Honestly, I usually don't have to much problems with change. Hate to sound as pretentious as this is probably going to sound, I've always had an interest in eastern philosophies, many of which encourage the idea of just letting change be, and accepting that there are things in this world that won't last. I always liked that concept, and as such I've never been one to fight changes. Change happens. There are good things to every change and there are bad things. It's only going to lead to more troubles if you try to fight that. So, in the end, I handle change by going with the flow.

I've experienced a lot of change, like everyone else- some good and some bad. Whatever happens happens, and often it is completely out of our power. When I think of changes in my life, the first things I think of are the ones that were most difficult for me to adapt to: my parent's divorce, accepting a step mom and step dad in my life, deaths of loved ones, death of a great friend.
When I look back at all of the changes I've gone through, I realize how much I've grown since they happened. Everyone has to go through changes that they can't control. The only thing we can control is the way we go about dealing with them.
I usually try to make the best out of whatever happens to me because I know that no matter how bad something may seem, it can always be worse and I'm lucky that it isn't. I deal with change as personal challenges that make me stronger in the end. For example, If I make changes to reach a goal, I feel all the more accomplished knowing that I pushed my self to the limit to make it happen. Besides, if there was no change and everything went the way I want, my life would be pretty dull.

Change is inevitable, but that's a given fact. You never really know when it's going to happen or the exact right way to deal with it; it all depends on the situation. I've become accustomed to change and adapt quickly, so I don't notice change that much any more. I have moved over 13 times and have lived in three states, so with each move I had to adjust to a new school, culture, and life. After a while it just became a part of my personality and when I have had to face change, whether big or small, I just take it as it comes and adjust accordingly. There is never a reason to be scared of change; just think of it as a new adventure.

Change It UP

How do I handle change? While I might not like the idea at first, I have learned that life is not fair and you have to be able to adapt and make the best of every situation. When something small changes in my life, I try and make the transition a quick one to start living my daily life with the new change. For changes that are more major or influential in my life I try to think about all of the positives and negatives and why the change must be made. From there I try to think through what would be the best way for me to adapt to the new change and how I can benefit from it.

Everyone and everything is constantly changing, and that is how we grow. I think that you have to be able to accept change and adapt or else you as a person are not going to be able to grow. :)

How do I deal with change?

There are many different ways people can deal with change. Some have a very tough time with it, and other just adapt to it easier, without having it bother them too much.

When I was younger, I used to fear change. I always wanted everything to stay the same because I was lucky enough to have a good childhood and was completely satisfied with the way things were going. I remember I used to be so upset at the end of every school year because i knew I wasn't going to be able to see my friends everyday. (Don't judge me) And at that time in my life, that was the worst change that happened.

As I grew older, i started to experience drastic changes in my life that took me awhile to get used to. I began to experience several deaths to people who were very important in my life. Those kind of changes took me awhile to get used to, and it stills hurts to think about them, but it did make me grow as a person.

Today, dealing with change isn't my most enjoyable things in the world because many peole are usually effected, but I try to look at the brighter side to most things and move on. I don't really spend alot of time thinking about change. Some people say thats bad, and that I shouldn't just hold things in, but I find it easiest to just keep to myself and move on.

the times they are a changin'

So this morning you all heard about some changes happening around the office. That makes this weeks' question an easy one:

How do you handle change?

It's Fridaaaaaaaaaaay!

To Christine
To Celisse
To Kari
To Scott
To Ken

Have a great weekend!

I think it's time....

For video blog #2!

Please do this one individually:

Write a letter, poem, or song to your supervisor.
Explain to them the following:

• what you have learned so far
• what you like about him/her
  
• what you hope to learn from them in the next few months
• your favorite fact about them

Get creative, but make sure there is some seriousness as well.

Ideal Work Environment.

I think my ideal work environment would actually be around this size. I like having a group of people I work closely with, and I like working directly with clients, rather than just sending emails back and forth. I prefer meeting face-to-face, and being able to support users directly. I think I might prefer a organization a little more tech-oriented, however. My last co-op seemed like everyone had basically the same sense of humor as I do, being mostly tech professionals, which lent itself well to group cohesion.

