Watching an inhuman amount of Sailor Moon.  Shut up its awesome.  Unless you watch it in English.

Stressing out about my ever increasingly boring job. Meh

Sleeping too much.

Researching a method for a DIY bird bath.  (What did the world do before google?)

Becoming obsessed with making and eating Bento. And Rice balls!  yum.  and look!

Kitten photo by: dominiqs

Bento pic by: gamene

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” ~Dr. Seuss

I know someone who speaks in a false accent.  At least we’re all pretty sure she’s faking, because every now and then it vanishes entirely and she sounds like a bland mid-western.  No one is sure why she tries to pass herself as a prim Brit.  Maybe she thinks it makes her seem more important, or special, but it manages only to make her look silly.  She’s trying too hard to be someone she isn’t.

While I hope none of you are faking an accent,  we all wear social masks from time to time.  We pretend to be something that isn’t quite true to fit in with others.  We conform to what we think others want us to be, and we hide our true self for fear that we would be rejected.  And lets face it… sharing yourself with others openly, honestly and being rejected…. sucks.

So we project false traits or persona’s to protect ourselves.  Many times we have several different persona’s that we wear in different circumstances.  We repress opinions that might offend others, or smile when we really don’t mean it, and unfortunately in our society, we have to.

It’s unlikely you’d have a successful job interview if you were truly yourself.  Showing up in pajamas without combing your hair isn’t going to impress anyone.  So you dress up, you look nicer than you would for a night of playing Smash Bros with your friends.  When the interviewer asks you what your greatest weakness is you have some cookie cutter response like “I work too hard, I’m a workaholic.” When the truth is “I procrastinate too much and most of the time I’ve finished a project minutes before the deadline.”

Social masks are a necessary evil.  I don’t think you’ll lose your identity  by wearing nice clothes to impress an interviewer, or laughing at a joke you don’t think is funny.  Hopefully you can recognize yourself in your masks.  At the core, your values and personality should still exist.  Hopefully, you haven’t abandoned too much of who you are just to fit in.

Hopefully you aren’t from Iowa pretending to be British.

(Photo by Alaskan Dude)

I try to keep a Gratitude Journal, though many days I fail to use it.  I forget about it, or am too tired (lazy) to pick it up and write. I think gratitude is important in trying to maintain a positive outlook.  Try to be thankful for small things as well as big blessings in your life and you’ll find yourself more content with what you already have.

With that in mind I’d like to take the time today to thank readers of this blog for linking to Not Enough Coffee from their own blog or on Facebook, re-tweeting links for articles, mentioning @enoughcoffee in a Follow Friday and just general support.

As always, thanks to my friends and family for love, support, comments and link sharing! 

Thanks to:

Awesome blogs you should check out, who were kind enough to link here.

The Stylish Thirties

Blogation

Everyone from The Heartland- You guys are overwhelmingly supportive and caring. 

Followers on Twitter who have recently re-tweeted:

Michaelpakkala

howspiffy

grandmasneaky

My own personal  photographer, who loans me her lovely photos

Ash Makemson

My random and awesome co-workers who frequently inspire article ideas and listen to me ramble on until a workable thought is formed.  I’ll not name names, (to protect the innocent) but you know who you are.

Jon of Awesome By Default- who helped me learn WordPress and all the shenanigans that are involved in getting a site running and gave me a place to start writing again.

If I have forgotten anyone, I apologize.  If you’ll just let me know in the comments how awesome you are I will edit and rectify the situation immediately.

(Photo by Nanagyei)

(Today’s article brought to you by: Amanda’s coffee maker)

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic.”
~Unknown

How often do you try completely new things?  When is the last time you abandoned all reason and took an ambitious leap into an activity you’d never tried before?  If you’re like me, it may have been a while.

I tend to talk myself out of trying  new things.  I dismiss them as something outside of my skill set.  I tell myself I don’t have the talent before I’ve ever even attempted it.  I’m afraid of failure.

I make excuses for never giving the effort.  I am self defeated.  I have put limits on myself that only exist in my own mind.

“I can’t do that, I’m not good at math- I’m not artistic- I don’t have the patience.”

I’d bet you do this too.

We both need to stop it.

