So, this week I had this great idea, well I thought it was great at
the time, to cut back on my caffeine intake. You see I typically drink
a pot of coffee in the morning just to get me going and then several
ice tea’s during the day. Then at night wine to relax me (but that’s a
post all in itself). I began to realize that I was having trouble
sleeping and figured it was due to one of three things. My high stress
level, sleeping with my Blackberry and feeling compelled to see what
emails came across at 3am, or way to much caffeine. Since caffeine
seemed to be the easiest to cut out I decided to go with that first.
But now after three days of headaches and being bitchy to everyone, I
am not so sure it was such a great idea.
That leaves me in a bit of a quandary.
read more
The other day I stopped in a McDonald’s and had one of the most
unbelievable customer service experiences I have ever had. By
unbelievable I mean BAD. I ordered my usual unsweet ice tea, they
handed me a cup, I paid for it, all the usual steps. I then went over
to the drink dispensary, or whatever it is called, to pour my drink.
Typically there is a container of sweet tea and a container of unsweet.
This day there were two containers of sweet so I thought maybe I was
just being dense and there was missing it. I stopped a lady walking
past and asked if there was any unsweet tea. She looked at me and, I
kid you not, said “no” and walked on.
As I just stood there in shock just not believing that someone would
be so blatantly rude another employee, who overheard the exchange, came
over to me and got me what I needed. Then proceeded to ream the other
employee and yell at the manager about the other employee and generally
caused a ruckus.
Then I was happy, after all I had my ice tea, but am still appalled
at the behavior of the employee at the McDonald’s. We are currently in
a time where many folks don’t have jobs. So if you don’t want yours to
the point that you are going to be rude, then let someone else have it.
Laina
I often include myself in this category. I mean, why not? I am cool, fabulous
and basically I am every woman! But where did it start? Who was coined a diva
back in the day? Who is one now? All these questions plague my mind as I wonder
how much of a diva I am considered by the masses? Well, like I usually do, I get
on the computer and do some research and here is what I came up with…
What is a
Diva?
Check it out and let me know if your a diva and why!
Laina
I hate the telephone. I was never a big fan of the phone but as the years
pass I become even less thrilled with actually talking when texting or email
will suffice. Before you go thinking I am some kind of introvert or don’t like
people it’s not that at all (I like most people….the ones that aren’t stupid).
It’s more about time management. It is a better use of my time to just
text/email a quick request without all the meaningless chit chat that often goes
along with a phone call. If I have the time it’s one thing but if I don’t it
just frustrates me to listen to someone. Especially when we already discussed
that specific topic (for some reason they just won’t stop talking each and every
time we get on the phone).
However, I don’t think most people really get it,
even when I tell them.
Here’s an example, I tried a little experiment. On my voicemail I recorded a
message that said I don’t like checking voicemail and often don’t. If you want
to get a hold of me it would be better to text or email me. It only took a day
and a half before my voicemail was full with people who obviously don’t listen
to messages either. So then I just left my voicemail box full and every time
someone told me it was full I just played stupid and blamed it on At & T
(sorry AT & T).
I am not trying to replace actual human connection with technology just
wanting to be more effective.
What are your thoughts on this?
Laina
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Many
people become business owners so they don’t have so many rules. So they didn’t have to bow to “the man.” Well
guess what you still have an “Uncle” whose rules you have to follow. Rules such
as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the American
Disabilities Act (ADA, Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), At- Will employment
(which does not mean you can terminate without liability) and more. As a
business owner you need to be knowledgeable about what those specific rules are
and how they pertain to you.
A
good team of people working with you toward a common goal is invaluable.
Following the rules of being an employer is even more important. By staying
knowledgeable and compliant of current and upcoming labor laws you can make
having employees more fun or at least less stressful.
Be
proactive and protecting yourself is key. You have worked too hard at starting and
growing your business to let a bad employee do something detrimental. At
minimum please take the time to regularly review and update your employee
manual and policies yearly and if you don’t have an employee manual, then get
one. Just having a basic outline of the general policies and procedures of how
you run your company is important. Make sure you have things you want people to
adhere to in writing. If it’s not in writing it doesn’t exist. Ensure your
policies are in compliance with the current federal and state labor laws. For
example if your company must be compliant with the Family Medical Leave Act
(FMLA) then did you update the polices after January 16th, 2009 when
the new laws took effect? Do you understand the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA)
and how this could potentially change the tenants of union organization and the
landscape of business as we know it? Do you have the most current I-9 form?
Don’t wait until you have a problem to fix. Waiting too long will only open the
door to lawsuits and other difficulties. Look ahead and be strategic as it will
only be the best for your business.
Laina Molaski
You can pick up any newspaper or turn on any news program on the radio or TV
and you hear at least one or two things that pertain to the recession with all
the foreclosures, job losses etc. etc. On the other hand there are still such
long lines every morning at Starbucks. Is it all the people who still have jobs
and homes that can afford a $5 dollar a day/$25 dollar a work week habit? Are we
being fiscally irresponsible spending $100 dollars a month on something as
trivial as coffee and just slowly pulling ourselves down into fiscal despair as
well?
