Dear Meagan,
Last night completed your THIRD shift at your new j-o-b! I am so pumped for you and proud of you. Getting back in the work force is a gigantic step forward for you. You are such a role model to others who have struggled, you never gave up and are back to being a contributing member of society! Woo hoo! I love how you described your job to me, "I get to walk around and make the store look pretty." You have such a positive attitude about your new job and I foresee long and happy employment for you there.
WikiHow posted, "How to be a good employee" (http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Good-Employee). Although you are a stellar employee already, I thought I would share their tips and tricks with you! Use this blog as a quick guide but check out the link above for a full description.
1.Behave professionally
2. Learn to take criticism graciously
3.Learn to do your job, and do it well
4. Cultivate good relationships with the people in your organization; they are experts in their departments
5. When you get the opportunity to learn a new skill, receive training for a different activity, or take a study course paid for by your employer- do it!
6. Maintain a clean job performance record
7. Be on time
8. Ask your supervisor what the expectations for outcomes are
9. Be part of the solutions
10. Don't drag your feet
11. Be quiet and work (aka no gossiping)
12. Always be productive
13. Dress appropriately for work
14. Hold your head high and be confident
15. Volunteer or be active in projects to get the job done
16. Don't spend a lot of time on personal phone calls/texting
17. Use the last 15-20 minutes of your shift
18. Offer junior employees guidance and encouragement
19. Acceptance (of company policy) is key
20. Be appreciative, always say thank you to bosses and co-workers
Make sure to continuously evaluate yourself as an employee using these traits. It is great to have self-awareness so people don't have to tell you where to improve, you can work on it on your own! You are kicking butt lady! Keep it up!
XOXO,
Brooke
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Tattoo Lady!
Dear Meagan,
TATTOOED LADY! Woo hoo... you got your survivor tattoo and I absolutely LOVE it!!!
I love that you got the gray brain cancer ribbon on your neck, close to your head... and of course with the word SURVIVOR! This is a perfect location, and every time someone sees it they will have some understanding of the incredible struggles that you have overcome! I love how much meaning your new ink has! Also the heart at the top of the ribbon... awesome!
I'm sure XS gave you a lot of care detail but remember not to let any sun beat down on it for a couple months to prevent fading. Also it is going to scab up soon... DO NOT PICK IT! When you pick it, it will pull the color out and you will end up with a splotchy ribbon. I was religious about this and ended up with no spots of missing color, but I know a few people who picked and have color missing at those spots now. Also make sure to be really good about the cleaning regimen they gave you! It's like having a nasty wound that you want to heal perfectly, you have to take care of it in order for that to happen!
Love the new ink, love, love, love. And love you too!
XOXO,
Brooke
TATTOOED LADY! Woo hoo... you got your survivor tattoo and I absolutely LOVE it!!!
I love that you got the gray brain cancer ribbon on your neck, close to your head... and of course with the word SURVIVOR! This is a perfect location, and every time someone sees it they will have some understanding of the incredible struggles that you have overcome! I love how much meaning your new ink has! Also the heart at the top of the ribbon... awesome!
I'm sure XS gave you a lot of care detail but remember not to let any sun beat down on it for a couple months to prevent fading. Also it is going to scab up soon... DO NOT PICK IT! When you pick it, it will pull the color out and you will end up with a splotchy ribbon. I was religious about this and ended up with no spots of missing color, but I know a few people who picked and have color missing at those spots now. Also make sure to be really good about the cleaning regimen they gave you! It's like having a nasty wound that you want to heal perfectly, you have to take care of it in order for that to happen!
Love the new ink, love, love, love. And love you too!
XOXO,
Brooke
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Improving your Memory
Dear Meagan,
You have come so far in your journey of recovery! You are now using your days productively and are a self-starter! I am so proud of you and how far you have come :)
Even though you have made unbelievable progress, there is still one challenge you face... your memory. So this blog is all about how to improve your memory.
The first recommendation I have is to spend 15-20 minutes per day on lumonisity.com to do some brain training! When you had your surgeries a lot of brain pathways were broken. The amazing thing? They have the power to re-wire and become good as new. So RIGHT NOW set a DAILY alarm on your phone to do your lumonisity training. Sometime mid-morning may work best for you. Seriously STOP reading and make the alarm!....
Ok the next thing that I've read can improve your memory is an exercise you do at night right before bedtime (maybe as you are brushing your teeth, etc). Before you fall asleep recall everything you did that day. From morning until night, as detailed as you possibly can. At first it will be VERY rough and you may only remember a thing or two but STICK with it! So RIGHT NOW put a sign near your bed or on the bathroom mirror that reminds you to recall your day. This is supposed to be a great exercise.
