MindComet

Valentines Day Tips

We’re rapidly approaching Valentines Day, the holiday of love and appreciation.  It’s the time of year when people want to express themselves and hope to receive similar declarations in return.  If you are in need of some ideas, I have a little list for you!

1. Everyone loves baked goods and you will get extra points if you remember your special person is gluten free.  Bake it yourself though, don’t cheat and get something from the grocery store to pass as your own.
2. Girls like flowers, it doesn’t matter what we’ve said.  Whether it’s a huge bouquet or a single bloom, you cannot go wrong with flowers.
3. If your funds don’t live up to the expectations, you may want to try crafting a well written “love note” to your special someone.  It must be handwritten to count, texts, email, tweets or wall posts are not a substitute.
4. Candies are always a classic, but I recommend chocolates.  Nothing says I love you more than a small box of chocolates.  Don’t get a large box, no one needs all those calories.
5. If done correctly, crafty gifts are also good.  An easy crafty gift is a photo collage of you and your special person.  It’s not a bad idea to reinforce all of the positive times you’ve had with photographic evidence.
6. The dinner date is also a nice, if not predictable, Valentines Day staple.  If you opt for this, make sure to make reservations in advance (even if it’s just the pizza parlor) as this is a busy night for the food service industry.
7. A word of caution about giving jewelry on this day… If you’re going to do it, you can’t go cheap.  Jewelry given on Valentines Day has a higher expectation level placed on it than jewelry given on Arbor Day. 
8. In the same vein as jewelry, if you’re thinking about taking your relationship to the next level please have that talk on some other day.  Don’t be cheesy and use Valentines Day as the catalyst for something you’ve been thinking about for a while.
9. If nothing else, Valentines Day should be fun for both you and your special someone, so if you’re feeling a lot of anxiety about this holiday take the time to talk about it with your sweetie.  I’m sure they’ll appreciate that conversation more than the inevitable freak-out that will be the outcome if you just continue to spin like a top. 
10.  Remember, it’s all about how you express yourself.  This list is just to get you thinking about what you could do.  Good luck, have fun, and enjoy being in love.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Jan. 28, 2011

Is Technology Hurting Your Relationships?

There has been a lot of talk about how social media is killing interpersonal relationships.  There has also been a lot of talk about how social media is extending and enhancing relationships.  Talk is a good thing, it means people are thinking about the impact technology has on their lives, good or bad.  Like almost everything else in this world, it’s an issue of use and application.  I’ve personally experienced a longevity in my peripheral relationships that I otherwise would not have… The connecting to or maintaining of relationships that would have otherwise died due to geographic issues or age.  In that regard, I think that the technology tools available fall into the “good for relationships” category.

So in a world where people text more than talk, how has technology improved/hurt your relationships?

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Jan. 21, 2011

A new year, a new hobby

Along with my New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve been thinking about getting a hobby.  I am hoping that this will be a year of personal growth and expanding horizons for me.  So as I started to think about an activity to make my hobby, I had discussions with friends and family.  Here is a sampling of their suggestions; knitting, baking, painting, and square dancing (not helpful, by the way).  As discussions made their way around my office, I was offered the following opportunities; target practice at the gun range, bow and arrow shooting, and samurai sword training (which falls nicely into my Zombie Attack plan found here).  I’ve got to say that I like all of these suggestions as well as the group of MindCometeers who will be participating with me.

After much deliberation and input, I’ve decided that what started out as looking for a single new hobby has turned into a whole series of new activities; target practice at the gun range, bow and arrow shooting, sword wielding, and golf (I received a very generous gift and am now the proud owner of a sweet set of Callaway’s.).  I am looking forward to these new experiences and it should be fun!  What kind of hobby are you thinking of picking up in 2011?

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Jan. 14, 2011

The effectiveness of the New Year’s Resolution

The New Year’s Resolution, I have mine and I have been practicing implementing them for the last month or so.  But when I look around the web, I find some very troubling statistics on the success rate of actually keeping these resolutions.

After the first week, and we’re coming up to that very soon, 25% of people who made a resolution have already quit.  Within the first two weeks, that number grows to almost 30%.  USA TODAY did a year long survey to their CEO advisory board regarding resolutions.  The thought process behind surveying CEO’s was that they are a more motivated subset of the general public and it was theorized that these particular people would be more likely to maintain their resolutions. 

Of the 500 initial survey recipients, 200 (40%) responded with a confirmation they did have a resolution for the new year.  The 40% corresponds with the general public in terms of the amount of people who make resolutions.  At the end of the year, USA TODAY sent inquires to the 200 respondents asking about their resolution success rate.  Twenty two people reported back (that’s less than 1%).  On a one to five scale, the participants gave themselves an average of four. 

What this means to you is that it doesn’t matter who you are or what you do, resolutions are difficult.  Perhaps the thing to keep in mind isn’t that these usually fail, but that forward momentum almost never happens without proper planning.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Jan. 06, 2011

Holiday Traditions Part Seven - The New Year’s Resolution

As I get older I begin to understand both myself and the world a little better.  I know that I am a morning person who likes the occasion sleep-in.  I know I am overly sensitive to concerns of fairness and equality.  I know that I am occasionally surly and occasionally sweet but most often live somewhere in the middle.  I also know that life isn’t fair, that people will step on you if they can, and that no one is owed anything.  These are the things I have learned during my time on this planet.  What came to me as a startling revelation, and yes I may be slow to the game, was that I usually take these wins and losses as they come.  I am a passenger in my own life.

My resolution in 2011 is all about remedying that perspective.  I am not a passenger in my own life, but rather the captain of it.  So, to that end, I have only two resolutions.  They will be challenging to both me and those around me at times, but the whole purpose of the New Year’s Resolution is to better yourself in some way.

Resolution One
I am simply going to start asking for what I want.

Resolution Two
I am going to be as straight-forward and positive as possible in my day to day communications.

I hope you too take a few moments to take stock of your life and find areas, no matter how small, that can be improved to the benefit of both yourself and your loved ones.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Dec. 31, 2010

Holiday Traditions Part Six - Christmas

I wish all of you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Dec. 24, 2010

Holiday Traditions Part Five - The Office Party

I love the Christmas office party.  At MindComet, we usually have two or three office parties.  To be clear, we have the traditional office party (the bring your spouse or significant other kind of party), a smaller company-only party, and a lunchtime holiday potluck (also a party, don’t judge).  This year our “traditional” party was at a wonderful tapas restaurant in downtown Orlando.  We had tapas (of course) and sangria (of course) and flamenco dancers.  It was a wonderful event that was enjoyed by all and filmed by none!  We will also have a smaller internal party, where gifts are given and champagne/wine/beer will be consumed.  This smaller party is usually held right before everyone starts to depart for the holidays.  And lastly, we have the holiday “potluck” lunch.  While this isn’t a party per se, we make any gathering of more than eight MindCometeers a party.  This year, the potluck will be on December 23rd and I am baking my famous chocolate bourbon pecan pie!  Everyone else is encouraged to bring food of some sort.  End the year on a sweet note! 

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Dec. 20, 2010