Thursday, March 30, 2006

Weekly Image Tip

First impressions are key, so make a positive, lasting one. Whether in a job interview, business meeting, or simply introducing yourself to a new acquaintance; look the person you meet in the eye and offer a firm (but not overbearing) handshake. A handshake is often the first physical contact between two people.

The goal is to show interest and self-confidence.

posted by The Office Grapevine at 12:52 PM 0 comments  

Monday, March 27, 2006

Easy as One, Two, Three

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 27, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"One thing at a time, all things in succession.
That which grows slowly endures."
~ J.G. Hubbard


A SLICE OF LIFE!

We all understand that to achieve a goal, there is a progression of steps to take. Want a sandwich? Well, first you place a slice of bread on the plate, then you pile on the filling, then you dress it, and then you top it with the remaining slice of bread. Simple, right? But frustration results if you change the order. Even if you really love mustard, you wouldn’t ever start out by smearing mustard on the plate first!

However, when we visualize our own goals, we may see all the actions we need to take, but sometimes we want to try to skip some of those less exciting steps. But just like constructing the sandwich, futility results from rearranging the order of things.
You’ve got to take your goals, and your steps, one at a time, and you need to enjoy and appreciate your progress along the way. It’s been said that the first step of the journey is the most difficult, so it might help to imagine things in reverse order. First, visualize the end result, then trace backwards to eventually see how it all begins.
Don’t worry that parts of the journey don’t seem as thrilling as the destination. The poet Gamaliel Bradford once wrote, “In great matters men show themselves as they wish to be seen; in small matters, as they are.” Your dreams may reveal your ambitions, but it is your smaller actions every day that define who you really are.
Assigning order, importance and appreciation to the progressive stages of your life will carry you swiftly and triumphantly toward your dreams. Satisfying, any way you slice it!

posted by The Office Grapevine at 9:24 AM 0 comments  

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Weekly inspiration from Ghost Stories

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 20, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!


WELCOME TO THE VAULTS!
On the third Monday of each month, we present a "golden great" from the vaults! Readers who've joined our list in more recent times will enjoy these "tales from the crypt," while those who have long been with us can revisit some old favorites!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
~ Henry David Thoreau

BUILD YOUR OWN!

"Follow the yellow brick road," sang Dorothy and her unusual entourage in The Wizard of Oz, as they marched towards the Emerald City. The road was clear and their direction set. What they didn't know was that the good witch and the joyful munchkins had sent them down a road leading to a wanna-be fake wizard behind a curtain.

Have you ever had friends or family direct you to take a "yellow brick road" of their imagining? If you blindly followed their advice, you may have ended up in your own Emerald City of disappointment. The truth is: you have the power to create and follow a yellow brick road of your own, one that leads to the realization of your dreams.

The hard part is that you must also lay the paving stones of that road. You must first decide on a destination, and then be certain that each brick faces in that direction. Along the way, you may be distracted by winged monkeys or a wicked witch of your own or someone else's making. If you succumb to those distractions, you may look back to find that your paving stones are uneven and leading in the wrong direction.

Only by having your destination clearly in mind will you arrive unscathed by life's many dead-ends and hair-pin twists and turns. You must also be committed to the work involved - choosing only the right bricks, having the patience and perseverence to lay them straight, and the strength to avoid life's temptations as you work.

Now, how will you reach those "castles in the air . . ."?

(Originally published May 7, 2001)

posted by The Office Grapevine at 10:11 AM 0 comments  

Monday, March 13, 2006

Weekly inspiration from Ghost Stories

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING MARCH 13, 2006

Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:
"Repentance is another name for aspiration."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

THE ART OF APOLOGY!

“To forgive is divine.” That’s wonderful for the one who forgives, but what about the one who is apologizing? How do you say you’re sorry without making things worse? What’s the best way to make reparation and regain your integrity?

None of us are saints. For any number of reasons, we’ve committed any variety of offenses. Maybe we did or said something unkind, or made a mistake that cost someone time or money. The question isn’t about making mistakes, because we all do that. The question is how to apologize after the fact. It has become a lost art.

