I am back after 17 days. It has definitely been something. When faced with immense stress the goals fell apart and I have been asking myself in the moment "What do you need to get through this?" My answer is almost always chocolate and baby/husband cuddles. I did get drinks with a friend once. I think I have gotten through the worst part of my first month which is a relief because I was at my breaking point so many times. This is going to be a short post and I am only going to touch on relevant things I have observed, not goals. I need some more time to get those back in force.
Driving to work each day has been a lesson on human behavior. There are clearly four kinds of people on the highway. People headed somewhere, people headed somewhere in a hurry, people who drive slow in the left lane, and people who have lost their minds and have no common sense left due to an unknown drive to get to their location at any cost. The first kind of people principally comprise the middle and right lanes of traffic on I-35 north. These people only have one goal and that is to get to their destination safely. The second kind of people normally comprise the left lane. They are people who would like to drive over the speed limit because they are probably late or need to get to a location on a timetable. These people still obey the traffic laws and are courteous for the most part. The third kind of drivers plants themselves in the left lane and drives the speed limit or under the speed limit. They seem to be completely oblivious of the anger they are causing or are doing it intentionally to make others furious. These drivers put other people in danger because they make other drivers find alternative paths around them. The last kind of drivers are just nuts. On a regular morning I encounter each kind. I am on the road for about thirty minutes each morning in traffic and everyone is there. Sometimes I think to myself, "awesome I haven't seen the crazy yet," and then a person enters the highway on a right on-ramp going 85 in a 60 and decides they have to exit on the left of four lanes of traffic RIGHT NOW! It astonishes me.
I was mindlessly driving the other day and a very large pick-up jumped in front of me and I almost hit it. I got really angry. It then jumped back into the lane it was in and as I passed him I found that I wasn't looking angrily at the person I was looking at the vehicle. I then looked up and saw the person driving the truck. In an instant I realized that I hadn't really been associating people with the cars on the highway. My mind thinks, there is a red car changing lanes, not, that is a person changing lanes. It was the weirdest realization. I wonder if I am the only one? I found when I am angry at another driver it is much easier to be horribly mean and hateful to the car because there is apparently a disassociation. Looking up and seeing a person in that truck was a crystallizing moment for me. Ever since that happened I have been trying to re-train my brain to look at the people in the other cars and not the car.
The last two weeks I have been at odds with myself. I am needing to get the work training done ASAP. The options are 1. I could really complete the training and learn more about my job and how to do it, the perfectionist in me wants to do that, but 2. is an option to click through the training and receive the same course credit regardless of actually learning the material. The fact that I can not sell anything right now because the training is not done is tearing my up inside. I want to be informed but I also want to provide for my family. I found a middle ground that I can live with. I was able actually complete the most important courses and quickly forward through other ones. It is NOT perfect but I do have access to all the course material indefinitely. I will follow up on concepts I need more training on as they reveal themselves.
I know this is a blog dedicated to positivity, goal setting, and accomplishments but I haven't been feeling very accomplished the last 17 days. I see this as an opportunity to remind my readers that EVERYONE has times when they are feeling down. All we can do as people is continue on a upward trajectory. I may have plateaued for a little while but if I figure in my new work knowledge my trajectory has not really changed. I am still moving forward but at times we move at a slower rate. So say it with me, "I believe in myself." You don't even have to say it out loud. "I am a great employee and they are lucky to have me." Let's try, "I am an asset to my company." I hope you feel inspired. By inspiring others I will be inspired.
Happy hump day and my next post will be more constructive. Gotta get the kids to bed. Night.
Happy Sunday to everyone. I am back to update you on my first week and my accomplished goals. This last week has been a crash course in State Farm systems. Unfortunately I only had one week with the manager that is leaving but I think I soaked up a lot. She is extremely organized and was able to provide me with a binder full of how tos on pretty much everything I need to know. She was an English major in college and is very proper from the way she carries herself to her speech. Although at times my eyes glazed over from the sheer amount of information needing to be retained. Good thing she was a great teacher.
I learned that one of my job duties as office manager is to hold weekly meetings on Wednesday mornings. I was excited because A. It is at a pre-set time. B. It gives me some private time with the staff without the phones ringing to talk about service and to update them on changes. C. I love meetings. Especially meetings where I am the chair. I will do my best not to conduct them in parliamentary procedure even though it is chronically underused, super efficient, and it would be great to teach them in case they need it in the future.
Primarily my job will be service with a thick layer of sales. I would have helped people anyway because that is what I do but I love the idea of assisting in the training of a sales staff. I have practically been in sales since I was 14. My step-mom sold insurance independently and I used to go with her and answer the phones. That is where I started in sales but it was not limited to insurance. We sold birddogs, horses, rose bushes, cookies on Valentines Day, and Carol had a bistro in town that served very fancy lunch. In the manager role I am still required to sell but my quota is smaller and I bonus on retention. I may be speaking too soon but I love that.
