Archive for the ‘Solve It’ Category

‘Solve it’ Saturday – So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

April 18th, 2009

We have our first ‘hearty’ question! YAY!

Hi Shannon,

I have recently been introduced to your blog and have really enjoyed it. I have recently been laid off from my job and am at a kind of crossroads, my company has offered to hire me back on in August (when my position regains funding – weird budget sched.) and as much as I loved it, I am not sure that I want to keep on the same path.

I graduated with a degree in Comm. Studies focusing on gender studies and worked for a sustainable living community resource guide for a year. It turned out to be a lot of sales (which I really hated) and the owners were not all that nice. Toward the end of that year I got married to a wonderful guy and realized that I wanted to start our married life with a job I didn’t hate, so one day my supervisor was being quite rude to me over the phone and I informed her I had some thinking to do and didn’t appreciate the way I was being treated. I sent my resignation letter the next morning (after a lot of tears and a glasses of wine:)), sans new job. My husband and I took a month and traveled to N. Wisconsin (his parents cabin) and Illinois to hang out with his family. When we got back I found my next job which I loved, and was there almost a year. I was the Rebate Administrator for the city we live in where I worked with the elderly, disabled, and low-income population. I really enjoy helping people and I can start working the same job in August again but I am not sure I want to take the easy road… I am a runner, gardener (as much as I can in our apt.), a local foodie, and all around health nut! I just felt like some insightful questions, like the ones you wrote, could really help me identify what steps to take next.

– Confused in Colorado

Read my answer to ‘Confused’ after the jump!

(more…)

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Posted in Solve It | 6 Comments »

Solve it – Solving problems, one hair at a time ;)

April 11th, 2009

So while I was hoping for more serious questions (to answer WITH the more fun questions), I did receive fun, personal questions.

I received a few emails and comments about my hair and how I wash it, style it, etc.

First of all I only wash my hair (at most) 2 days a week — sometimes less.

Please don’t be disgusted, I promise I’m clean!

My hair does not have many natural oils and if I were to wash it every day it would become dried out and brittle. Even after 5 days without a wash, my hair doesn’t look oily. For example, the Casual Friday pictures I posted yesterday? My hair hasn’t been washed since Tuesday. I’ll probably wait until tomorrow morning. If I were to wash it every day it would become extremely dry and unhealthy and I’d look like someone who left her finger in the electric socket.

Anyway, I love baths, so that’s what I do to wash my body. If I don’t have time for a bath I go old-fashioned and just use a washcloth and soap to clean myself.

When I do wash my hair, I use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Sometimes I put a small dollop of Selsun Blue (or other similar product) in my shampoo, as well. My skin (and by proxy, my scalp) in general is very prone to dryness, so I like to take all precautionary measures — you can never be too moisturized!

If I’m wearing my hair straight and curled-under, I blow dry my hair upside-down with a wide paddle brush. After it’s dry, I use hot rollers all over my head, using wide sections. I have very thick hair, so I have to utilize all rollers. Some people may only need a few. I like big, soft curls and recommend using sections of hair that are about as thick as a pencil. I go around the crown of my head first (top layers) and then do the bottom two. Some of you may only have two rows of rollers.

For waves: my hair is naturally a bit wavy, so this is a bit easier for me than it will be for those of you who have straight hair. I blow dry my hair upside down scrunching it up with my hands toward my scalp. I do not dry it all the way through. I scrunch LIGHTWEIGHT curl refining gel through. Do not overdo it; I use a dollop the size of a pea.

I then pull my hair into a high ponytail and scrunch all the hair into a bun. Using two pony tail holders, I wrap them around the hair making sure the crisscross over the hair in multiple areas. I let my hair sit like this overnight or while I’m watching TV, doing dishes, etc. If you are pressed for time, you can blow dry your hair while it’s wrapped like this.

Once it’s mostly dry, I take it down and use a curling iron on a few key sections. Sometimes I like the way the hair falls naturally, but when I’m looking for a more polished look, I take about 10 small sections and independently wrap them around the curling iron — like this (technique is shown a bit before half-way point). Use wider barrel curling iron for looser waves, and a smaller barrel for tighter waves.

I like to curl the hair in multiple directions so that it looks natural.

That’s it! Let me know if something was unclear — it’s hard to describe something on a step-by-step basis when you are so familiar with it!

