We had our first meeting today at work for the 2008 Strategic Planning initiative. In the 4 months I've been working there, that was probably the third meeting I've attended. How totally cool is that?! Better yet, it was actually kind of productive. It was just an introductory meeting, so it was mostly an overview, but I could tell that the majority of the participants truly wanted to put effort into improving things that need attention around the company.

I couldn't help but notice the difference in the quality of this meeting compared to other meetings I've been forced to be a part of in the past. Nothing about today's meeting was futile. The facilitator was knowledgeable and kept us on task. Not a minute was wasted on irrelevant details of what we had for dinner last night or what we watched on television the night before. Points were respectfully discussed and reviewed, and we all left with focused goals in mind.

While I fully realize that no job is ever going to be perfect, it certainly is a big gulp of fresh air to be able to have confidence in the company I work for.

On a little side note, I had a rough day yesterday. Traffic was insane, work was even more busy than usual, people were even more dumb than usual, then I got home and noticed my house was a shambles (how does that happen during the day when we're not even home?!) and pretty much everything seemed to go bad. I even got into an argument (alright, a fight) with my sweet hubby over trivial stuff that of course meant nothing in the scheme of things. So this morning as I pulled out of the garage into my driveway, mentally preparing myself to face it all again, I stopped there for a second and said a simple prayer and asked the Lord just to help me through the day. Just a short prayer, but it was loaded. Not only did I need Him to be with me, I needed the encouragement, comfort, positivity, grace, and mercy that only He can give.

And He did. I had a great day today. (And He even let it SNOW some tonight! Woo!) Thank you, God. You are truly awesome.

Labels: Faith, Working

I had a review today at work; it went extremely well and I was pleased with what my supervisor and boss had to say. As of tomorrow, I will have been working there for 4 months and I think I've made really good progress. Also, I've been nominated to be on the 2008 Strategic Planning Committee at my company, which is an honor.

There was one particular comment (the very first one, actually) on my review paperwork I found rather intriguing. My supervisor started the whole thing by saying "Susan is calm." Okay, if you know me well at all, you can stop laughing now. I'm probably one of the least calm people east of the Mississippi. I'm not a nervous wreck or anything, but I am definitely sensitive, emotional, passionate, temperamental, and sometimes even irrational. I openly admit all of that. But calm? Not really. However, I do have to give myself a pat on the back for at least being able to make other people think I am calm. That proves I've come a long way in the last few years. While I may experience annoyances and aggravations, I've at least matured to the point where I can control my irritation enough to appear calm. Perhaps it's something that comes with age. If so, at this rate I'll be downright easygoing by the time I'm 40.

Labels: Deep Thoughts, Working