If you had to choose between electricity and lattes would that would be easy
decision? As much as I love my lattes I need electricity to do my hair. Cable
and lattes may be a bit more difficult to decide between at least for me (as
long as I still had internet the world would be at peace). When did we become so
spoiled in needing branded coffee when regular coffee from McDonald’s did us
just fine for years? Speaking of McDonald’s they have found a way to capitalize
on the market in providing coffee worth of competing against Starbucks at a much
more cost effective price (not to mention their iced coffees are pretty
amazing). So, then it comes down to having the Starbucks cup, which is as much
of a status symbol as Prada and Gucci, versus the plain ol’ cup from McD’s.
Solution- just buy one Starbucks on Monday and rinse out the cup. Purchase
McDonald’s Tuesday through Friday and then pour it into the Starbucks cup with
no one to the wiser. You can be fiscally responsible AND branded. Now if it were
only that easy to pass of my payless shoes for Jimmy Choo’s.
Laina
So many people do not know what Multiple Sclerosis is. Even less know that
orange is the color representing Multiple
Sclerosis. However, you would be surprised to find someone who didn’t know that
pink was the color to represent
Cancer.
That needs to change!! We need orange to
be just as recognizable as pink!!
Over the next twelve months my team and I are comitted to raising the level
of orange awareness by creating new slogans and logos. We want one new
slogan/logo to come out each month but we need YOUR help.
For October we launched – Orange is the
New Pink – what should be the next great
slogan?
Send your idea to laina@chiczofrenic.com by Oct 31st,
2009. Drawing will be November 5th, 2009 for a November 15th, 2009 launch of the
new slogan.
More information at www.lainamolaski.com/contest
I wake up this morning and put my low fat, low carb, high protein,
high fiber bar in my purse. Fully intending to get my coffee and eat my
healthy breakfast and start the day off right. However, I had a meeting
at Panera Bread and when I walked in my resolve to not eat carbs
started to weaken. The smell of toasting bread and bagels is one that I
have a very hard time resisting. Still possessing some willpower I
walked up to the counter telling myself that I would only have a coffee
– ok and an ice tea (I am a true caffeine addict). But then the person
waiting on me had the audacity to say “would you like to try one of our
trail mix bagels today” and I caved. I couldn’t say no! My willpower
went out the window and I said that I would love to try a trail mix
bagel. I ate it and enjoyed every bite all while thinking about how I
would just have my high fiber bar for lunch or skip it altogether,
which we all know won’t happen.
I get so mad at the bad rap carbs have received over the last few
years. I used to be able to eat my bagels with abandon and no guilt.
But now I think with every bite how each calorie will turn in to sugar
or fat or whatever. To be honest I am not really sure why I shouldn’t
eat them. Just that they help contribute to my overall voluptuous
curves and I don’t need any more help.
So much for my good intentions!
Laina
The year is inding down. Recommitting to reaching those goals I felt were all so important on January 1st. This year my refocus could almost be overwhelming as it has probably been the most interesting year of my life thus far. I haven’t made as much progress as I would have liked and in some instances have almost backslid from 2008. But after much thinking I realized you do sometimes have to take a few steps back to make even bigger strides forward and that is how I am going to view things. As daunting as it may seem.
My goals this year were simple. To finally publish my fiction book, to achieve some better inner peace, and to have a better work/life balance. I have pushed my book out to February 2010 for good reason. To make it better and to do things the right way. That goal won’t be reached but I’m ok with it. The other two goals are not so black and white. I like things neat, tidy, and measurable but I have to allow myself to be ok with the fact that it’s not always possible to have things that way. What I have to ask myself is if I have made progress in these areas and if I have learned anything from the experience, and I have. What I have learned is that life isn’t neat and tidy. It can be, but it also can be messy and dirty which is what makes it life. I have spent most of my life trying to conform and putting aspects of my life in neat and tidy boxes. The business woman box, the wife box, the mother box, the teacher box, the writer box to name a few and once I got done with those there wasn’t much left for the Laina box. In fact, I got to where I wasn’t even sure what should be in the Laina box as I had lost part of her in the search to be all of those other things.
The pressure I felt to be the best at all I did and live up to what I perceived as others expectations of me (to which I have found were mostly my perceptions, not reality) was unreal and in a lot of ways in contradiction to the real me inside. As I started this self discovery I was able to narrow those boxes down to four. Business women, college professor, fiction writer, and mother. As you can see there still wasn’t a Laina box. To make it even more convoluted I decided to write my fiction under a pen name as to not infringe on my academic persona. There I was again trying to keep things separate. God forbid another PhD would find out I wrote romantic/mystery fiction.
A few weeks ago as I was trying to keep myself from going crazy (an ongoing struggle) and I had an epiphany. I was stressed and miserable because I still was trying to be “things” and not myself. Laina is all these boxes, these boxes aren’t Laina. I have to stop defining who I am by what I am because who I am, shapes all those boxes whether I want to admit it or not. Great revelation but then I got stuck on the now what part. Coming out to be who I am and not what I prefer to project is scary. For me anyways. But for once instead of over thinking it (as I have been accused of on occasion), I decided to take the plunge and today is a new me.
I am who I am…no excuses and no disclaimers.
I made myself a new website over the weekend to embrace my new self. It’s not perfect and that’s part of why I am using it today. It is what it is. Like it or not, I’m not doing it to be perfect. I’m doing it to be real as I am finally going to embrace my reality. What can you do to embrace yours?
Laina
http://lainamolaski.com