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Gardening in High Heels

cultivate a beautiful life

May 28, 2015

The struggle is real

May 28, 2015

I try not to write about work too much here because I don’t want to put something on the internet that I may regret or not want to have it reflect the company I work for in a negative way.  But today’s Blogger, May I theme is hashtag everything, so I figured this is a fun way of talking about it.  Take it with much salt.

Not that I’m absolutely hating life and not wishing to work there anymore, that’s not what I’m saying at all. #ItIsntLikeACertainRestaurantIWorkedFor

I’m starting to realize that I don’t fit in with my coworkers.  I’ve always been a head-down kind of person.  I work until the job is done.  So while everyone is standing around having fun and talking, I’m in my cube staring at my computer. #MyEyesWillHateMeSomeDay

I’ll stand around and BS with them, sure, but I don’t feel like I’m 100% included in their group.  I’m wondering if I’ve separated myself from them and if I could ever be truly a part of their group. #IveNeverFitIn #BlackSheepWalking

It’s also becoming crystal clear now more than ever that I’m not a customer service person.  I like coaching people on how to best use social media to their advantage.  That part is awesome. #MyRetailersAreAwesome

But I don’t like repeating myself, especially when it’s simple questions over and over. #ThisIsTheSongThatNeverEnds

#IHaveNOPatience and it really tries my patience.

I’d rather work with a handful of customers and do it well than a lot of customers and do it so-so.  Y’know?

Like I said last Sunday Lately, it clicked with me why I have no patience for people who won’t just click the damn button on their own.  #JustTryItAlready!

You don’t need permission to always make the right decision.  Just make a decision.  And try doing something for yourself first. #SeriouslyThoughJustTryItAlready

So I’ve been trying to figure out ways to satisfy my desire to work hard yet be part of the group, to have a select group of clients rather than support a large base of them. #TheStruggleIsReal

Have you ever been caught in this situation?  What did you do?

An InLinkz Link-up


I’m also linking up with Life With Lolo / Genuinely Lauren for Hashtag Humpday!

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8 Comments · Labels: Blogger May I, Life, Right Now Tagged: advice, blogger may i, hashtag humpday, hashtags, link up, struggle, work

April 29, 2015

An open invitation to let it go

April 29, 2015

This has been sitting in my drafts folder and I felt like pulling it out for some reason.  I started it about a year and a half ago.  I was feeling entirely stuck, uninspired, and unappreciated at work.  I was doing everything I could to get myself out of that hell, but I just couldn’t.

I largely blamed my current employer.  Who wants to hire me as a content manager when the company I work for can’t spell correctly?!

That said, I knew it couldn’t be all them.  It’s hard to break into the ad scene in Pittsburgh.  If I tried a little harder, maybe something better would have happened faster (I’m starting to feel like a Daft Punk track).

I’m happy to say I’m no longer with this company I’m writing about today.

So this one goes out to all of the people who have wanted to write something to their boss, a coworker, a friend, a family member and just couldn’t.  This took me two years to say.  Get out there, write something down, and let it go.

If you're looking for permission to get things off your chest and let it go, here it is! Write it down, set it free.

I have had the opportunity to work with some amazing women this year (and year’s past).   This is in no way a snub to them.  I am eternally grateful that they see someone worthwhile in me and for learning from them.  Just recently, I accepted the opportunity to intern for Yelp in Pittsburgh and it got me thinking.  I send out tons of job applications each week, but get very few chances to actually speak with the company.  Once I get to speak it someone, it’s a lot easier to explain I’m the victim of circumstance, but it’s hard to write in a cover letter, “Please don’t hold my current employer against me.”  That’s what I feel like I’m going to have to start doing.  So here is my open letter to my future employer:

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt and do what is asked of me.  In doing what is asked of me, I’m running into trouble.  I know, I majored in English and there are typos aplenty all over my current employer’s menu.  That doesn’t look good on me applying for a content creator job.  I’ve asked thousands of times to take a look at the menus before they’re printed..to no avail.

Just the other day, in fact, I said that I’d be happy to take a look and make sure the spelling was good and the alignment was right.  I was laughed at.  Literally.  I was told the menus were already printed and he wouldn’t take any of my suggestions anyway.

“I don’t care about all of that grammar stuff,” he said.  When your boss tells you they don’t care enough about how they are perceived to make sure there are no errors in a menu that tons of people see every day, what does that say?  What does that say to the customer?  What does that say ABOUT the customer?  What does that say about the COMPANY?

