Bliss Book  Event 

                for the

First Fuits of Praise

                   
                           Women's Day 
                                               Hosted by 
                     The Women's Ministry
                                         April 21, 2012

Speaker Tammy & Hostess Lisa

Mary, My Blissful Associate

     

Pastor & Brother Rick taking care
of the set-up

Vendors Getting Ready

7 Ways to be and Stay Satisfied With Your Job

Do you get excited when you think about the functions of your job? Or are you only interested in doing what's necessary to get you from Monday morning to Friday evening without a hitch?

The way you feel about your job depends on you; your perceptions and your attitude. Maybe you feel you're lacking in the job satisfaction department. If so, consider the following to bring satisfaction back to your position:

Pride and a Positive Attitude 
Keep in mind the fulfilling position you hold and take pride in your role as a service provider. Pat yourself on the back for the great job that you do. Feel good about yourself when you think of the responsibilities that have been placed in your care.

Shared Vision
Determine your definition and your vision of quality service. Compare it to that of your department and team. If you're not all on the same sheet of music, take the initiative and request input from your colleagues to create the necessary steps to get there. Work with your team. Understand, create and agree on new processes and procedures to provide quality service.

Knowledge & Focus
Know your job inside and out. Familiarize yourself with company policies so you can focus on your customer without worrying about your performance. For example: let's say that in the interest of trust, you offer your customer a refund for a prior service mix-up; however, policy dictates this should not be done. Knowing the rules beforehand eliminates the chance of making a bad situation worse by offering something you'd have to either take back, or take a career hit for. Understand just how far you are able to go for your customer. If necessary, ask your supervisor for clarity. Then you can focus on your customers' needs without worrying about errors in job performance.

Improvement 
It's not enough to provide great service. It's also your duty to continuously strive to improve and provide the highest quality of service to your customers, both internal and external.

Dedication
Meet and surpass the expectations of your internal and external customers. Be dedicated to them and to yourself by staying focused on your job-related goals and your current performances. How do you measure up to your own expectations?  

Commitment
Like your dedication, commit to creating a positive experience for everyone. Go above and beyond the expectations of your customers and colleagues. Commit to this and deliver quality service.

Willingness
After studying the previous areas of performance, how willing are you to do what it takes to get the job done?

Job satisfaction begins and ends with YOU. Whether you work 20, 40 or 60 hours a week, the time you put in becomes less stressful when it is spent in a positive frame of mind. Keep in mind that you can't do anything about the actions or attitudes of others, nor can  you control those unexpected situations that constantly creep up. But you can control the way you perceive them which determines how you deal with them.

Whenever there's an issue preventing you from having a great attitude, identify it and do what's necessary to fix your perception of it. Equip yourself to confidently deal with whatever comes along and improve your overall performance.

Become passionate about your job again. And at the end of each workday, ask yourself,

                          "Am I satisfied with my performance...with my job?"

       
                Then think of how good you'll feel when your answer is a resounding "YES".

A SUCCESSFUL BOOK EVENT

Thank you to everyone who came out to Club Twist to support me and my book
Creating BLISS-Better Living In Seven Steps.

Rosalyn & Me

Lena brought her previously-purchased
book for an autograph

Filling Book Orders and
Signing Autographs

BLISS-talking to the Audience

I signed right out of
my Jacket!

Inspired by my presentation, this Young
Gentleman wrote a poem right then
and recited it over the mic.

The audience was inspiring, personal conversations were intriguing, and the many requests for autographs was humbling. 

Share with me some of the night's most BLISSFUL moments...

Email Etiquette

“Email, instant messaging, and cell phones give us fabulous communication ability, but because we live and work in our own little worlds, that communication is totally disorganized.   ~Marilyn vos Savant                          

Recently, I spoke with a professional group about techniques for clear communication and quite a few questions came up about the proper use of email. Since virtually everyone is on the computer these days and are emailing in some form (via desktop, phone, DS, Facebook, etc.) I decided to address some of these concerns in this and future issues of Poise & Protocol.

Tips to Eliminate Easy Email Errors:

• Send only TO the people who need to see your email message. CC (Courtesy Copy) only when necessary. It's a CC, not an FYI. And never, ever BCC (Blind Courtesy Copy) to someone who has nothing to do with the message in the first place. If there's a real reason that person needs to see the email, place them prominently in the TO or CC field. If not -- don't be sneaky -- refrain from sending them the message at all. BCC is to be used in cases like mass mailings such as newsletters where recipients don't necessarily know each other; their addresses will be kept private this way. Use -- don't abuse -- the field for the recipients. 
• Make good use of the Subject Line. People are busy and get tons of email per day. What you place in the subject field could be the deciding factor as to whether or not the message gets read. So don't just say "Hi" when you are clearly sending the message for a specific reason. Instead, try: "Feedback on the report". Let the recipient know from the start exactly what your email is about. 
• Who are you to say your email's important? Ok, if you're the boss or someone equivalent, I guess you have the right. But so many times we're quick to slap on the 'important' symbol to give it a high priority listing when it's not...some bosses included. If your emails are regularly sent out that way, will the really urgent ones get the attention and response you'd like? Or will they be ignored? They'll probably be viewed as garbage that you're trying to pass off as urgent. Chances are they'll be set aside to be read later, if at all; not exactly the way you'd planned, huh? 

