cmypassion /

Your Reputation Will Precede You

 

I can’t remember who exactly told me this, but the saying; “Your reputation will precede you” has always stuck with me. It’s one of the many reasons I choose to always uphold myself in the best manner in all situations, as you never know whom you will encounter later on in life. Furthermore, you don’t always know who has got their eye on you, and trust me there are always more than you think.

During my usual daily peruse of online content, I recently read an article where it was discussing the fate of an unfortunate employee; let’s call him Jeremy. Jeremy was in relationship for three years and when he wanted to call it quits instead of ending his relationship properly, he ‘ghosted’ his then girlfriend, let’s call her Veronica. Fast forward some years and it turns out that Veronica will now be his new boss at a new job. Now obviously he has a choice to make and I know exactly which one I would choose, but this is a perfect example of the aforementioned quote. Extreme as this situation with Jeremy may be, it highlights the fact that the world is a very small place and ‘six degrees of separation’ is very real. So, I say all of that to ask two quick questions, “What lasting effect are you having on those around you, friends, family and/or colleagues?” and “What do people say about you when you’re not around?”.

I remember saying the above quote to a friend of mine at work and after some discussion she understood my point and the importance of said quote. When she left the company, no one had a bad thing to say about her, or if they did, they didn’t have a leg to stand on. Her reputation and how hard she had worked was there for all to see. When I left my most recent employer, I found myself in a similar situation. Not that I was expecting a plethora of gifts, but the fact people who I wasn’t even close to went out of their way to buy me something or even persuade me to have ‘leaving drinks’ meant a lot. I really didn’t know that I had such a positive effect on people, but it was humbling all the same.

Now, we are all aware of that particular person in our lives who know what to say or do to push our buttons, but why not try this the next time they do: smile sweetly and remove yourself from the situation. If you manage to walk away without rising to the bait go and buy yourself an ice cream, you should be proud of yourself!

Remember in all things… your reputation will be precede you, so why not make it a good one.

 

Until next time….

 

Dee.x

cmypassion /

The Story Of July 1st

 

For the last four years the first day of July has meant so much to me. It’s signified the transition into the second half of the year and if you’re like me you’re also probably wondering where the past six months has gone and did you use those months to the best of your ability.

Previously it may have sent me into a whirlwind and downward spiral of thinking I’m not achieving everything I want, but I’ve matured a lot and I now know that life happens. Yes it’s definitely good to set goals, but just because they have not materialised by the time you want doesn’t make you a failure.

Towards the end of last year I began to make a list of things that I wanted to do this year (2017) and with me turning 30 years old it seemed only befitting to see if I could get to 30 goals/ideas and I did. However, it’s now August and I have to be honest, some of the things I started in January are still not complete. Towards the latter part of the first quarter of the year, my focus completely changed & I was set on achieving one major goal, getting a new job. I knew that unlocking this one facet of my life would open the door to so many other things. More on my journey to change this to come in a later post, so how should one set to achieve their goals….

Tips on achieving goals:

• Stay Organised

This may seem like an obvious one, but not everyone is great at doing this. As a result of staying organised you will remain relaxed and hopefully stop procrastination. It helps you zero in on one idea and tick that off one by one. If you’re like me, most days you can account for every hour of the day, but still feel like there isn’t enough time. Staying organised will help you save money and time, trust me.

• Remind Yourself What You’re Trying To Achieve

– Achieving what you want out of life is can sometimes be hard and that in itself can cause frustration. On the days you are not motivated remind yourself of the reasons why you’re trying to achieve this goal. It will encourage you and overall will make you a happier person. You may not be where you want to but if you’ve started you’re certainly not where you used to be.

• Tell Someone You Trust And Will Hold You Accountable To Achieving This Goal

– Now with this one may be a little harder than the rest as your goal may be a very personal one like trying to loose weight for example. However, when you tell someone else it takes the idea out of your head and places it into the hearts and minds of the ones who care about you. They are there to be accountable to and if your friends are anything like mine they will ask you what you’re doing to achieve said goal from time to time. This can help you to stay motivated & finally tick things off as you won’t be able to hide as you’ll hopefully be purely honest with them and yourself. It will also help if you get into a rut as they might be able to present new ideas and ways to achieving that goal.

• Write Down The Goal 

– The first thing about this tip is that it doesn’t have to be written down on a piece of paper. It can be saved as wallpaper, in a note on your phone or as part a vision board.

– There is something to be said about a goal that is written down. It allows one to clearly define what the goal is & how it can be achieved and if placed somewhere you will constantly see it, it can then also serve as a daily reminder. Let’s face it, not everyday is a good day but it can be if you know why you’re working as hard as you are.