The parallels from dental to insurance are uncanny. This week I have determined that if you know how to answer the phone, help the customer politely, navigate the computer system, and sell you can be successful at pretty much any industry you fall into. Things like patient/customer retention require the same steps. Just like dental you have to establish value in your product before the customer will consider it. It feels a lot like you are helping them make the right decision for themselves and for their families that without your help they may have never done. If you don't get this root canal you will be in pain and lose your tooth is exactly like if you don't get life insurance you could die and your kids wouldn't even be able to pay your funeral expenses.
On Friday Kenneth held the sales meeting. He is a great motivator. Even thought it was my first sales meeting I was able to contribute. I added a lesson on the dual-alternative close at the end of the meeting. It is how you guide patients into scheduling and specifically at a time you want them to come in. For instance: I would love to sit down with you and talk about making sure you have enough life insurance. Do you prefer Mondays or Thursdays? Morning or Afternoon? 3:00 or 4:00? Okay I will see you at 4:00 on this coming Thursday the 14th. It really works. Having so much sales training to offer makes me excited to help. I will have to do my best to dole it out in bursts so they can implement and see if it works for them.
I asked if I can decorate my office the way I want and he said yes. He did qualify that statement with I can't decorate in offensive things. Come on...well, I will do my best. I put up that glass decoration I posted last week. It looks great. I will be adding several pictures of the kids and of inspirational things to my office along with Walter and Gregory. Walter is a stuffed sting ray that I have hauled with my to every office job I have had the last 6 years. The running joke is he is the manager of the complaints department. I am not going to lie, Walter has gotten me out of a bind or two. I always joked about putting Walter in the office chair facing away from a customer, saying Walter will see you now, flipping the chair around, and running out of the room. Funny right? In my last post I was unsure if I should take him but I am already certain that he will fit in. Gregory is my mother in laws tongue that I have had since 2004. He is really big and has produced lots of babies which I have gifted to other lucky people. All of which are required to refer to them as baby Gregorys. He, along with another plant, will be going to the office with me tomorrow.
On to goals. I have pasted my two month goals into this post.
Two Months: Professional:
1.Hit my first sales goal.
2.Show up to work on time every day and leave on
time.
3.Dress professionally each day.
4.Learn how to use the online quoting and sales
tools well.
5.Learn about the manager position and assume the
role.
6.Get to know my co-workers.
Two Months: Personal:
1.Lose 10 pounds.
2.Put makeup on each day.
3.Fix hair 4 out of 5 days each week.
4.Finish Colin’s Room (Complete with curtains) Paint Colin's room
5.Put the fish tank on the new stand.
6.Put away maternity dress pants for good.
7.Continue to breastfeed my son.
8.Wash and clean out car.
9.Find out why my check engine light is on.
10.Get a haircut/ eyebrows done.
Progress: So far I have not dressed professionally each day because Friday was casual day. I don't think that counts so I am still on track with that goal. Kenneth has a 5 minute window to get to work on time so taking that into consideration I have been on time each day. I will be assuming the manager role tomorrow. I have gotten to know my co-workers but I feel I need to get to know them a little better before I check that one off. I now have 11 pounds to lose. I have put make-up on each day. I fixed my hair 5 out of 5 days last week. I am an overachiever. Dan is painting Colin room right now. The fish tank is not on the new stand. I am a long ways away from putting the maternity clothes away. Colin is still exclusively breastfed. My car is a little cleaner because it rained and I have not gotten my hair or eyebrows done. I did find out that it was not my check engine light that was on but the maintenance required light which reminds me to get the oil changed. It isn't even time to change the oil. Silly car.
This weeks goals:
Professional:
1. Sell/refer to sell at least 1 life insurance policy.
2. Navigate the State Farm system without any huge problems.
3. Get to know the girls more.
4. Make sure I schedule to Kenneth's calendar and get together paperwork he needs the day before.
5. Do not set off the alarms. There are two.
6. Be on time.
7. Look nice. (Isn't SMART goal format)
Personal:
1. Adhere to my calorie goal 4 out of 7 days this week. (Baby steps)
2. Walk 50,000 steps on the treadmill. It doesn't matter how many sessions.
3. Track everything that I eat no matter how small. I need to know exactly how many calories I am taking in.
4. Drink an 8 oz. glass of water before each meal 75% of the time.
5. Eat at least 12 servings of vegetables/fruit.
6. Record weight each day.
7. Have a least 1 dinner/ get together with a friend.
8. Empty laundry hamper once.
9. Put totes in the attic.
10. Send my grandmother a hand written letter, a picture of the boys, and her Christmas present that was not ready when she was here last.