My ideal work environment....

I would have to say my ideal work environment would be a high position in the Marketing and Sales department for either the Eagles or Phillies. It thas been something I always thought about, and somewhat pursued when I first entered college, majoring in Sports Management, but decided to go with a more general major with a wider variety of job opportunities.

I don't really have a preference to office size, because hopefully I am only in the office for a short amount of time, while I spend my other hours out and about meeting clients and building new relationships.

As for my co-workers, I hope that everyone is very laid back and enjoyable to be around. I want to be able to wake up everyday and enjoy getting into my car and driving to work, rather then counting down the days until Friday. Being in Marketing and Sales for the Eagles and Phillies, I know I would be around people who all enjoy "the game" and the atmosphere that comes with it.

That is my ideal job.

My Ideal Work Environment

My ideal workplace...hmm. I think that when I am older I would like to work in an office setting that allows me to travel the world and also have the ability to work from home when need be (let's face it who does not want to eventually settle down and have a family?). With working in an office and traveling, flex hours to optimize work would be helpful. As far as location it would be great to be somewhere that has different seasons but maintains a fairly warm climate. I dislike being cold and would like to be warm.

For office climate I would like to work somewhere that is of medium size. I love the small company feel that SHM offers but I would like to be somewhere that is a little bigger. The type of people I hope to work with will hopefully be of a wide range and variety. No one is the same in personality and that adds diversity and new opinions to any environment. I would also like to work with people that are motivated to succeed and do better than the people that they replaced. This constant competition will help them to excel and develop.

Overall, I think a culture that I would like being around is one that is competitive, upbeat, and innovative. As far as a position within wherever I end up working, I do not have a specific job description or idea on mind. I would like to have a job that allows me to constantly change, grow, and develop as a person while I actually learn. Another quality that I would like to have is being somewhere that I enjoy getting up and going into work in the morning, you have to have some fun.

So...I'm studying to be a nurse working with either surgery or anesthesia and my ideal workplace is as follows:
I want a parking space reaaaaalllly close to the door because I'm that lazy. Preferably working at some happy magical hospital where nothing goes wrong (let me dream...). Oh, and near a beach with beautiful weather all the time. Plus I want the hospital itself to be nice. I went to a hospital near Fort Myers Florida once a few years ago. The place was HUGE because it was originally supposed to be a resort but ended up being a hospital...? But it was reaaaallllly nice. So, yeah. A hospital like that.
Also, I want to have nice patients who won't drive me crazy and are appreciative.
Good pay would be nice, paid vacations would be AMAZING, and no I wouldn't work the night shift ever...just sayin

So, that would be my ideal workplace.

OH and my co-workers have to be the cast members of the show Scrubs! Haha I would LOVE going to work.

Alright, I'm done here. Enjoy your weekend everyone

Well seeing how I want to go into the music industry, I would have to say my ideal work environment is laid-back yet still real fast paced. I ideally want to work in the UK, so for location it would definitely be in either London or Scotland. Office would be medium sized, probably at least double the size of SHM. I would be a la CEO and el Presidente because my dream (mock me if you wish) is to own my own record label. Me handling all the marketing/pr/law stuff and the other guys taking care of the production process. People I'd like to work with are driven yet still know how to have fun with what they do and, natrually, have a passion for the music. That is my dream annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's all there is too it. Well in theory at least.

short & sweet

Describe your ideal work environment. Think about everything from the location and size of the office, the types of people, your position there, the culture, etc. etc.

Be honest, be creative, do what you want, have fun.

Back by popular demand...

HM10 Recap Video

Starring:
Lexie Miller
Tom McPhillips
& Cassidy Taylor

Enjoy!

There are still good people out there

So my sentence is, "There are still good people out there". This week as Cass said has been rather stressful, sleepless, and all around exhausting...all from Greek Week 2010. Besides work at SHM during the regular hours of the day I was Greek Week Penny War chair. So my job was to watch the money that was being donated and take it to the bank to be counted every night. All of the money goes to a scholarship fund in honor of Ian Alexander and John Williamson who both passed away last year.