(And don’t get me started on the commas and the apostrophes.  I’ve tried to eradicate them when possible but if you see “pint’s” somewhere, I didn’t do that.  I’m not saying the “pint is” or the pints are possessive.  They just don’t know that to pluralize something, one simply adds an “s.”)

Same with clip art.  I tried to do something different and creative when I first got to my current position, but all of my attempts at doing something different were waved off.  I’m lucky I can just get away with some coordinating colors and matching (not cartoon-y) fonts.  (Also, I’m sorry for the Comic Sans.  That is actually trademarked.  I cannot do a thing about it).

I have a minimal aesthetic.  I like clean lines, bright color choices, and bold fonts.  These guys were shown clip art and went to town.  They like lengthy descriptions when simply a list of ingredients will do, lots of pictures, and background patterns; that just isn’t me.  At least we don’t make people wear pieces of flair and have used trombones and license plates hanging on the walls.

Then let’s move on to damage control.  Our “policies” are hard to stand behind.  Defending the servers who are consistently rude, slow, incompetent, and petulant isn’t easy to get with either.  The kitchen and the food I have absolutely nothing to do with but I’m getting tired of responding to Yelp reviews with, “I’ll review with the cook how to properly prepare that dish.”

Just because my current employer feels as if something is satisfactory doesn’t mean I do.  Their version of “complete” doesn’t reflect my version of complete.  The standards that they set forth for their company aren’t as high as the standards that I set for myself.  This is an effort to correct some of those misconceptions.  My abilities aren’t theirs, their company isn’t a reflection of what I’m capable of.  I’d do more, but I’m not able to.  I’d like to do more and keep my career positive and constantly learning.  I’ve plateaued here.  The only thing I’ve learned recently is that this job is hurting me and isn’t helping me to move onward and upward.

What’s something you’ve wanted to say but couldn’t?  Let me know in the comments and get it off your chest!

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2 Comments · Labels: Motivation Tagged: career, inspiration, motivation, rant, work

April 22, 2015

Life lessons learned at work

April 22, 2015

Work.  It’s my least favorite four-letter word.  I’m lucky in that my work environment is pretty laid back and I don’t have many complaints, unlike some places I’ve worked before.

Even though people mostly learn from the negatives, I like to think we can learn from all experiences both good and bad.  Here are a handful of things I learned (or am still learning) about the working world.

Work is my least favorite four-letter word! There are good things you can learn about life at work. Stay motivated, stay strong.

 If you’re not okay with something, speak up

This is something I’m working on actively.  There have been so many instances in the past where I didn’t speak up when something wasn’t right and it bit me in the ass.

Just right now, I’m trying my best to let my manager know when I feel overwhelmed with my work instead of just silently martyring myself and letting my anger and frustration fester.

You’re not there to make friends

I know, this sounds harsh, but really, you aren’t getting paid to goof off, you’re paid to work.  I’m not saying don’t form relationships with your co-workers.  I’m saying the primary goal isn’t to make friends with everyone you encounter.

I cannot tell you how much it annoys me when I’m silently martyring myself in my cube and I hear people just BSing.  So please, don’t be that person.

You totally need a work BFF, though, and if you happen to become good friends with your coworkers, that’s fantastic.  Just don’t treat it like a social club, mmkay?

Recognize your accomplishments

I’m so awful at speaking up (as I mentioned before).  So I have a Warm n Fuzzies folder where I’ll sort out emails of praise and good work.  It really helps to recognize my accomplishments when they’re sitting right there in front of me.

For example: I wrote a blog post for my company’s “Company Culture” series.  It was nice to have someone else recognize me as the writer I know I am.  It helped me to be like, “Yeah, I am a good writer.  Other people can see it, too!”

Here’s a great article about recognizing your accomplishments at work.  Thanks, Levo!

It’s okay to leave

I’m not afraid to admit that I was fired.  Yep, I got the boot.  Canned.  Sacked.  Let go.  Etc.

And that’s okay.  Sometimes if you can’t say no yourself, someone else has to do it for you.  It was one of the best things that happened.

Leaving, either willingly or unwillingly, allows you to make changes that you need.  Just like Rachel from Clarity On Fire says, though, recognize where the problem is.  Are you leaving and not fixing problems that are fundamentally wrong?  Maybe there’s a glaring trend that you just aren’t seeing.

What have you learned from your experiences at work?

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9 Comments · Labels: Just a Thought Tagged: career, clarity on fire, lessons, Levo League, work

Who’s Angelica?

Life Un-styled Blogger, Gardener, Shoe Lover..among other things

I'm here to encourage and empower you to grow where you're planted and embrace the weeds that sometimes pop up. I'll share inspiration, products I like (and you may too), and stories from the garden.

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