Another important component is to EAT properly and SLEEP properly. Sleeping properly means on a schedule 7-9 hours a night and maybe a nap during the day ;) Eating properly means fruits, veggies, whole grain, healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, lean meat), beans, lean dairy, and fish! In fact taking Omega 3 vitamins on top of regularly consuming fish would be a great idea for your brain training!
So start this journey by taking these three steps. Play on lumonisity, recall your day, and eat/sleep well. Once your memory is improved I truly believe you will be able to accomplish your goals of being independent :)
XOXO,
Brooke
You have come so far in your journey of recovery! You are now using your days productively and are a self-starter! I am so proud of you and how far you have come :)
Even though you have made unbelievable progress, there is still one challenge you face... your memory. So this blog is all about how to improve your memory.
The first recommendation I have is to spend 15-20 minutes per day on lumonisity.com to do some brain training! When you had your surgeries a lot of brain pathways were broken. The amazing thing? They have the power to re-wire and become good as new. So RIGHT NOW set a DAILY alarm on your phone to do your lumonisity training. Sometime mid-morning may work best for you. Seriously STOP reading and make the alarm!....
Ok the next thing that I've read can improve your memory is an exercise you do at night right before bedtime (maybe as you are brushing your teeth, etc). Before you fall asleep recall everything you did that day. From morning until night, as detailed as you possibly can. At first it will be VERY rough and you may only remember a thing or two but STICK with it! So RIGHT NOW put a sign near your bed or on the bathroom mirror that reminds you to recall your day. This is supposed to be a great exercise.
Another important component is to EAT properly and SLEEP properly. Sleeping properly means on a schedule 7-9 hours a night and maybe a nap during the day ;) Eating properly means fruits, veggies, whole grain, healthy fats (olive oil, avocado, lean meat), beans, lean dairy, and fish! In fact taking Omega 3 vitamins on top of regularly consuming fish would be a great idea for your brain training!
So start this journey by taking these three steps. Play on lumonisity, recall your day, and eat/sleep well. Once your memory is improved I truly believe you will be able to accomplish your goals of being independent :)
XOXO,
Brooke
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
New Job... New Chapter!
Dear Meagan,
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :) Huge congratulations on your new J-O-B! I am so happy that you found something that you are familiar with and that is so close to home! This is a great step forward Meaggy and I am so pumped for ya! Annnnnd its even better then your previous dry cleaning job because you don't actually do any dry cleaning there lol.
No matter how long this chapter lasts, you are out there seeking employment and becoming self sufficient so way to go! You will get that house/apartment soon enough!
I don't want to wear you out today just want to say congratulations! Make sure that you bring a notepad with you so you can write down any thing or processes they are training you on... good luck chica! You will do great... who couldn't love ya? ;)
XOXO,
Brooke
Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy :) Huge congratulations on your new J-O-B! I am so happy that you found something that you are familiar with and that is so close to home! This is a great step forward Meaggy and I am so pumped for ya! Annnnnd its even better then your previous dry cleaning job because you don't actually do any dry cleaning there lol.
No matter how long this chapter lasts, you are out there seeking employment and becoming self sufficient so way to go! You will get that house/apartment soon enough!
I don't want to wear you out today just want to say congratulations! Make sure that you bring a notepad with you so you can write down any thing or processes they are training you on... good luck chica! You will do great... who couldn't love ya? ;)
XOXO,
Brooke
Thursday, October 10, 2013
I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T
Dear Meagan,
I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T do you know what that means? She got her own house, she got her own car ;) Right not I know something that you are struggling with is independence. At this point you are realizing that you CAN be independent and do just about everything for yourself but you're kinda scured too.
This weekend you had some blood work that needed to be done. You had me go with you because you didn't know 'how to do it.' Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going with and getting Brugger's (YUM!). However, when I was there I didn't do a thing for you. In fact, I followed you around. Going to minor doctors appointments like this is an example of something you can and should do on your own. Can and should, what does that mean?
I think we both know what can means... you are fully capable. But what about should? Why should you do some of these things on your own? The more things you do independently, the more confidence you will have. When you know you can take care of yourself you no longer depend on other people helping you and your mood is no longer a mirror of their mood. You can set your own mood. If someone wants to be rude, that is their problem, it doesn't affect you because you are independent and can take care of yourself/ figure out your own feelings.