These are common email mistakes that happen all the time and believe it or not, readers do notice. Don't mishandle your email. Practice proper usage and eliminate recipients' frustrations that may lead to the deletion of your email messages altogether. 

In future posts, we'll be addressing Tips to Tasteful Email Responses.

If you have a question about emailing, please send it this way to be included as well. Remember, if you have a question about something, chances are someone else does, too.

Until then, 

Easy Emailing & Continued Bliss!!!

IDCC Featured at Local Bank

Old Point National Bank has begun featuring my business, Image Design Consulting Company along with my newly-released book, “Creating Bliss ~ Better Living In Seven Steps”. The business, the book, and I will be on display at this local bank for 2 weeks and right from the beginning (even during set-up) it has attracted a great deal of interest and attention. 

The bank is located at 24 Wine Street in Downtown Hampton, Virginia, and I hope that those of you who are in the area will stop by and give your support. Of course I’ll be back with pictures.

THE MAGIC OF SPRING

March has come and with it has emerged the beginning of spring, the season that represents new life, balance, and growth. Open up to this newness by tossing away the sleepy remnants of winter and embracing the magic of spring.

 

The following actions can produce value in your life at any time of the year; but doing so at springtime creates a greater impact as you are balancing life at the same time Mother Earth naturally balances hers.

Spring in your life:

Add spring to your life: Think clean, fresh, thoughts. Eat well – lots of seasonal fruits and veggies – natural cleaners for your physical body. Prepare colorful casseroles and most importantly, eat your entire meal with reverence, acknowledging beyond pre-meal prayer, the blessings in which it was provided to you.

Spring in your home:

Nothing says freshness like a clean, fresh-smelling home. Citrus fruit set out in bowls create bursts of visual and olfactory stimulation. Flowers from your garden or from that of a family member or friend produce both beauty and a sense of connection as loving energies are shared.

No access to a garden? No problem. The next time you’re shopping for groceries, purchase a convenient and inexpensive bouquet from your local store. And why not create a garden of life for next year? Fill it with pleasure-giving herbs and flowers. If you can’t do it yourself, begin making plans now to have it done by someone else.

Spring in your step:

Add spring to your step by exercising first thing in the morning, outside if possible. Take a short walk before you begin your day. Have your breakfast beverage of coffee, tea, fruit juice, or even better – water, outside on the porch or patio where you can enjoy early morning fresh air before it is polluted by the general toxins of the day. 

Small actions such as these can boost your level of vitality in a big way, providing you with abundant strength and energy.

Until next time, enjoy the springtime and Continued BLISS!!!

Tammy

Celebrate NATIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP DAY

on March 6

Last week I talked about teaching our children good sportsmanship and all the positive characteristics that could be learned along with them.

Although Tuesday, March 6th is the 21st annual National Sportsmanship Day (NSD), the Hopson Household celebrated it a little early this year, along with our grandchildren.

You see this past weekend was NBA All-Star Weekend. We’re big fans of basketball, including the children, so it’s become a tradition for us to spend the weekend enjoying the events together.

Michael and I let the grandkids (ages 12 and 14) decide on all the fun stuff we’d do. While letting them know that we were there if they needed assistance, we also managed to ease in some valuable lessons and help them work on the following skills:  

How to Plan and Make Decisions for a group

They planned the entire weekend; including menus, ingredients for special recipes, grocery lists and activities to serve as time-fillers between NBA TV events.

How to Design Schedules, Establish Deadlines (and stick to them)

Final plans were set for the week before (with adult approval, of course). The kids used calendars and scheduled programming to coordinate events with other necessary activities, like yard work, housework, trips to the barber shop, etc.  

How to Encourage Teamwork

The kids determined the necessary tasks and were prepared to assign them; but due to their enthusiasm and encouragement, we all just volunteered.  

How to Let Go of Status Quo

By making this year better than last year, the kids dodged complacency and are already stretching themselves by thinking of ways to make next year even better. This develops a great habit for life in general.

How to be Competitive and Keep Fun in the Mix

Since all four of us have different NBA favorites in players and teams, there was a lot of cheering, taunting, and trash-talking. It’s important that children learn how to balance competitive behavior with considerate action, so while viewing the events (and sometimes after the event) Michael and I prompted many discussions in this area, such as:

·  The kids’ perceptions of the teamwork (or lack of) that was displayed

·  Their perception of individual and team characteristics (confidence, encouragement, determination, competitiveness, selfish/unselfish plays, etc).

·  Trash-talking and how it can inspire either inner-determination or create negative reactions.

 "Excellence is not a singular act but a habit. You are what you do repeatedly." ~~Shaquille O'Neal

There are so many strong character traits that can be taught to enhance and inspire our youth just by interacting with them. Use mutual interests and look for subtle ways to teach them through fun and games. Encourage them to not only play as a good sport, but to live their lives as good sports, too. 

Learn more about National Sportsmanship Day here