Also, I’m really hoping some of you come out of the woodwork next week and bring up some communications/relationship or balance issues you are struggling with. For those of you struggling with balance in your lives, try the following exercise from my first post ever.
Try a self-evaluation exercise (adapted from Natalie Gahrmann):

  1. Draw a large circle on a piece of paper and divide it into 8-10 pie wedges.
  2. Label each section with an area of your life that is important to you. Examples: family, friends, health, work, recreation, money, personal growth, spirituality, romance, physical surroundings and more.
  3. Rate your satisfaction in each area of your life. Think of the circle’s outer edge as total satisfaction and the center of the circle as total dissatisfaction. In each wedge of the pie, place a small dot to indicate your relative satisfaction in that area of your life. (For example, if you are just moderately satisfied, place your dot in the middle between the center and the edge.
  4. After rating your satisfaction in each pie wedge, connect the dots to create a new outside perimeter for your circle. If you were to roll your circle like a wheel would it roll smoothly or be bumpy?
  5. To have a balanced life, tend to the areas where the greatest gaps exist. The key is not to focus on each individual area of your life but to focus on your life as a whole. (Changing your perspective of your life is another important tool to gain balance.)

Balance is a continuous process. As you evolve you’ll find new ways to integrate the different aspects of your life into a whole. How you combine your significant other, children, and work is a personal process.

Everyone’s chart will look different- and that’s OK! We all rank our priorities differently. But how does your satisfaction look? Are you content in the areas of your life you’ve labeled as ‘most important?’ Notice the areas in which you ranked lower. Are you OK with this? Do you know why this area of your life carries a level of low satisfaction? Identifying these areas is the first step in boosting that satisfaction level! Think about why this may be a problem area for you and brainstorm a few short-term and long-term goals that might help you reach satisfaction in this area.

Does this help? Do you have any other questions or need any other help in this process?

What about other communications/relationship/balance concerns? Trust me, I can help!

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Posted in Solve It | 9 Comments »

‘Solve it’ Saturday – Still waitin’ for those JUICY questions!

March 28th, 2009

Happy weekend! I hope you are all having fun, no matter what you may be up to!

The lovely Kristen from Eating R.D. sent a list of questions, which I am excited to answer and spread the love! Just let me know if you would like to be interviewed in the comments. . . .

1. What is your all-time favorite recipe or type of cuisine that you could have over and over again?

Gee this is TOUGH. I LOVE food. love it.

lemme break it all down:

Favorite food from restaurants: Pasquales garlic twist rolls (I could honestly eat these for the rest of my life. When I go to this restaurant I order a dinner salad and an entire basket of rolls. best. meal. ever., Right, Tiffany? ;) ); Roasted Chicken Romaine from The Stone Oven; sushi at any good, quality sushi joint, chicken nine vegetable soup with the most amazing pita bread ever made at TAZA — (I’ll feature this in the Daily Delish soon)

My favorite recipes: Shrimp risotto (I’ll feature this on make it soon!), Italian Turkey Burgers, Healthy, no-guilt chicken Parmesan (I’ll also feature this recipe soon)

Favorite go-to quick meals: PB and banana waffles; salads of any kind; turkey, hummus, tomato, lettuce and cheese sandwich on a pita and breakfast foods

Favorite Cuisine – Middle Eastern and Italian and BREAKFAST food ;)

2. What is your best advice for shopping for fashionable clothes on a budget?

Use what you have! You have no idea how many outfits you can make with some classic staples from your existing wardrobe. Have a black dress you never wear anymore? Pair it with a new belt and colorful pumps and voila! New outfit.

INVEST in classic pieces. When it’s OK to splurge: perfect fitting black pants, jeans, white button down shirt, black dress, pencil skirt, cardigans

Now that you have high-quality basics, no one will notice if you are wearing a cheaper scarf, belt or tank. Pairing less expensive accessories and accent pieces with quality clothing makes those cheaper accents look just as expensive as the key pieces.

But you don’t have to spend a ton of money on the classics, either. I frequent SAKs outlet, Nordstrom Rack and TJMaxx on a regular basis. You never know what you’ll find. These stores have designer brand names at discount prices. I’ve gotten Armani pants for less that $30. I’ve gotten Marc Jacobs pieces that cost more than the clothes at Khols.

Speaking of Kohls, have you seen Vera Wang’s line? It’s pretty spectacular. Great silhouettes. Big designers have been teaming up with budget-friendly department stores. I’m sure you all know the relationships H&M and Target have with big name designers. You can find some fantastic things.

