Sun or Shade?

Sun or Shade?

Quiet Quitting is a term that has recently taken over TikTok and has made national news. If you haven’t heard of it yet, let me give you a quick, non-biased synopsis:
 
Young woman in her early thirties, dressed in a stylish baby doll dress and knee-high boots goes into work one early morning. She places her newly purchased Rebecca Minkoff purse in the drawer of her desk, turns on her desktop, and starts her daily routine. By noon, her task list for the day was done. This is when the commencement of YouTube, text messaging, and “dm-ing” occurred.
 
When a manager of another division approached the young woman to ask for assistance, the young woman looked up at the manager and says, “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
 
This is quiet quitting:  young workers who don’t leave their jobs but reject the idea of going above and beyond. They say they do this to focus on life beyond the office.

Possibly, this new mindset is a result of the pandemic. I admit, the shutdown had so many positives. I felt free to explore life again. I found myself walking the neighborhood more often.  Sometimes I wandered alone, sometimes my husband joined me.  And the time with my kids was awesome. Not constantly driving from one meeting to the next was great. Wine at noon… well that became a problem.
 
However, since working my way up from administrative assistant to business owner, I have seen this attitude from employees for a long time.  Long before the pandemic, when I received my first promotion.  I was excited to finally have access to an administrative assistant myself who could help me organize my time and my tasks.  But to my surprise, that administrative assistant very often told me “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
 
“Holy shit,” I thought. I would have never, ever say that to my superior! (Which by the way, I hate that word “superior.”)
 
But the languid attitude happened repeatedly in many roles and positions. I see it more and more today, in both the young and old.  The drive to go “above and beyond” at work is becoming a rare sentiment. I even see it in business owners’ treatment of customers.
 
And now that we have TikTok, it’s a full-blown trend and deemed acceptable.
 
My opinion on this new trend? I do think employers need to be more conscientious and focus efforts to increase employee retention. They should treat employees with respect and appreciation. I also believe there is a portion of quiet quitting that is a response to employers overextending their workers and not acknowledging their loyalty. But I definitely disagree with the exploitive quiet quitting mentality.

 

Evergreen and Everlasting!

Evergreen and Everlasting!

Not everybody shops the same, and therefore not all marketing should be the same. Marketing tactics should be direct, poignant, and expansive. Like a funnel that splits into 4 different bottles.
 
Believe it or not, the job that gave me that tidbit of advice was The GAP. That’s right, working at The Gap gave me the foundation needed to know a customer the moment they walked through the doors. That has stuck with me since I was nineteen.
 
We were each given cards to complete, bronze to gold, when identifying and selling to these four types of customers.
 
Here are the five types in a nutshell:
 

  1. The Decisive Buyer- They know what they want before walking in the door. Your job is to get it for them and get them out. They hate details that slow up the process.  Trust me, they know the details but see them as insignificant.
  2. The Trendy Shopper- These are your most personable shoppers. They want to talk and hear the excitement about a new product. They are also the easier to up sell.
  3. The Processor- Like the decisive buyer, be honest and direct. They can smell bullshit a mile away. But they need time to process the purchase, to determine if it is worth it. Also give them the boost of confidence after the transaction is complete. Reassurance is important.
  4. The Researcher- This is my husband. He will research the quality of anything he is about to buy, and still question its integrity. The only thing you can do is provide them the information you know, and don’t take it personal when they doubt you.
  5. The Wanderer- These shoppers take the most time to turn into a sale. Just be patient, quiet, and wait for them to come to you.

 
Whether you are brick and mortar, click and order, selling a product, or a service, we all deal with each of these consumers. In this digital world, it’s important that we cater our sales tactics to more than just one platform. This can be the tricky part, but it is 100% possible.
 
Technically, you could say that The Gap was a difference maker in my career.

Edible Fact!

Edible Fact!

There is a multitude in life that I don’t know about… and I love that! The greatest thing for me is knowing I don’t know everything. And what I do know, can always become outdated or irrelevant.
 
