Decisions

It's the beginning of 2009, and of course everyone is doing some soul searching and setting goals and aspirations that they will most likely never accomplish {I'm being realistic and some what pessimistic so bare with me for a second} I was listening to everyone at work talk about their New Years resolutions and wanted to do something different. As tempted as I was to make a "To Do List" for the year.....I decided to go a bit deeper.

I am going to think....and pray before I make any major decisions. It may sound stupid.....but think about it. How often do you really sit down and think and pray about stuff before you react? I will be the first to admit I probably don't pray as much as I should, especially lately. Some of the things that have happened this year, especially the negative things are directly from me making poor decisions. Maybe if I had truly thought about some of the things before I did it and how it may effect my life in the long run....I would have made a wiser decision and not acted in the moment. I'm a bit impulsive and also have an addictive personality, which tends to get me into trouble in the long run. I'm going to do my best to apply this not only in my personal life, but at work as well. I think it will really help me become a better manager/leader and my employees will appreciate it in the long run. A good friend of mine sent me a text the other day that really opened my eyes to some things. He said, " You need to set an example for JD and for his future. You need to put your standards higher and not lower them because a past relationship didn't work out. Set a good example for him and show him how a woman needs to be treated. To care and love him is your job. Show him how strong you are and how life needs to be. It is your job too set the bar high and whatever man can reach it is going to be the one for you....." I can not even tell you how much that touched me. I have known it, but I needed to be reminded again. So on that note.....

I have two really cool things that have happened as a direct result of my little "resolution" and deciding to set the bar higher.

I was sitting at a table at a bar/grill waiting for one of my girls to join me. I had worked both jobs that day and was hungry and exhausted and still doing paper work at 11pm! the very cute waiter saw this and decided to strike up a conversation with me asking where my date was and why I was still working so late and blah blah blah.....he was a total schmoozer and distracted me for a good hour. I will be honest and say I had fun talking to him and he made me laugh really hard for the first time in a while. By the end of the night he had slipped me his number on a piece of paper. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE. No joke. I was so excited and totally wanted to text him. {for those of you that don't know I hate talking on the phone I do it so much at work I'm addicted to texting} BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!?! Instead of making a stupid impulsive decision....I stuck his number in my purse and decided to sleep on it. When I woke up the next day I was rested, not as grumpy and didn't have any vodka in my system....I decided that it would definitely not be a good idea to text him. I WAS CRAZY FOR EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT. *phew*

The second had to do with an employee at work. It was the end of the day and my patience was wearing this. I had already worked doubles 2 days in a row and was border line grumpy because I was so tired. HOWEVER, I had a smile on my face and got everything done on my "To Do " list that day. One of my employees walks in to start her shift and I smiled and greeted her and asked how she was. Not only did she not answer me, but she glared at me and then walked out. I was flabbergasted and totally annoyed. I went out in the kitchen and was waiting to see how she treated the individuals because if she was grumpy to them there was no way in hell that I was going to let her stay and work. She didn't even greet them. She looked at the shift assignment and sighed and then went into the laundry room. The phone then rang and of course it was for me and I was distracted for about a 1/2 hour. I walked back out on the floor to look for her and couldn't find her. Now I was really irritated because she was not in the house and she broke protocol by not asking me if she could leave. So, I went on the hunt and found her outside smoking. She looked miserable and everything within me wanted to yell at her....but as I went to open my mouth I got that funny feeling in my stomach, you know what one I'm talking about? It's that sense to just stop. Call it God, woman's intuition, conscious whatever....but I felt it and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I just went back inside. I didn't say a word to her. I literally opened up the door looked at her and then shut it and stood there THINKING. Do I send her home because of her nasty attitude? Or do I ask her what's wrong? After a few minuted of thinking I opened the door and all I said to her was, "Take your time you look like you need a couple extra minutes. If you need to talk I'm here." Don't you know that's all it took to get her to smile? She said, " thanks Mel I will be right in" and she came in my office after that and sat down and talked to me. She had to put her cat that she had for 15 years to sleep earlier that day and her grandma was in the hospital and she hadn't slept because she was taking care of her dying cat and in the emergency room with her grandma. She broke down and started crying and all I could do was hug her. The last 24 hours had been hell for her and she had to handle it all with no sleep and then came to work! I didn't know what to say....what can you say really? I'm sorry? Wow that sucks? Thanks for sucking it up and coming in? PSSHT! It was a wordless moment and I was so glad that I had taken those extra couple of minutes to THINK about how I was going to handle the situation, instead of acting in the moment when I was irritated and just sending her home like I had originally wanted to.

Those are just two so far....imagine how my life is going to be effected this year by me just taking some time and thinking before I react. Imagine if everyone took the time to truly think about their decisions and how their actions could effect the rest of their life and the people around them. How many marriages would be saved? How many hearts would not be broken due to a partner cheating on them? How many girls would not be single moms? How many people would not have drug problems because they just said "no" to that first hit? How many family's would still have their loved ones who were killed by a drunk driver? Truly our world is effected and runs on the decisions we make. I may only be one person, but hopefully my making a couple "right" decisions will make a difference.