Anyways, so to my sentence. One of the lovely fraternity groups decided to buy $500 in pennies and fill a 5 gallon water jug with them. I mean I have been going to the gym but I could hardly lift it. Being a struggling girl there were so many people, young (oh hey Penn basketball player) and old alike, that stopped and tried to help me move these containers. I also received help from Kristen who even missed the beginning of her first stroll to help me out.

Besides moving pennies I have been receiving so much kindness and love from strangers that I did not think existed anymore. Some random person helped me yesterday on the subway when I was at a free interchange and I was unsure if I should be going Northbound or Southbound. I am not the kind of person to have to depend on other people for help but I was really appreciative of all of the help and support that I have received this week. I am going to close with "PAY IT FORWARD" and help someone that you might not help on the regular. :)

Time flies when you're incredibly busy

So, this week went by pretty fast for me. Very surprizing since I'm actually coming in a little earlier now. I'm involved in a lot of projects and it seems like the hours of the day just zip right on by. It's a lot of work, but I like keeping busy a whole lot more than having nothing to do and hoping for the day to end. It's so weird that we have been here for 6 weeks already (I think it's 6..) I have a feeling that this co-op is going to be over before I know it, but I will enjoy it for now.
Aside from all that, my week has been pretty good. I've been taking a lot of naps and hanging out. Plus, I saw Iron Man 2 at mindnight (which is probably why I'm so tired...) and it was really good. You should go check it out. Well, I'm going to go back to my work now. Have a good mother's day weekend everyone!

"Late nights, girl fights, and everything greek week in between."

As most of you know (Meredith) this week, as well as last, has been hectic with greek week shenanigans. From talent show, powder puff, and swim relay practices to volunteering, as well dieting for tug of war; greek week has taken over my life, for at least this week. Thankfully, tonight is the last night in which DZ shall try to defend their title in tug of war. Goin' for that grand 9 in the win streak. Whoop! Ok, that's enough sorority talk. Peace out!

Considering Lubna's recent departure, I think the most appropriate sentence to sum up my week would be "Sic semper Tyrannus."

Joking, of course.

My week has been all about transitions. My job description includes significantly more responsibilites now, and I'm still getting used to the changes. A week in, and I still go back to my old desk sometimes when I get back from grabbing some water, only to wonder who took my computer, then remember I'm over with the MAs now. If I can't even get the hang of sitting in a different cubicle, I'm kinda curious as to why anyone would think I could handle additional tasks...

It's an exciting time to be in BST, we're going through as many changes as a department as I am in my personal responsibilites. We're reorganizing the server room, prepping to upgrade everyone to windows 7, and last but not least, planning to upgrade the computers to meet the Windows 7 requirements (so yes, everyone who's told me how slow their computer is, we'll be upgrading yours shortly.) If you'll excuse my blatant nerdity, I'm really excited to get everyone up to Windows 7. It's a huge improvement from XP, and there are a ton of neat little tricks in it. Plus, being the massive nerd I am, I have to admit I'm kind of looking forward to helping everyone transition. The main draw of computers to me has always been the fact that it's a fast paced and constantly changing field, so any time something happens to give me a whole new set of problems, it's an exciting time. I'm really looking forward to the challenges I'll get from my new responsibilites, and I'm REALLY looking forward to playing with all the new toys in Windows 7.

So, my actual sentence of this week would be "Change is the only constant."

"My week has been a ride on a roller coaster."

I describe my week to be like a roller coaster ride because it has been up and down since the start. I have been keeping busy at work, which always makes the days fly by, but it has just been one of those week. Studied for my midterm a couple hours each night in the beginning of the week, cut grass, had a funeral to attend, and I was up at 5:30 am every morning to help the team get ready for Dad Vails this weekend. but also went to the Phillies game Monday night, celebrated cinco de mayo a little bit, and went home to celebrate my Mom's birthday.

So all in all, im not complaining about the week, but it has just been a roller coaster of mixed emotions.

Heh, apologies, my Friday was kinda hectic, so I entirely spaced on this.

Like everyone else said, I think it's important to have some values set for an organization to follow. Getting a better understanding of a groups goals makes it far easier for the group to work effectively, and I feel our  core values help us establish that.