First and foremost in regard to saying “I’m sorry” is to do it as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the more it sounds like “I’m sorry . . . I got caught.” Next comes the explanation of what you did wrong and why it happened. Just be careful not to put more emphasis on the “why” than the “what,” because apologizing is not the same as justifying.

You don’t necessarily have to go whole hog, either. “I regret what happened” sounds a little weak, but “Everything was my fault” can be downright dangerous! Hopefully there is a middle ground where you can simply express how badly you feel about what you did or said.
Now that you’ve shown your repentance, your “victim” can relax, you can relax, and now you can take the opportunity to do something especially nice for the wronged party. Just be sure to say you’re sorry and THEN do something nice – otherwise, you might just arouse suspicion! Oh, and don’t forget – don’t make the same mistake twice!

Monday Morning Ghost Stories - Free from GHOST WRITERS!http://theghost.com * info@theghost.com * (800) 234.1481

posted by The Office Grapevine at 1:39 PM 0 comments  

From Melanie O'Kane, MAD Typing and Consulting

Helpful Hint #1: To switch from one open program to another, hold down the ALT key, then press TAB
Helpful Hint #2: To copy something, highlight it, then use CTRL, C
Helpful Hint #3: To cut something, highlight it, then use CTRL, X
Helpful Hint #4: To paste something, use CTRL,V
Helpful Hint #5: To bold something, highlight it, then use CTRL, B
Helpful Hint #6: To underline something, highlight it, then use CTRL, U
Helpful Hint #7: To italicize something, highlight it, then use CTRL, I (the letter i )
Helpful Hint #8: Look at your menu commands. Anything underlined can be accessed by holding down the ALT key and pressing the corresponding underlined letter-Try it!
Helpful Hint #9: To open your Windows Command Center, press "Flying Windows"
button instead of clicking Start (usually at the lower left-hand side of the keyboard next to the CTRL or ALT button)
Helpful Hint #10: In a list, use the SHIFT and arrow keys to highlight more than one item

posted by The Office Grapevine at 8:24 AM 0 comments  

Friday, March 10, 2006

Great Tip from GHOST STORIES

FOR THE WEEK BEGINNING FEBRUARY 27, 2006
Each weekly edition of GHOST STORIES is a short read beginning with a quote that inspires the ideas expressed in the column. Feel free to share our stories with friends and colleagues!
INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:“The truth of a thing is the feel of it, not the think of it.”~ Stanley Kubrick
“Trust the instinct to the end, though you can render no reason.”~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
FOLLOW THAT HUNCH!
Have you ever thought about how you think? Most of us don’t take the time to analyze how we analyze problems, we just do it. Sometimes, though, you can think too hard when you should be listening to your instincts.

Take the example recounted in “Blink,” a recent book by Malcolm Gladwell. It’s the true story of a statue purchased by the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. After paying $10 million for the work of art, it was discovered to be a forgery. Plenty of “experts” examined the statue from all angles and aspects, believing it to be “the real thing.” However, there were a handful of inspectors who scrutinized the piece and simply “felt” that something was wrong, although they just couldn’t quite put their finger on what that was.

Seems that it just didn’t “look right,” and at first glance they knew it was a fake. Unfortunately, because they were unable to back up their hunch with indisputable facts, their analysis of the work’s authenticity was ignored. We’ve probably all experienced a similar situation, where we just knew we were right, but we let others make the final judgment because we lacked the conviction to convince them otherwise.

This is the difference between thinking and feeling, facts and truth. We think about facts, but we feel the truth. The facts can be manipulated, but the way we feel is immovable. At the end of the day, it is how we feel that guides our decisions and dictates the direction we follow. So the next time you have a hunch or simply a strong feeling about something, listen more closely to yourself. You’re probably a lot closer to the truth than you realize!

Monday Morning Ghost Stories - Free from GHOST WRITERS!http://theghost.com * info@theghost.com * (800) 234.1481

posted by The Office Grapevine at 8:31 AM 0 comments  

Thursday, March 09, 2006

This week's image tip

Ponytails are great for creating a clean polished look and are appropriate in any work environment. Hair should be brushed smoothly and secured using a simple, up to date hair accessory. Scrunchies and plastic butterfly clips are dated, more casual, and can detract from a professional image.

posted by The Office Grapevine at 1:37 PM 0 comments