5 Things You Might Do Well At Work But Terribly At Home

“Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life."” 
- Unknown

A few months ago I met with a friend who wanted me to help her with her finances. She felt she never had any money and she didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t asking me for money but she wanted me to go over her budget and see what things she needs to change.

After she asked me to help her, I paused for a bit and asked her a question.

“Wait a minute,” I said, “don’t you manage a multi-million budget at work?”

“Yeah, I know,” she responded, “I guess I never thought about my own budget.”

Many times we acquire great skills at work – skills we probably didn’t have before. We might have learned a bit more about finance, accounting, time management, organization, leadership, management, and teamwork or communication skills. The interesting thing is that time after time I meet someone or someone I know comes to me because they’re struggling with something personally that they might be doing well at work. Below are a few of these things many people do well at work but, for some reason, don’t do a good job at home.

Manage a Budget

As discussed in the introduction above, there are many people who manage a lot of money at work, but for some reason can’t or don’t manage their personal finances. Money management is a great skill to have and many of us have it. Use that skill to take control of your spending, your budget and your credit. Just like you spend an ample amount of time at work looking over numbers and making decisions, you should do the same at home. Make the time and effort because I can guarantee you that your money is more important to you.

Organize Yourself

I had a friend a few years ago who introduced me to his co-worker. His co-worker bragged about how organized my friend was. I was shocked. I didn’t say anything, but I knew my friend for at least 5 years and our circle of friends knew that he was awfully unorganized. My friend was messy, he never knew where he left papers and he was always late paying bills – and he was my roommate. Organization is another great skill to have. Transfer that skill to your personal life and, just like you do at work, you will become more productive.

Follow Up

As a program manager a few years ago, my goal was to acquire and retain new business for the company. Anyone that has ever worked on sales knows that following up is key to getting the sale. I did a great job at work, but a terrible job following up with friends and family. At work, I used to respond to our stakeholders in less than 24 hours. At home, I would receive a call, a voice message, a text message and you would be lucky if you heard from me. The people outside of work are very important to you, probably more important than the people you’re trying to sell to. Apply the same rules at home as you do at work. Be responsive at home, be accessible and just make sure you return phone calls.

Manage Your Time

Productivity is important at work. Many of us use an Outlook calendar to schedule our time at work and we try to stick to it as much as we can. We include meetings, tasks, projects and more meetings in our calendar. However, many of us don’t do the same with our personal life. We don’t schedule our life! Plan a date with your significant other, schedule the time when you’ll pay your bills, don’t forget your little cousin’s birthday party, and schedule some time to grow. You will accomplish more in life if you apply the same time management strategies you use at work.

Exercise Your Patience

I had a niece that used to work at a fast food chain. Anyone that has ever worked in fast food knows that you have to be very patient with the customers. My niece was always very polite, patient and professional when speaking to customers. At home though, my niece was the opposite. She hated waiting, she hated how her younger sister would nag and she couldn’t stand being at home. Patience is a great virtue. At work we become very patient with clients, co-workers and our boss. It shouldn’t be any different at home. Why does it all of a sudden change? Take the same measures and effort you apply at work to your home and you will be happier. There is no difference.

Are you a different person at work as you are at home? I always believed you should always exercise the great qualities you were given as a human being, no matter where you are. In fact, I think these qualities are much more needed at home than at work. 

Don't forget to share this blog so you can encourage others: family, co-workers, friends. Give them something to get motivated! You never know what they might be going through. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.  

The 3 Lessons I Learned From Having An Affair

"Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life."

- Unknown

For quite a few days I sneaked into my apartment trying not to make any noise. I would tell myself that this would be the last time but I've been telling myself the same thing for a few months already. I was left with guilt, remorse and I didn't know how to change my situation.

I had a bad habit of texting or calling my significant other to tell her that I would be home by 8pm but I never made it by that time. I would get home close to midnight. Things needed to change quickly or I knew I would lose the ones close to me. 

If you clicked on the header of this blog because you thought I was going to make some gossipy confessions, I'm sorry to disappoint you. The affair I felt I was having was not with someone else but with my job. Time to time I hear other people I meet that they too have spent countless hours working and haven't been able to figure out how to balance their work and their life. In a way, I'm glad I experienced this early in my career so that I can learn from it. These are the three lessons I learned from having an affair with my job:

The definition of work-life balance

Before my 'affair' I thought work-life balance meant that I should work 40 hours a week and the rest is for my own leisure. Shortly after, I began to ponder about what work-life balance really meant to me. It turns out, it means something different to everyone. To some who love what they do, working 60 hours a week and spending weekends with family works well. For others, the hours they work is insignificant - it's more about how they feel, striving for a happy, emotional balance between their work and their life. I really had to sit down and write out my thoughts about what work-life balance meant to me and what I was trying to achieve in the first place. 