 

Until next time…

 

Dee.x

cmypassion /

(The) London Travel Etiquette Guide

IHP - annoying-passenger

Image source: www.optimisetravel.com

It has come to my attention that not everyone follows the same rules when it comes to travelling around London on Transport For London (TFL). I’m constantly asking myself the question, “Why do you not know you’re not meant to to do that in this very moment?”. As I’m yet to pass my driving test – I know, I need to get on it right – I travel on TFL pretty much every day, so I thought I’d create this travel etiquette guide for all of us travelling & using TFL. Now this isn’t to be taken too seriously, it’s all a bit of tongue and cheek, so what are your pet peeves when using TFL?

– When someone drops something on the floor and then you make said person aware of this as it may be important. The polite thing to do is to say thank you, no?

– When walking up the escalator everyone knows: If you’re walking up you go on the left, if you’re standing you go to the right. Doesn’t it annoy you when people who aren’t walking up go to the left & then create a pile up behind them?

– When walking as part of a crowd, please do not stop dead in the middle of your tracks. Stand to one side so the crowd can continue with their lives and not bump into you.

– If you must relieve yourself in the train lavatories make sure to close the door behind you, thereby not leaving those next to said toilet in fear of their life, wondering if they’ll ever breathe again #NoToniBraxton.

– Don’t you just find this kind of commuter annoying? Asking people to move down on a crowded train, where would you like me to move down to?  Or trying to get to the door on said train that hasn’t reached its stop/destination yet. Just wait!

– If you’re going to eat please don’t let it be food that smells. There is a guy who gets on the same 6:30am bus as me and he devours an egg Mcmuffin from McDonalds EVERYDAY! I kid you not, I always wonder how he can eat that early in the morning. I’m also praying for his arteries, heart and my nose.

– Another one about eating whilst in transit, if you are going to have a coffee and muffin for breakfast that’s on you, but please refrain from smacking your lips together – no one wants to hear you eating!

– Now this one isn’t a gripe, it’s more funny to me. If you know you’re prone to snore when you sleep don’t fall asleep on any of TfL’s services and have us all wondering what that bear like roar is. This happened once and everyone was wondering what the sound was until we all realised it was the one guy who was asleep.

– You’ve had a hard day at work but you’ve managed to the leave work early, say around 4pm…only to then be barraged by the sixth form/college conversations, “Nah, fam I banged her like twice and that’s it. Had to let her go innit”. What makes you think I want to hear that, trust me I don’t!

– When you wake up late and try to get to work ASAP but get to the train station and there’s a strike. This has actually happened to me, thanks to good ol’ Southern Rail. This was a fail on the most epic of proportions.

– This next one is going to be controversial, to say the least. Wheelchair and pushchairs users, we all know you have priority to that large open section on the bus, but there is no need to push your way through or be rude to someone who is standing in this section and may not of heard you. To be honest this goes for everyone, I don’t know what it is about 9am call times but people always seem to be in a mood, there is no need to be rude to people.

– You start running for a bus and the bus driver sees you and still decides to drive off. I was obviously running for no reason, right?

– You’re about to head out and it was raining a few hours before. You choose to be careful where you walk only to walk past a massive puddle and get showered by a car going past. Now this has never happened to me personally, but I have seen it happen to others loads of times. I can guarantee to you that if this were to ever happen, wherever I was be heading wouldn’t be reached as I’d go back home, put my pyjamas on and stay in bed. Dramatic I know, but someone has to be?

– After a long hard day you get on the chosen mode of transportation and someone proceeds to have an intimate conversation where you feel like you’re engrossed in it. This happened to me about a year ago, where one lady was talking to her dad about a recent cancer scare and how he should be taking it easy. I didn’t have any headphones so I couldn’t block her out, I just had to sit there listening to this incredibly intimate conversation being spoken about very loudly for all to hear. I felt so incredibly awkward!

– Imagine this, you’re running late for a meeting and decide to take the bus to the station as it’s sure to be quicker than walking 20 minutes. No, you’re wrong! You are now in gridlock traffic with no where to go or move. Note to self, you must wake up early.

– You’re on a packed out bus, which means you have to sit next to someone. As the bus starts to clear and get less packed is it not protocol to move to an empty seat, as soon as one becomes available near to you?

– This one is an annoyance for a lot of guys I know. Don’t be that woman who is putting on her makeup or doing her nails on well packed train, this can be seen to be uncouth.

– If you are an animal lover why is it so hard for you to understand or believe that I may not want your pet to lick my new Jimmy Choos. You and it have your space, I have mine and let’s keep it that way.

– When travelling with a large bag and/or suitcase please be sure to be mindful of those either side of you and behind you thus ensuring no ones foot is rolled over or banged in the head by said travelling equipment

There you have it, this is my list thus far but I’m sure I could have added some more. Are there any others that should have made it on to the list? Add your thoughts to the comment section below.

Until next time…

 

Dee.x