A Road Less Traveled

While I only live thirty-two miles from my work, every work day I climb into my gray 2005 Honda Accord and prepare for a commute that typically takes an hour and a half. The congested freeways mark the only path into the city where Broadbean USA resides. There have been slick roads, hundreds of accidents to pass, rain, fog, crazy drivers, slammed-on brakes, traffic sometimes dead stopped, and a couple of traffic tickets along the way. Mostly, there has been a significant amount of talk time on my beloved mobile device. I cannot say I have never texted or never emailed or never facebooked while driving – I confess to these crimes.

My phone has been my constant companion during my commute and one hand always on the wheel.

My drive time has given me endless hours to think, numerous topics to write about, and opportunity to speak with my mom and friends often. I usually have one or two business calls while driving and have even reviewed documents when two mile per hour traffic has allowed. I wish I could say I have hated this drive but the fact of the matter is, I have not. I have seen incredible sunrises, seemingly impossible sunsets, driven through fires, and seen things that have changed my life and way of thinking.

In just over two weeks, my drive will be reduced to only fifteen minutes and I will no longer move along at a snail’s pace on packed, over crowded highways wishing I could cheat and sneak into the car pool lane (I have tried and while I didn’t get caught, I felt guilty for weeks.) I will now be driving along the ocean on the popular PCH (Highway One, Pacific Coast Highway.) The added time with my family (15 more hours a week), the reduced wear and tear on my car, diminished fuel costs, and eliminated stress will serve me well.

But I must admit, I will miss my time. I will miss the opportunity to really focus on issues that need solutions. I will miss my phone calls. I will miss the way I could get lost in music or a good audio book. And I will miss the further discovery of self. I guess I will find it in my morning walks that I will now have the time to resume. 😉

What I have gained almost outweighs the time lost. Almost. This drive has been a part of who I am since February of 2007. Like any trial, what didn’t kill me, made me stronger. And while I may miss it, at first, I look forward to it being in my past, to it being less about who I am and more about how I became who I am today. My Honda with 120,000 miles may die of heartbreak but freeways 91 and 55 will have one less traveler. Me.

by rayannethorn

Received Value

How do you assess your time? I am often asked this question by clients. Will I get my money’s worth? A variable of the first question. When educating clients or hiring managers about the services you provide, are you clear and concise or are they left wondering whether or not they have made a good choice? Your answers declare who you are and your belief in what you do.

How do you assess your time? Are needs met and goals achieved? Have you solved an issue? Will your services fulfill the necessities of the client or hiring manager? The customer or candidate? Will it work? That is the final question: will it work? Increased business is the ultimate metric. Necessary people are hired and services are executed in a timely fashion. Does the service you provide ease the burden of your client or hiring manager?

The client or hiring manager should experience less stress because of your commitment, not more. Open lines of communication will ease in removing certain levels of stress. Additionally, will you save them money in the long run? Are you getting it done right the first time? Recognize that your job is to help them de-stress and enhance business.

Part of the value a service provider brings to an organization is allowing for greater focus and forward movement. When you fail to follow through, the boss/hiring manager/client is not only thinking about what he needs to get done but what you aren’t getting done. Think clearly about what your end of the bargain is. Are you fulfilling it?

When all of these things come together, when the service provider actually provides the required service, then and only then is the job fulfilled. Increased business, needs met, less stress, bargains met, focus achieved, work gets done. The list isn’t that difficult, nor is it too long. Make the list, check items off and the value will be there. Instead of it being perceived, it will be received.

by rayannethorn

.

A Room With a View

When I was young, the days, weeks, and months seemed to drag by. Even the minutes waiting for the last bell at school never passed fast enough. Birthdays and Christmas took forever to arrive…
When you are ten, a year represents 10% of your life. As we age, that percentage decreases dramatically. Upon reaching fifty years old, a year is merely 2% of that lifetime.

So, comparatively, that year represents a much smaller portion, overall…

When my great-grandmother was in her 9o’s, I always thought her days must have gone soooo slow. She couldn’t care for herself any longer, she couldn’t really do anything except sit in a chair and look out the window. Did her latter years go by quickly because they only represented 1/90th of her life or because her activity was so little, did the speed of time return to the perception she had in her youth and moved incredibly slow?

It seems like these days, in my own life, I blink and my children have grown or an event I had been anticipating has come and gone quicker than I had a chance to relish it. Or worse, a loved one passes before you have a chance to tell them of your love and are thankful for their presence in your life.

Embrace the brief moments we are given, enjoy being with the ones you love, and take pictures.

And every once and a while, pause to look out the window because the view will be much different when you are 90.