I learn a lot from my friends who are parents. One friend in particular has 2 children — a lovely little girl and a beautiful boy. The son is about 5 or 6 and loves to attend professional sports events — the NY Yankees seem to be his favorite. (Here in the U.S., that would be baseball).

My friend is fortunate enough to get tickets to frequent games (lucky little boy). And what I find fascinating is — they go to each game, rain or shine.

Not only that — they stay until the very end of the game — until each player, coach and referee is off the field. It could be raining, swealtering or snowing…they do not leave.

My friend seems to be like that with everything he does: work, chores, games, homework, philosopy…everything. (which is why I love him.)

To me, it signifies that not only is my friend enjoying himself, he is teaching his children about loyalty, commitment and dependability.

I truly hope his children grow up to be just like my friend; and I hope they will understand the lessons their father was trying to instill in them at such a young age.

I hope when I grow up, I’m also just like my friend; and hopefully, the next time I attend a NY Giants Football (American Football) game, if it starts to snow, I will stay — and I hope my friend is sitting next to me.

Image: Flickr.com/New York Yankees

Post from: Blisstree

Lessons In Commitment.

I wouldn’t have continued my gaze had it not been for what they were wearing at 12:00pm in the afternoon: pajamas. Also, they were each holding a Starbucks cup and each had a purse slung over their shoulder.

It looked like a scene from the Nickelodeon version of Desperate Housewives or the New Jersey version of Laguna Beach — next on: Desperate Turnpike Stories.

I couldn’t not stare — all I kept thinking was what my mother would have said had I tried, not only to get to the front porch in my pajamas, but ALL the way up the street. What’s going on? And what’s with the Starbuck’s and purses?

It is days like this when, as a someone who doesn’t have children, I begin to think…I need to get out of suburbia…I need to live in Manhattan. I’ll open a small diner-slash-deli-slash-gourmet grocery store…and live among the fabulous city dwellers.

But wait. I have central air conditioning and a Chocolate Labrador. No reasonable apartments that are not in Brooklyn have central air…and the room this dog needs is along the lines of Marmaduke…not FiFi the Manhattan poodle.

What was I complaining about anyway? So, the girls went visiting in their pj’s at 12 noon…I was working in my pj’s (Giants shirt and sweats) too, and did so until 1:30pm…

Are pj’s the new power suit?

Photo: Flickr.com

Post from: Blisstree

More on how to dress for work in summer.

Recently a friend told me about a National group called, Toast Masters International. This community-structured group promises:

You’ll become a better speaker and leader and gain confidence to succeed in whatever path you’ve chosen in life.

• Deliver great presentations
• Easily lead teams and conduct meetings
• Give and receive constructive evaluations
• Be a better listener

I know people who have joined Toast Masters and they believe that it changed their life.

I applaud them, but I discovered a slightly different (and cheaper) way to cure my fear of public speaking — fabulous shoes:

One dark winter morning, I left my house for the train to NYC, took a cab to my office, sat down at my desk, prepared for a meeting I had with a client and then put my materials in my brief case.

As I headed out the door, I looked down and realized that I was wearing a different patent leather pump on each foot! (It was the ’90’s — every girl had to have a few pairs of patent pumps). How did I not notice this?!

Now what was I going to do? Forget that my fellow commuters must have thought I was nuts. At that moment, I had minutes to make the meeting, and convince clients that I was intelligent enough to handle their business.

There was no time to go to Bloomingdales for another pair of shoes…and I didn’t have spares under my desk.

omygodomygodomyGAAAWWD!

I pulled myself together, went to the meeting, presented the new ad campaign and got the job.

But what about the shoes? How was I able to deal with the embarrassment of my absent-mindedness and brilliantly present to these people?

I told them that I had just had surgery on my left foot and it was still swollen. Not only did I get the job, but I also got compliments on both shoes!

In other words, my profound fears of humilation and probable termination (totally different studies in self-improvement) far out-weighed my fears of inadequacy and self-doubt, as they relate to speaking in public.  From that moment on I felt secure enough with my speaking abilities to handle any public forum.

Tell me about your harrowing public speaking moments…you will feel better, I promise.

Photo: Flickr.com

Post from: Blisstree

Why Is Public Speaking — in shoes — So Scary?