interviewer provided feedback to me recently about an interview she conducted with me. One of the comments she and others who sat in made was how relatable I sounded to them. I gave some thought to this…and realized that this was a common comment with others in my work environment as well. When others speak and interact with me (and maybe in my writing too), they comment on how comfortable they feel around me. And I notice that others gravitate to me without knowing why. It used to annoy me, but I use that to my advantage now. I love telling stories, laughing, listening to others, and learning about other people. I especially enjoy learning new languages (currently learning Portuguese, and have learned Spanish and French in the past). I have met new and exciting people that way! Opportunities in the relatability area: go to more social events, join clubs and organizations devoted to my interests. This too is a work in progress.

Immersing myself in my brand, building and developing it, has benefited me a lot thus far. It has given me new insights and clarified personal and professional goals. The R’s have opened new and exciting doors in my life, and I am looking forward to more (there is always more). As I close this out, I remember the one thing that keeps me going each day: keep an open mind and an open heart. Next time, I will go on to the last part of my brand: T. Until then…

The A part…. I discovered three A words to describe myself in my brand.  Is that unusual?  I didn’t think so.  I wanted to capture the depth of my brand too..and sometimes that involves exploring the full of it.  That’s what I did here with the A part.  The three words I chose: active, agile, and articulate.

I am an active person.  I am involved, engaged, and enthusiastic about the things I choose to do.  You can be sure that, when I take part in something, I’m giving it all I have and all I am.  I’m not a passive person by any means.  I think that is something one of my professors in grad school noticed….and this professor emailed me to tell me NOT to participate in the weekly discussions-rather, guide the discussion and have someone else who was NOT participating take the lead.  The opportunity for me there was to moderate and facilitate, perhaps be the thought leader of the group instead of the discussion leader.  So, that was my role…moderator, facilitator, and thought leader.  In future committees in my workplace, I want the opportunity to moderate, facilitate, and be a thought leader.

I am also an agile person.  I am that person, when you place her in a new situation, that will adapt and adjust.  She will learn the task and responsibility quickly, without a whole lot of supervision.  I learned how to be that way from years of playing sports and dealing with diverse personalities in the school and work worlds.  In today’s world, agility is necessary.   What I have noticed about being agile is the ability to anticipate, plan, and look for opportunities to take on new responsibilities and learn new skills.  Ways that I plan to use my agility: take on new roles in my department at work and learn how to work in other departments.  Outside of work, develop deeper knowledge of topics and areas that interest me.

Finally, I am an articulate person.  I used to NOT be that way…stammering all over my words…just generally saying what I wanted to say at the moment without giving it much thought.  These days, I’ve gotten better. I’ve become more intentional in what I say and how I say it.  One former employer said that I knew exactly what to say and how to say it.  People that I have spoken with over the years have said similar things: that I knew what to say, how to say it…and even went so far as to say that I always “knew what I was talking about.” I guess that’s the thought leader coming out.  My opportunities in this area:  practice my public speaking.  This area tends to make me nervous, but I recognize the benefits of doing so.

Active….agile….articulate.  That’s my A part….the part that is overly explanatory but is the part that encompasses more of what and who I am.  From the A part, I move to R.  That, I will cover in my next post.   And I can’t wait to bring it to you!

Maximum…top, most, best..gets me to thinking about specific times and places when I exceeded goals and expectations…like in my current employment.  I believe, and I might be wrong (who knows, I might be right), that is why the goals and expectations have been set higher.  I also think about the opportunity that was presented to me last fall, being an ambassador for my department.  One gets chosen to serve in this role because they are “the best of the best.”  As I said, MAXIMUM!  While I expected to help train new hires as part of my responsibilities, I DID NOT expect to get hand-picked to facilitate any training modules, but it happened. It happened once when I was selected to lead training modules for a group assigned to MY shift..and it happened again when I was selected to lead training modules for a group assigned to ANOTHER SHIFT.  My boss hand-picked me for THAT assignment.  I think those moments go beyond MAXIMUM, but you didn’t hear that from me (LOL!).  That’s just one example. I can name others, but this is most recent, so I’ll stick with that for now.

When I reflected on this brand that I selected for myself and what each letter could stand for, the only thing I could come up for with M was MOTIVATED.  I could have chosen it, and tried to sell it, but it was not an authentic or original representation of me.  Everyone considers themselves MOTIVATED.  I searched for another M word that would most accurately represent myself.  MAXIMUM was that word.

For all the skills and qualifications that I present that are MAXIMUM, I still have opportunity for growth in this area.  Reflecting on the feedback from a recent interview, I plan to use the advice to build my skills and qualifications and develop new ones.  The interviewer suggested taking on seasonal roles, which I plan to do and will be looking out for.  I have also signed up for new committees formed at work, and those committees should be meeting soon.  Outside of work, I can develop new skills through workshops and seminars (more than likely online).  These will come together to present a stronger portfolio of experience to take me to a new MAXIMUM level.

For sure, being MAXIMUM requires hard work (smart work?), commitment, desire, and focus…which I think I have in spades.   Being MAXIMUM also requires knowing what is worth the hard work, commitment, desire, and focus, and what is not.  In short, having specific interests and knowledge bases/expertise.  That part of the equation requires diligence and purpose..and that is what I work on daily.  The results, I trust, will speak for themselves.

I cannot and do not eat nearly as much I used to..partly because my body cannot hold that much food anymore.  Going in family reunion-style…a big NOT!  One plate of food usually does it for me….along with the occasional dessert.  I am not willing to use food as a crutch anymore; I have other, more exciting things going on in my life besides.  And having those other exciting things has not only changed how I view food and its place in my life, but how I view my body image.

Let me be clear and say that tight clothes with fat rolls hanging out is not my idea of good body image.  It’s all-around nasty and unattractive, and people who try to convince me otherwise is lying…but enough about that.  Body image, for me, is a proper appraisal of what my body is like now and what I am working toward in the future.  I still have body parts that are in less than ideal shape and proportion right now, but it’s far and away better than what it used to be! It’s a work in progress, and a year from now, that will change.  I will have shed 50 or more pounds on the way to a healthier, leaner body.  In the meantime, I work with what I have, grateful that I have the opportunity to do so…and not internalizing other people’s ideas and beliefs about body image.  Like I said, it’s a work in progress.

On my way to shedding those pounds, I still have to contend with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).  I’ve had this condition for almost twenty years..and still, I am challenged with ways and means of managing this condition. Fortunately, it’s not life-threatening, but it feels like it sometimes…especially when you are in a food line ready to eat, and a flare-up comes on.  So, my challenge is trying to find the right combination of foods that will keep flare-up at bay and have good health benefits as well.

Current successes and challenges aside, I am excited about the “more” that I can do to control my weight…investigating that Zumba class I’ve been meaning to take forever (I think), do some weight training, swimming, etc.  Like I said, my goal is to be 50 pounds lighter by this time next year…so now is my time.