11. Hang Colin's wall art.
12. Read books to both boys at least 3 times.
Rewards: This last week I earned some more stickers for my car. I get to put them on when I wash the car. I also earned some colored pencils for my new coloring book I got for Christmas from the in-laws. I found a painting that I would like in my new office. It is huge, bright, beautiful, and 50% off at Hobby Lobby. I must have it to complete my office but I will have to wait until payday.
I found these and now they are on my 10 pound goal reward list.
I think I may be able to use them in my new coloring book without bleeding through.
I would like to close with something a little heavier this post. I think that it is inhumane how society in the US treats pregnant women and new mothers. They definitely want you to have babies but they will not pass laws that encourage businesses to provide paid maternity leave or paternity leave. I was one of the unlucky ones that had to take out a personal loan to pay bills while I was not working. I am the primary bread-winner in my family and that puts a lot of pressure on me which I gladly accept and wouldn't want it any other way. If I would have kept the job I had the loan would have been paid off by now no problem but because I did not I now have to pay that loan and $4500.00 in medical bills that I was not expecting. I paid the $2200.00 that I was told would be the estimated cost of having Colin. Then Colin's bills, the pediatrician being out of Aetna's network, the anesthesiologist bring out of network, and the additional $1000.00 over what my estimated cost was came to the amount above. There has to be a better way. I am not advocating for socialism or not being responsible for your own bills, but come on, is this really the best we can do? Kicking the American middle class family when they are down doesn't seem like something the US should be doing. Not just to protect the family but to maintain a healthy taxpaying base. So just know that the professional goals are also financial goals. It would be nice to make enough money to pay off the medical bills in the next 12 years. $25.00 a month to each one is not getting me very far and there is always a chance they will send me to collections and hurt my credit.
So... I need to work every day no matter what so I can make more money, don't get sick ever because I don't have health insurance, and put every extra penny I can spare to paying off my debt. Sounds like a plan. Have a great week everyone. I would love some feedback so don't feel shy about commenting.
Baby with a sore throat + Dan working= Colin's room not painted. Well, that can go on the longer goals list. I was able to get some things accomplished last night though. I will share them with you now.
This is the planner I found at TJ Maxx. Thank you Kelly for the suggestion. It was much less than it would have been at Target or Office Max. As I looked through the planners I was sad that none of them really jumped out at me. I backed away to look on the lower shelves and this one was shoved underneath the rack. It was in perfect condition and is exactly what I was looking for. I would like to add that the stationary/office supply section at TJ Maxx is dangerous. As I also came home with these things.
I make lists and rejoice in checking things off of them. Even something as simple as a grocery list. I look down, pull a pink pen out of my purse, and "yep, I got the milk" mark it off. Also it isn't good enough to put a check mark next to it. No! I have to draw several lines or a squiggle or a X. It has to be taken off the list fully. You are probably wondering if the Word program line through the things I accomplish is good enough. It isn't. The next thing I got is a decoration for my office. I feel it is classy and inspirational and since I haven't chosen what my office theme is, or don't even know if I have an office, for now it is something small to make a space mine. I do better when my space is personalized. The next two things are for lunch. I have been using the same lunch box for 8 years and it was gross. The new lunch box is itself a cooling agent eliminating the freezer bar that is usually in with my lunch making things wet. The freezer gel is in the lunchbox and it is currently getting ready in the freezer right now. No more wet food for me. The bowl is your standard microwavable bowl but it has owls on it! Owls are great. While I am thinking about it, Dan showed me a video you need to see.
I had never seen an owl and a cockatoo interacting. It went well for about a minute. That is longer than I expected. Back to business.
10 days: Professional:
1.Pass the State Insurance Exams.
2.Find the perfect first day outfit.
3.Find and purchase the perfect planner.
4.Find and purchase the perfect desk calendar.
5.Find and purchase new pens.
6.Wash Car.
7.Clean out car.
10 days: Personal:
1.Find out why my check engine light is on.
2.Put stickers on my car.
3.Get eyebrows done.
4.Get a haircut.
5.Figure out how to fix my hair in a way that
makes me look classy.
6.Continue to breastfeed my son.
Here is my progress on the goals list I shared with you a few days ago. I will be going tonight when Dan gets home and getting pens. I also need to find a box that doesn't look like it has been hauled to and back from twenty different jobs to take my things in. Before before I go to bed I will pick out my first outfit to decrease the chances of wigging out in the morning. I do wig. Dan can usually get me calmed down but I can cause quite a scene. I will also tackle my eyebrows myself. So, Planner- Check, OH, I put my stickers on my car! Putting the stickers on my car was my reward for passing the state insurance exams.
It isn't much but I have been without a dinosaur for about a year now and I have felt naked. It adds a little bit of me to the car. When I hit some of the larger goals I have a moth, another inspirational sticker, and a butterfly to add. I have decided that it is best that I stop rewarding myself with food. After all I am not a dog. Unfortunately food is comforting to me and will always be tempting.