You SHOULD start doing little tasks for yourself because you CAN. People who go through traumatic life events (such as a brain tumor) naturally become dependent on their loved ones during their trial. The hard part is reaching out for that independence, it's almost like growing up all over again. Keep challenging yourself, and keep reminding yourself, that in order to be happy/confident/awesome, you need to be independent. You can never be in a successful relationship with someone if you DEPEND on that person.
So get out there, do some simple tasks for yourself! Now that you have the energy... start doing some things independently such as: going to doctors apts, running errands, making dinner, exercising, volunteering, etc.
Once you master independence, the next step is interdependence... we will cross that bridge when we get to it :)
Love you schwester!
XOXO,
Brooke
I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T do you know what that means? She got her own house, she got her own car ;) Right not I know something that you are struggling with is independence. At this point you are realizing that you CAN be independent and do just about everything for yourself but you're kinda scured too.
This weekend you had some blood work that needed to be done. You had me go with you because you didn't know 'how to do it.' Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed going with and getting Brugger's (YUM!). However, when I was there I didn't do a thing for you. In fact, I followed you around. Going to minor doctors appointments like this is an example of something you can and should do on your own. Can and should, what does that mean?
I think we both know what can means... you are fully capable. But what about should? Why should you do some of these things on your own? The more things you do independently, the more confidence you will have. When you know you can take care of yourself you no longer depend on other people helping you and your mood is no longer a mirror of their mood. You can set your own mood. If someone wants to be rude, that is their problem, it doesn't affect you because you are independent and can take care of yourself/ figure out your own feelings.
You SHOULD start doing little tasks for yourself because you CAN. People who go through traumatic life events (such as a brain tumor) naturally become dependent on their loved ones during their trial. The hard part is reaching out for that independence, it's almost like growing up all over again. Keep challenging yourself, and keep reminding yourself, that in order to be happy/confident/awesome, you need to be independent. You can never be in a successful relationship with someone if you DEPEND on that person.
So get out there, do some simple tasks for yourself! Now that you have the energy... start doing some things independently such as: going to doctors apts, running errands, making dinner, exercising, volunteering, etc.
Once you master independence, the next step is interdependence... we will cross that bridge when we get to it :)
Love you schwester!
XOXO,
Brooke
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Choose, Plan, Frame
Dear Meagan,
"Choose your friends with caution, plan your future with purpose, frame your life with faith." -Thomas Monson
Choose- Choose your friends with caution. Who do you like to spend your free time with or talk to? Friends can be great or harmful. When choosing friends make sure they have a life that is similar to the one you would like for yourself. As we become close friends with someone we become more like them. When choosing friends make this decision: would I want to be more like this person?
Plan- Plan your future with purpose. Bouncing around from idea to idea or future to future leads for a crooked path to nowhere. Decide what you want for your life then plan the straightest path possible to get you there. Of course there may be bumps along the road, and nudges in different directions... but you won't get anywhere without an intentional plan.
Frame- Frame your life with faith. When building a house, you need a solid frame for the house to stay standing. The same is true for you, and that frame is your faith in God. God is stronger then the wood that would build a house. With Him, any obstacle can be overcome. If you do not have faith in God's plan and you get a rejection (lets say you don't get a job you wanted), you would be upset and disappointed and maybe even feel like a failure. If you do have faith in God's plan and you get a rejection, you just shrug and say, "Ok God, not that way. Show me which way, I trust you."
Choose, Plan, Frame Meaggy! Love you!
XOXO,
Brooke
"Choose your friends with caution, plan your future with purpose, frame your life with faith." -Thomas Monson
Choose- Choose your friends with caution. Who do you like to spend your free time with or talk to? Friends can be great or harmful. When choosing friends make sure they have a life that is similar to the one you would like for yourself. As we become close friends with someone we become more like them. When choosing friends make this decision: would I want to be more like this person?
Plan- Plan your future with purpose. Bouncing around from idea to idea or future to future leads for a crooked path to nowhere. Decide what you want for your life then plan the straightest path possible to get you there. Of course there may be bumps along the road, and nudges in different directions... but you won't get anywhere without an intentional plan.
Frame- Frame your life with faith. When building a house, you need a solid frame for the house to stay standing. The same is true for you, and that frame is your faith in God. God is stronger then the wood that would build a house. With Him, any obstacle can be overcome. If you do not have faith in God's plan and you get a rejection (lets say you don't get a job you wanted), you would be upset and disappointed and maybe even feel like a failure. If you do have faith in God's plan and you get a rejection, you just shrug and say, "Ok God, not that way. Show me which way, I trust you."
Choose, Plan, Frame Meaggy! Love you!
XOXO,
Brooke
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)