The cliched truth is that neither of us will know if we’re good at something until we try it.  More than that, we won’t know if we enjoy it.  Small children LOVE to finger paint, but, be honest, mostly they just make a mess.  Finger paints don’t have much artistic value, but that doesn’t stop kids from loving it.  And the truth is, no matter how much we wish it wasn’t the case, most talents take time to develop.  Maybe Michelangelo started off by finger painting and after a life time pursuing his love of art he developed epic talent.

Most of the time when you start a new activity, you’re going to suck.  Forget about being good at something and decide if you like it.

Just try new things and stop talking yourself out of it.  Ignore your preconceived limitations.  Who cares if you’re no good?  Plan to fail.

“I honestly think it is better to be a failure at something you love than to be a success at something you hate.”

~ George Burns

(Photo by abbybatchelder)

Gather ’round, it’s story time!   Sometimes, its hard to remember that things happen for a reason.  There is a plan, and the things we go through prepare us for the things ahead.  I read this story about a year ago and I like to re-read it when I’m feeling overwhelmed by life.  Hopefully it brings you some comfort as well.

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly, that he brought home.

One day a small opening appeared he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours. It struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but, it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. He continued to watch the butterfly, he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and the body would contract. Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

The man acted with well-intentioned kindness but he didn’t understand the consequences. The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening, were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If God allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been.

(Photo by: by kevincole)

and once again the above story…..  not written by me.   Written by someone Unknown.  That guy writes the best stuff.

Any man can be a father.  It takes someone special to be a dad. ~Author Unknown

Father’s Day was yesterday and if you forgot you’d better call your dad asap with apologies and some epic excuses.

I would like to take a moment to thank dads for being awesome.  I can’t imagine the person I would be without the influence and guidance I’ve had from my father.

If you’re lucky, you had a father that:

Taught you how to fish, swim, ride a bike and how to drive

drove a truck and helped you move all your stuff

never let you win at anything

taught you right from wrong

helped you play with your toys on Christmas morning

Even though Father’s Day is over, call your dad again soon.  Thank him for working  insane hours at a job he probably didn’t like so that your family had enough money.  Thank him for all of his help and advice.  Thank him for being your dad.

Lets all try to remember to appreciate our dads even on days that aren’t specifically pointed out as “dad days” because they’re awesome and we wouldn’t be who we are without their guidance.

Thanks Dad.

(Photo by: by AmySelleck)

So, I read the most horrifying thing a week or so ago.  Came seriously close to melting my face off like acid.  Word acid.

The article was titled 10 New Ideas for Getting Inspired to Write, which sounded like just the kind of article I would like to read.  The ideas presented are good, solid ways of finding inspiration when you’re blocked as a writer.  The final item on this top 10 list however, labeled simply, Look Within, was a serious kick in the face.  A ninja kick, because it came out of no where.

I’ve never heard of anyone who worked a boring job, came home to a boring family, watched three hours of boring television, and then proceeded to write something of spellbinding greatness. It just doesn’t happen.

Ouch…

…and then these words followed…

If your life is a soul-sucking heap of mediocrity, then your writing will be a soul-sucking heap of mediocrity.

These words felt as if they were ripped from my very soul.  At very least they will be etched upon my retina’s for all eternity.   These words should not be so surprising.   To be a well adjusted person you have to interact with others, seek excitement and live your life.  But sometimes we abandon this knowledge for a comfy couch and netflix or tivo.

If we spend our lives waiting for something to happen then its likely nothing will happen.  Sometimes you have to go make things happen for yourself.   You have to say YES! to adventure.

The quoted article was written by Jon Morrow from CopyBlogger.  You should go check out the entire article.

(Photo by: Ana Santos)

I’m sick.  I hate being sick.  Though, thinking about it, I’m not sure anyone really enjoys being sick, so maybe it goes without saying that I hate it.

When you get sick there are certain things that help speed along the recovery process.

Assemble the right combination of consumer goods. If you are lucky, you have someone in your life that likes or loves you enough to fetch these things for you, if not….  You’ll have to venture out into public on your own.   You need supplies for sickness.  Gather some combination of the following:

Sudafed

Cough drops

NyQuil/DayQuil

Puffs PLUS with ALOE (this is important, your nose will thank you)

Chicken soup/crackers/supplies for grilled cheese

Juice/Gatorade/Tea/Sprite

Vitamins

Lysol

Sleep. Lots of restful sleep and lounging.  Let your immune system fight off whatever you’re sick with.  This is a fantastic excuse to be abnormally lazy.  Enjoy it.