Rewards is a good topic to elaborate on. Tell me readers, what do you do to reward yourself? I have started investing in little things, like the stickers you see above, to reward myself for a job well done. I have decided that little battles won are still wins and should be celebrated. (I need to stop using wins as a reason to eat pie.) Life is too short to stop celebrating. Like my new sticker says, "Do more of what makes you happy." Thank you for reminding me sticker, I will.
Wednesday night of last week I was thinking about Zero bars. Then I remembered how much my mother likes them. A light bulb came on and I resolved to take her one the following day after work. Thursday morning I called my grandmother, I do that a lot because I love her and she is awesome, and told her the plan. She said that it was a good idea and then said that she hadn't had a Zero bar in a long time. Light bulb! After work I turned in all of my things because it was my last day there and off I went to find a Zero bar. For those of you that have tried to find Zero bars you know what I am talking about. Most places do not carry them. I thought and thought and was able to find a place that sold them on the first try. (On Cue) I was on a time crunch because our new years night was already full of activities. The plan was to rush over to Gmas house, give her the candy bar, rush over to mom's work give her the other candy bar, and get back on I35 and head home. I am sitting at the stop light before gmas house and my phone rings. It is mom and she is only a mile from me because she got off early. I thought it was a great coincidence and I was able to meet both of them at once. This long rambling story has a point. That stupid candy bar probably made their day. It really wasn't the candy bar but the thought I put into the gesture. Sometimes you gotta hunt down rare candy to remind the people in your life how much you love them.
I will consider that a segue into the next part. I have summarized what I hope to accomplish in the next year:
1 year: I will still be working with Kenneth James learning
the ropes at State Farm. I will make myself an integral part of the daily
workings of his office. He will value and respect me. I will have attended at
least one conference and have networked with the other people in the agent
aspire program. I will have made $45000.00+ in a year with his office which
gives me a fairly comfortable living situation in which I don’t have to rely on
family to support me. I will have taken steps to attaining
my securities license, if I don’t already have it, which will raise my earning
potential. I will be running in two 5Ks to benefit charities. I will volunteer at
least 100 hours of my time to charitable organizations, schools, and community beautification projects. I will decorate my
office the way I want complete with Walter and a few other quirky things
because Kenneth understands and accepts me. I will above all else maintain a
healthy home environment where I am home each and every night to tuck my
children in. I will spend less money, spend less time watching TV, and more time
enjoying life. I will make exercise a normal and exciting part of my life. I
will make time for my friends and host more parties. Customer service will be
and continue to be my primary goal. I will offer it to each and every customer
no matter if they choose to use us or not because people and interactions are
imperative to develop.
I am not sure if you are familiar with SMART goal setting so I will review.
Goals that follow this simple structure are more likely to be attained. In 2006 I was asked to write down goals for 5 years in a class. I did. The professor asked that I be as specific as possible. For me that isn't hard. Some of my notes in the scheduling program at the dental offices have been laughably detailed. So I did as she said. I found that piece of paper 6 years later and, I am NOT joking, every single thing on there had happened. I was promoted, had my own office, I was managing, I was making a livable wage, I was eating healthy. I was amazed. So, it works. You should try it.
Here are some of my longer term goals:
Two Months: Professional:
1.Hit my first sales goal.
2.Show up to work on time every day and leave on
time.
3.Dress professionally each day.
4.Learn how to use the online quoting and sales
tools well.
5.Learn about the manager position and assume the
role.
6.Get to know my co-workers.
Two Months: Personal:
1.Lose 10 pounds.
2.Put makeup on each day.
3.Fix hair 4 out of 5 days each week.
4.Finish Colin’s Room (Complete with curtains)
5.Put the fish tank on the new stand.
6.Put away maternity dress pants for good.
7.Continue to breastfeed my son.
I feel these are doable. I am going to go ahead and put some of my old goals on the new list.
Two Months: Professional:
1.Hit my first sales goal.
2.Show up to work on time every day and leave on
time.
3.Dress professionally each day.
4.Learn how to use the online quoting and sales
tools well.
5.Learn about the manager position and assume the
role.
6.Get to know my co-workers.
Two Months: Personal:
1.Lose 10 pounds.
2.Put makeup on each day.
3.Fix hair 4 out of 5 days each week.
4.Finish Colin’s Room (Complete with curtains)
5.Put the fish tank on the new stand.
6.Put away maternity dress pants for good.
7.Continue to breastfeed my son.
8.Wash and clean out car.
9.Find out why my check engine light is on.
10.Get a haircut/ eyebrows done.
There. That looks good. That was a long one. My next post will be about Walter and Gregory and I will need some feedback. Have a great week! Encouragement about tomorrow will be much appreciated. Thank you.