In the end, buy clothing that fits. Anything looks 10x better when it fits nicely. The most expensive designer jeans will look horribly on someone who buys them 2 sizes too small. Don’t worry about the number on the tag. If they feel great and look good in the mirror, purchase!

3. What does a typical day consist of for you? I think your career in PR/advertising/communications among the many others would be so neat!

Hmmm typical day. Let me give you a brief summary.

5:30 a.m. wake up thinking, “Already?!”
5:31 a.m. wake the Mister up
5:35 a.m. wake the Mister up again
5:40 a.m. peel the Mister out of bed
5:50 a.m. leave for the gym
7:00 a.m. return from the gym
7:15 a.m. shower and get dressed
7:45 a.m. make myself a quick and healthy breakfast of one of the following: eggs in a basket, PB and banana waffle or oatmeal
8:00 a.m. leave for work

Work day: Get in and check email (normally about 35-100 pile up overnight). Prioritize. Normally at some point during the day I am: approving advertisements, coordinating photo shoots, strategizing PR and ad campaigns, approving ad copy, writing press releases, pitching the media, writing case studies, meeting with my client to explain our creative rationale, meeting with media reps to determine which magazines my clients ads should run in, sending ads to said magazines, brainstorming new ideas for my clients, coordinating media and consumer events, eventually traveling to said events (this year it is NYC- twice!, Chicago and San Francisco)

4. What was your favorite photo shoot spot? Or what would be your ideal modeling job?

It’s funny because modeling comes across so much more glamorous than it actually is. Most of my shoots are done in studios, which aren’t too exciting! Shooting outdoors is fun, but it brings a whole new round of complications. For example, one time I had a bathing suit photo shoot on the beach, sounds fun, huh?! Well the ad was due out in June, which means we had to shoot in MARCH (not exactly tropical weather conditions). See what I mean?

My favorite shoots are when I get to shoot with the Mister! Did you know he’s a model, too? We’ve done a bunch of greeting cards together, as well as an ad for French Vanilla vodka, and a few others I can’t think of at the moment. Nothing beats getting paid to make out with the boy you love ;)

My favorite acting job was the movie House Arrest. it’s terrible, by the way. I only had a few lines and get this — they got cut! I was also a stand-in for the lead girl. That means that I came into the shot to get the lighting and angles set up and then the REAL actress came in to shoot the scene. But it was so much fun! I got the star treatment, made some great $ and I got to meet Jamie Lee Curtiss and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

My other acting jobs: Commercials – Sea World, Blue Cross Blue Shield Hospital, McDonalds, Hardees, Stand (Anti-tobacco), Kronheims furniture, Subway, Ohio Lotto; Film – House Arrest and a few independent films you’ve probably never heard of.

5. What is the best way to find balance for you among your busy schedule?
PRIORITIZING and getting it done.

I’m a do-er. I get stuff done. I power through, eyes on the prize. I don’t waste time complaining. (I don’t handle whiners well). I’ve found that just getting started is half the battle. Yes, those who know me know that I procrastinate (what can I say, I work best under pressure ;) ). But at the end of the day, I get it done.

I also trick myself into thinking I’m not busy. I give a lot of credit to my parents for this personality trait.

Growing up, I was extremely busy. I modeled a few days a week, having to get pulled out of school every now and then. I danced competitively, starred in many of my high school musicals, was a member of show choir, earned my black belt in karate, cantored at my church and still went to school and got good grades. I’m not saying this to brag. because to me, it really wasn’t a big deal. My parents never acted like it was a big deal. it’s just the way it was. For awhile I thought everyone was doing the same thing. To hear that someone sat home on a school night baffled me. It just wasn’t the norm. I think this mind-set has carried through to my adult life and I guess I thrive when I’m the most busy.

Prioritizing is huge for me. I ALWAYS choose the Mister and my family over anything. Because without them, who am I? You are the company you keep. If I have a lot of work to do, I still make time to check in with him, talk about our day and have ‘us’ time. It makes getting the ‘other stuff’ done easier.

The Mister will always be my number one priority. He keeps me sane, keeps me smiling, puts up with me, knows me better than I know myself and instead of trying to change my idiosyncrasies and flaws, he loves me more because of them. I love you, honey ;)

Also — remember to breathe and appreciate the little things — sometimes they are what get you through the day!

