How to Thwart a Raging Bull

-- This is a repost. I have written this many moons ago when I was still in a different department. Things have changed recently. And as I recall how much I have been motivating and reminding myself how wonderful life is - I stumble upon this post I have written with humor. For those who can relate, I hope the tips below can help you recover or at least deal with the situation and the perpetrator. For those who are blessed to enjoy the peace and quiet of being at home full time, share this to those you know who can apply it in their corporate lives. Enjoy the read!  --


Best answer to this is to run! Run for your life! Kidding aside, there's nothing more enraging than someone crushing your spirit especially if you've gotten up on the right side of the bed.

I woke up with a bright outlook in life one fine morning, smiling my blues away, looking forward to another day and screeeeeeeecccchhhhhhh..... wait a sec! What just happened? It's like a dream sequel and suddenly you woke up like someone threw cold water on your face. Yes, that happened to me at work. Again, no details will be spared but the crux of the matter is, some people just ruined my day in a fraction of a second! Wow, that's Guinness Book of World Records there for you!

I was upset the whole day because:

1. I felt hurt.
2. I was treated with disrespect.
3. They ruined my sunny-side up spirit.

One thing that really pulls my nerve is when someone is sarcastic when spoken to. My point is, I speak to you kindly, then answer back with the same respect given to you. Isn't that the right thing to do to people? Was that so hard to do? I mean, to be kind? Golden Rule. Golden Rule. Golden Rule. I can't stress that enough.

After that event one fine morning, I thought of presenting this tips on how to avoid raging bulls in the office:

Here's one:
Look the other way. Try to avoid eye contact. You'll never know when he or she will pop your eyes out. ;)

Here's another:
Try to become invisible for a day or at least until the rage wears down. If you need to relay a message or have important matters to discuss with the raging bull then go through the assistant, if he or she has one. I just did that. If I could fold myself into several folds, I would have done that so I could put myself in my own pocket!

And another:
Play some funky tunes to cast the blues away. Music is like a therapy to calm my nerves. Just don't play heavy metal, head banging, ear drums crashing music or it will make you more upset. Tone down with a good "zen" like music or easy listening stuff. I played "Amazing Grace" in my head over and over until I cooled down. Another music which calms my nerves is blues/jazzy tune. Never disappoints me at all.

Last trick I tried:
I offered a prayer. I was scared of losing it too because I just gave them a reason to ruin my composure. Well, they actually did but to give in to such negative feeling is something I will not subject myself to. I owe it to myself to be happy and happy I will be. Bulls or none...

So, there will be another day again and this will be my prayer:

"As I enter the work area Lord, please give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference...and while I am at it Lord, please don't make me too strong because I might just throw them all away." hehehehe Just kidding Lord. =)

(photo courtesy of: www.yesnet.yk.ca)

Monday Party Game - Meal Time Maze

Help Courage grow so he has to have 3 meals in a day. To do that, you must make Coruage pass the maze by avoiding scary monsters and collecting his doggy bone treats. Have fun!

Meal Time Maze

Click here to play this game

Let Your Inner Winner Shine

Here are few steps to make us reach our dreams a step closer by having the right mind-set and attitude.

1. Be passionate
This is one of the moving factor to make us achieve our goals. When we set our self to what is comfortable then we become reticent and accepting to what is available and that can be limiting. It is not a bad thing to be reticent but have passion to accept change and rise to the challenge.

2. Believe in yourself
I find this sometimes difficult to achieve. I also feel that my morale is affected when things go wrong and when there is not much to affirm my positive points. However, I learned that we can never truly achieve things when we doubt our capabilities. Doubting is debilitating to our confidence and will get us nowhere. Believe.

3. Positive thinking
Try not to focus on the mistakes or imperfections or the problems. Think outside the box. Envision. Don't waste your precious time thinking and wishing you are someone else because that is never going to happen.

4. Have a makeover
It pays to have a good posture and style. Throw the drab work-clothes and get new ones if you have to. Be a little daring. If you have worn your hair in a bun for - like forever! - it's time to ditch the do and make a new hairstyle. Change your wardrobe colors. If you're into the basic gray, black, white and browns, now's the right time to add a little pizazz. Put color in your life. Wear make-up. Have a nail-polish. And if you're a guy, get a new haircut or try new hairstyles too. There's nothing to lose, maybe just few bucks...

5. Be courageous
The best way to have courage is face our own fears. We'll just waste so much time waiting for the right moment when we muster our confidence. By then, all our dreams will be gone and opportunities gone out of the window.

6. Motivate, motivate, motivate
I have problem with this one though I try my best to overcome being demoralized. What I do is I achieve a goal at a time, never all together or a lot in a single moment because I will lose my focus and drive and will leave with cold pants. It pays to also share your dreams with someone or to your close friends and families because then you become committed. Who wants to fail when all eyes are on you?

7. Be smart
One thing we should learn is that our goals should be S.M.A.R.T, that is: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and have a timeline. Be smart. So when you are trying to achieve a certain goal, do it step by step. Our bodies don't adapt to changes overnight. It takes time before we can get ourselves accustomed to something. So, be kind to yourself. Take it slowly but surely.

8. Expand your horizon
Networking is important whether you are looking for a new job or adjusting to a new environment. Statistics from the Federal Bureau of Labor in the US indicate that 70% of jobs are found through networking. Start mingling. Go out and spread your wings.

9. Keep at it
Try and try until your succeed! That's it.

10. Blow your own trumpet
I find it rather awkward to blow my own trumpet or carry my own chair. They both mean the same thing - talking about yourself. However, I noticed that those who got ahead of me were really "smooth talkers." Most of them are just empty talkers but they managed to get the promotion. So I think, it's okay to let the world know about your achievements. Talk to your managers. Give them your quarterly report of achievements. Suggest how to streamline a process. What I do is, I email my suggestions to my boss and copy the top honchos, for their info. So, if my suggestions are considered and put in place then they know who initiated it and I get the credit. Get noticed. Speak up and don't let others steal your thunder.



(From Aquarius - Ulrike Lemmin-Woolfrey added with my own take on the subject based on experience)