Fluids. Drink a ton of water.  When you can’t drink anymore water, have some Green Tea or Gatorade or Juice, and then go back to water.  I won’t recommend this often, but stay away from caffeine.  No coffee, or brown soda.  This is the worst advice ever.  But you should still follow it.

Stay home from work. Not only will you feel better, but you’ll save your co-workers from being infected with suffering.  Most people don’t follow this one.  For some reason, even people with plenty of paid sick days, still show up at work when they’re miserable.  Its ridiculous.    I do it. Whats worse is that a lot of companies don’t give sick time to their employees.  So unless you have a money cushion,( and lets face it, most of us don’t) you cant afford to lose 8+ hours from your paycheck.

Watch a movie. After 12-15 hours of a NyQuil coma, sometimes you get bored.  It’s best to pop in a movie you’ve seen a million times.  Something you can quote.  Something you don’t have to pay much attention to, so if you are inclined, you can drift off to sleep again without feeling you’re missing something.  For me the list would be, Princess Bride, Chipmunk Adventure, Oceans 11, or Lord of the Rings.  You might think Star Wars would make that list, but no.  Star Wars makes me too excited.

Hopefully, your cold/flu/whatever passes quickly and you can get back to your normal life.  After days of being sacked out on your couch its easy to go insane with stir craziness. Good luck.

What is your “sick day” routine?  What is missing from my list that you think is essential?

(Photo by: by seantoyer)

I have what you might call a toxic boss.  She has days when she’s fine, and she has days when she’s downright vicious.  Yesterday, during our morning meeting it became clear to me that we were all going to have a very bad day.  The mood was set.  Anger was the dish we were to eat.

Usually, when I realize she’s in a bad mood, I respond by hiding, keeping my head down, avoiding her at all costs, and being as quiet as possible.  I cling to the hope that, if she can’t hear or see me, she might forget I’m there.

Yesterday I tried an experiment.  I decided I would not let her ruin my day.  Instead of her infecting me with her bad day, I would infect her with my good day.  And so we fought.

I went to work armed with 4 cups of coffee and this little gem….

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Yeah, that’s The Bible.

Romans 12:21 for those of you who might be following along.

My boss isn’t really what I’d describe as evil.  I’m fairly hopeful that she doesn’t have the minions of darkness carrying out her bidding.

I used that verse as my personal mantra all day.  It’s similar to “kill em with kindness,” or “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.”  I kept a caffeinated bounce in my step and a bright smile on my face.  I dismissed her comments.  When she spoke to me in a critical way I responded with smiles, laughter, and jokes.

By the end of our first conversation she was laughing with me.  By lunch time she was chatting with me and all the hints of the morning’s unpleasantness were forgotten.

Coffee and Jesus helped me fight my boss!

Don’t let a negative person infect you and ruin your day.  Be stronger than they are.  Fight them off with happiness.  Overcome a lousy attitude with a good one.

I am certain that there will be days that my boss is more angry than I am happy.  She will still win some, but I’m still going to try.

Fight the good fight! Has this technique worked for you?  Will you try it?

(Photo by: The fabulous Ash Makemson who insists this cat is yawning and not angry.)

I hate big decisions.  I really really do.  A decision means that something is going to be left behind.  Whichever alternative you don’t pick is going to remain an abandoned possibility.  A road never traveled.  A future self you will never be.

I always wonder if the other choice would have been a better one.

Despite the fact that I moved 1000 miles from home on what boiled down to a whim, I am terrified by the idea of change.  Whenever I’m faced with a life altering choice I find myself frozen in indecision.   The move was a fluke.

When you’re young choices are simple:  peanut butter and jelly or grilled cheese, play outside or build a fort out of blankets.  As you get older choices have more meaning.  The consequences spiral out of control into your future.  Every new choice has wide reaching impact on your future and who you will be.  Where will you work, or live?  Will you go to school?  Where? What will you study?  Who will you date and be friends with?

There are no easy answers.  No one makes choices for you, and if they do, they’re frequently the wrong ones.   The ridiculous thing that I think most of us forget is that change is necessary.  If there is any aspect of your life that you are dissatisfied with then the only way to improve it is with conscious decisions and change.

We don’t have the luxury of a time machine or a crystal ball.  So it is usually impossible to see what effect something will have on your life.  But if we knew the outcome to everything where would be the fun?

So…..  should I take a pointless transfer at work?

(photo by alex-s)