How boring would it be to know everything? To have every stone turned over, every food tasted, or every nook and cranny explored. How mind numbing would it be never to chance, never to discover, or push yourself just an inch further. All ceilings are glass in my book.
 
With all that being said, there are times we need to learn by following.
 
Here is the edible fact: follow, but don’t follow too close behind or you will never forge your own path.
 
I thought about this when I was literally following my husband on a new trail through our park. He led the way. At first, I was close behind. I found myself more nervous about every step I was taking. I was focusing only on his feet, and it was not easy mimicking his every step. Fact is, our body makeup is different, therefore our strides are different, and neither of our steps are replicable.
 
Once I began to drop back, I became more comfortable following him. I was able to see what was ahead of me.  I could take in the full picture, see his steps, but determine my own. I enjoyed following once I learned how to do it.  And the next time I’m out there on my own, I will be more confident.
 
The key to following is to take a step back. Watch who you are following and see the whole picture. Then you can determine the best route for you to get from point A to point B without always having that person in front of you.

Difference Maker!

Difference Maker!

In life, we are constantly growing, changing, battling our own inner demons, and coming out stronger. Well at least I hope that’s the case. This last week I had my own epiphany about myself.
 
When I was in my late teens, early twenties, I developed an eating disorder. Plain and simple — my life was not what I wanted it to be, and this was my solution to control it. I needed to control my body, and more importantly, my emotions. I would like to think I am the exception to this tragic fact of life for young girls, but I’m afraid I am not.
 
I started off by limiting my calories and what I ate. I stopped eating meat.  I would eat things like mustard sandwiches, or five fat free saltine crackers with a slice of Fat Free Kraft American Cheese. The ability to control what I ate was gratifying. But like any addiction, it wasn’t enough. I then turned to purging the limited calories I took in. I coin this disorder as bularexic. This was my ability to get rid of hurtful feelings and continue losing weight. It’s terrible to admit, but the fact is, I had a love-hate relationship with my disorder. I loved every pound dropped and every emotion it helped me avoid. I hated that it was never enough, and I couldn’t stop.
 
I literally was destroying my family and friendships with this disorder. I was also destroying myself. I felt like I was on a merry-go-round that would not stop. I knew those close to me were watching to see if I fled to the bathroom after a meal, or how much I ate on my plate. I was under a microscope, still am with some.
 
Eventually, I realized I was no longer the controller. I was being controlled by “it.” I wanted to stop.
 
To get out of the mess I created took a long time. I had to reteach myself to eat. I had to learn other ways to deal with life. I had to get rid of the people around me who were not good for me and focus my time with those that did truly care. I had to admit I had a disorder, and it wasn’t just a diet. Then I had to pay my penance to my family and build trust with them again. Something I’m still working on.
 
So, that was a lot of background to what I am about to say. For decades I have described myself as having had an eating disorder. It’s in the past so no more shame. The reality is I have an eating disorder. It never goes away. I just learned how to live with it so it doesn’t go where it could go. The effects of what I created will always be with me.
 
This epiphany and acceptance of my reality came to me this past week. And I must say, I’m super proud of myself.
 
Body dysmorphia is a real effect for people with eating disorders. Therefore, I strive to define who I am on everything but my looks. But the fact is I will never see what others see when I look in the mirror, and that is always with me.

Last week — with women who are perfect to me in every way — I had an opportunity and took it. It was in the darkness, with the ocean staring us in the face, and no one around, that we decided to be go for it. Yes, that’s right, we bared it all and dove right in! There was no body comparison or judgement.  No internal chains holding me back. And because of that, it was one of the most liberating and freeing moments of my life. For that one moment with those ladies, I truly let go of what is always with me.
 
Afterwards I came to terms with the fact that I didn’t have an eating disorder, I have one. Just like an alcoholic, it never goes away, and that’s okay. I am not ashamed of it; I’m proud of myself that every day I am winning the battle. And on that day, in that moment, I was triumphant.