Hard working is, of course, a positive attribute in any workplace. One of the things I've valued most about this co-op so far is the challenge of the work I've been provided. I've been tasked with interesting problems, and had to put a good bit of research into solving them. Most of the time at my last co-op, my tasks could be solved with a flowchart. Computer has a virus > Run Virus Scan > Virus Scan doesn't work > Reinstall Operating System. Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

Collaborative is another big change for me. By simple nature of the field, IT work tends to be a bit more solitary. At previous positions, I would work on a problem, then pass it along if I couldn't solve it. There was little discussion aside from "Hey, can you give this one a try?" Meetings at my last co-op were closer to presentations, with my supervisor sitting us down at the table and explaining to us what we needed to do this week. I much prefer this kind of environment, where I work with the Trigon guys to solve problems, and am not only invited, but expected to contribute to meetings.

Innovative was, much like Kristen said, one of the first things I noticed here. The environment is completely different than any past experience I've had, and even when I'm solving relatively simple issues, it always feels like I'm contributing to something bigger. The cross-department teams are something I've never seen before, but they're one of those idea that once you've experienced them, you kind of wonder why no one has done them before.

And finally, Commitment. This is a more personal thing than the others, I feel. The group here has done a fantastic job of making us feel welcome, and after only a few weeks, I really feel like part of this organization. That goes a long way to encouraging me to be commited to my work. At my last co-op, most of my appointments were single-serving clients. I'd work with them once, then never see them again. Unfortunately, this lead to a lot of my clients treating me like I was disposable. It was not at all uncommon to have users get upset with me for taking more than five minutes to clear their machines of five years worth of viruses, and when I might have three different users yelling at me at the sametime, it was quickly draining on my entusiasm. Most people here, I see almost daily, whether or not they're having computer issues, which gives me an opportunity to get to know them. As a result, I feel a greater desire to fix problems as soon as possible and keep my reputation up amongst my co-workers.

Creative Writing Assignment!

I just scrolled through a bunch of the titles I've created for my posts in the past.
Here are some funny ones:

"Guess who's back, back again"
"Pizza is here"
"Something creative"
"Insert clever title here"
"This week, I stole a lava lamp from Nadia"
"Why did I pick Miami Dolphins colors?"
"Pop it, lock it, polka dot it"
"Turkey turkey doo and turkey turkey dap"
"I'm starving, where's my sandwich?"
"Most pathetic post ever"

Anyways, for this week, Lexie, Tom and Cassidy, make sure you post that Core Values video blog by Wednesday.

Aside from that assignment:

Sum up your week in one sentence, and make it creative! Explain why you picked those words, etc.

The core values were first brought to my attention during my interview, in which John went through and explained them each to me and what they meant to this organization. As I sat attentively, I thought that the idea of having a list of values was something fresh and new. Never before have I seen it at a place where I have worked or interviewed; so naturally it made me that much more excited to work for SHM.

Not only should these values be used daily at the work place, but in every day life. First of all, having someone's back both personally and professionally is a skill not learned easily. Some people tend to separate their work life from their personal life, but at the end of the day they both make up who you are so there is no use avoiding one for the sake of the other; if something in your personal life is bothering you, it's going to reflect in the work place. The same is true in reverse.

Secondly is owning your work. Be proud of what you do, whether it is a total flop or total success. Sure everyone want's you to be successful, but if you cannot own up to your failures, then it is less rewarding when you succeed. This is a mentality I wish I had sooner in life; but no matter what you do, whether it is work related or socially related, own your mistakes and own your triumphs.

For my third statement, I'm going to roll the last two into one; having each others backs and we are family. These two, in my eyes, are two of the most important for they describe everything in total. To have each others backs, you need to be supportive of their decisions and know when to give in an opinion, no one wants to watch another fail. It also gives reasoning to why we are a family. We all work together for a common goal which bonds us together even more. These strategies on life will be what brings together friendships both in and out of the workplace.

I believe these core values to be defiant of what someone should be 'round the clock, not just at work. It gives a sense of stability and belonging, which everyone needs in life.