If you would like to be interviewed:

1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” If a few people want interviews, I will randomly pick 2.
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with my link and answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

 

I also received a question from Sophia:

I have a different question: where did you get a degree in communications? what made you choose this field? how do you like it so far?

I went to a small, private liberal arts school near Columbus, OH (for privacy reasons, I’d prefer not to mention the exact school ;) )

I was actually originally accepted into the vocal music program and received a scholarship. The first day of classes I knew I was in the wrong place. Music theory? piano? opera workshops? NO THANKS. I love singing. It was such a huge part of my life, but it was something I enjoyed and suddenly it wasn’t feeling like that anymore. I quit my majr the first day. (Let’s just say I nearly gave my mom a heart attack when I called her bawling and explaining my situation).

I had always been interested in the field of communications — PR, advertising, comm. theory, journalism, writing, speech and relationship studies were so intriguing! I switched my majors and LOVED my classes from the get-go. I was sold. I would be a ‘communicator.’

But what is that exactly?

Well the nice thing about the field is that there are countless opportunities! It’s such a broad topic and have so many real-world applications.

I love the field. LOVE IT. 

I knew right away that I wanted to start out as a PR/advertising practitioner. I love the daily functions of my job and areas of interest I get to explore. Writing, strategizing, coordinating events, creative planning and innovation make up the bulk of my day-to-day work. Because I knew I was committed to the field, I wanted to get my Master’s degree.

I graduated with my Masters in December 2008 and am now looking forward to one day receiving my PhD.

When I was in both undergrad and grad school, I had the privilege of having a few professors who had a profound impact on me. I was so impressed with their infectious passion for the field and they motivated me to soak up everything I could. They made class interesting and engaging. They helped me realize how much I loved the field.

I want to be that person to someone else.

Which is why I want to get my PhD. I can’t wait to teach college students and share my experiences and passion for this industry I have grown to love. 

I like that every day in my job is different. I like that I am challenged to come up with new innovative solutions for my clients. And I like knowing that I don’t know where the road in this field will take me. As long as I’m a communications practitioner, I’ll be happy ;)

 

Which leads me to my next point…

NO JUICY questions this week! ;(

While I love answering your other, personal questions, I’d really like to dive into some deeper issues. Like I said, feel free to email or contact me anonymously. You guys must be such great communicators that you don’t have any issues! LUCKY!

Anyway, if you think of a communications issue, please let me know. Remember, you can send any type of question to me throughout the week and I’ll address them next week on ‘Solve it’ Saturday!

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Posted in Solve It | 10 Comments »

‘Solve It’ Saturday — I (might) Have Answers!

March 14th, 2009

I’m good at fixing stuff. I’m a fixer. I thrive in crises and immediately focus on the problem at hand. I don’t stop until I have one (or 5) solutions.

My friends and family have caught on to this little trait of mine. My secret’s out. Instead of being able to just focus on my own problems, I have to fix things for other people! It’s OK because 1.) I’m nosey and like that I get secret glimpses into people’s lives; 2.) I’m really good at it (there, I said it). And don’t most of us like doing what we’re good at?

Due to my background/Master’s of Communications and my experience working with many different walks of life, I think I’m best at relationship advice.  This is not limited to boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. Is your mom driving you insane? Having issues with the Mother-in-law and her (lack of) boundaries? Is your boss difficult to please? Trying to work up the courage to ask for a raise?

Let me help.

If you want to keep things anonymous, send your question to my email address:

info@thedailybalance.com

I promise not to post any names. You have my word.

I’ll feature one (or two) questions, complete with my solution, each Saturday. We all have similar problems, so I’m hoping this will not only help some people out, but show others that they’re not alone.

While I’m no expert, I did mention that others have found my advice to be extremely helpful. At the very least, it’s always worth hearing someone else’s perspective. Plus, who doesn’t feel better after getting their concerns out in the open and venting a bit (in some cases, a lot). Like I said, I promise to keep this confidential.  

Feel free to use this as an opportunity to ask any personal questions, as well. Want to know if I have any tattoos (I don’t, sorry to ruin the surprise)? Maybe you want me to teach you the art of yodeling upside-down (again, sorry to disappoint, but I can’t do this). You get the point. I’ll answer (almost) anything you’re interested in. Modeling stuff/diet and exercise/relationship milestones/etc.

The floor is yours….

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