It's not your company's fault - it's your fault

When work gets busy and the 'affair' occurs, we convince ourselves that the 'busy season' will soon be over. Next thing we know, just like in my story, the busy season continues and seems to be endless. It's very common for frustration to kick in and the first thing we do when we're stressed and cranky is blame others. Many times, we blame our habit of overworking (or as we like to call it 'being overworked') on our boss or our company. I did the same thing as well, as did others that worked with me. However, complaining and blaming the company did not help our situation. What did help? Looking in the mirror. I found out that my time management was poor, my organization could be stronger and my priorities in life were never established. I worked on improving myself and setting my priorities right and better prepared myself for the next heavy season.

Help is always near

The worst thing I did, which lead to the biggest lesson I learned, was not asking for help. I'm the type of person that feels can take on a lot of responsibilities and I feel there is nothing I can't do. However, when things got rough and the load got heavier, I didn't say a thing. After speaking with my supervisor, I was able to get assistance, learned how to delegate better and was able to make it home sooner. At first, I didn't want any help because I didn't want them to go through what I was going through and I also didn't want my team or boss to think that I was incompetent to do the work. My supervisor also recommended some readings so I researched a few books that helped me with my time management. There is always help.

Perhaps I exaggerated a bit by calling what I went through an 'affair' but if you asked my girlfriend at the time, she'd probably say that I left her for my job. The reality is, many of us struggle with finding the right balance between work and life and I hope to cover this topic in the next few blogs. I hope you learn from my mistakes. 

Don't forget to share this blog so you can encourage others: family, co-workers, friends. Give them something to get motivated! You never know what they might be going through. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.

What Will Your Attitude Be Like Today?

"You can be happy or mad."

- My mother

There are many things I remember about my childhood. I remember trips we took, soccer games I played and things my mom did or said. For example, my mom loved her chancla (sandal). She not only used them to walk around the house but she would use it as a threat if you did something wrong. Her aim was so good she could hit anything from a mile away.

Besides her chancla, I remember my mother’s words. As a kid, I would pout about the advice my mom was giving me or the guidance she would provide. Whenever I was angry about something, my mom would say in Spanish, “puedes contentarte o enojarte – como tu quieras.” This translates to “you can be happy or mad, it’s up to you.”

We might not think of our attitude as a choice but it truly is. Attitude is a lever we have inside us that we can actually control. Anyone can tell what mood you’re in. They can tell by your body language, your choice of words and, more importantly, your face. Your attitude will control the rest of your body and mind, but you must control it first. John C. Maxwell said, “people may hear your words, but they can feel your attitude.”

The interesting thing about our attitude is that it’s contagious. If someone is having a bad day it can also get to us. However, if you bring joy to your office or your department it can also get to those around you. Attitude is something powerful. Think about the times you might have had someone at work or in your home nagging, complaining, bitter or depressed. Doesn’t it fill the atmosphere in the room or in that place?

You will decide what your attitude will be today. You have the power to control it. Will you shine in positivity, smiles and joy or will you drown others with your unpleasant attitude? Like my mother said, “it’s up to you.”

Don't forget to share this blog so you can encourage others: family, co-workers, friends. Give them something to get motivated! You never know what they might be going through. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.

The Question Most People Struggle With When Dealing With Their Money

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going."

 - Earl Nightangale

Every month I meet with family and friends to help them go over their finances and put systems in place so that they have a budget to stick with. Every month, I also receive a phone call, or a few phone calls, from someone who frantically wants me to help them with their finances. When I receive that phone call, that particular person feels as though they're the only one struggling with their money and that their situation is unique.

I have yet to encounter a situation that is unique or a situation I truly believe can not be improved. However, you might think that most of the time I spend going over people's finances, I spend creating budgets, reviewing bank statements or teaching them about money. Although this is true, most of my time, however, I spend helping each individual answer one single question. This one single question is the toughest question to answer and is why I truly believe some people are struggling with their money. Most people can't answer this question.

The question most people can't answer is this: What do you want to do with your money? 

Most people earn good money, but they have no clue what to do with it so they spend it. Month after month, people receive a paycheck and month after month that paycheck disappears. What is the most common response to this question? It's: "I want to pay off my debt." Interestingly enough, the most common answer I receive with people has to do with spending it on their bills and paying other companies, not spending it for themselves. 

I don't want to make it seem like I have the answers to everything in regards to finance, but my purpose with these blogs are to help. If you have trouble answering that one simple question, now is the time to really start thinking about it. The following tips are ways I have tried to help others answer this question.

Ideas are OK
One individual I met with spent almost 30 minutes thinking about this question to only give me an, "I don't know." I then asked her to just jot down ideas and just think of what she would like to do. She told me she thought she couldn't answer the question because she hasn't really set goals for herself. I told her that's OK. An idea is a great start. All goals start off as an idea or a dream. It can be something as simple as "go to a Dodgers game," to "I don't want to work for my company anymore," to "I want my  kids to go to college." Later, we'll talk about goal setting, but you have to start somewhere.

Short-Term Goals are OK
I feel as though some people ponder that question so much because they try to look at their future a lot more. However, if you have trouble thinking long-term, think short-term for now. What are things you want to buy or have your money do for you in the short-term? Some people might want to take their kids on a family vacation in the next year. Some people want to go back to school this fall. Some people might just want to buy a house or move out of their crummy apartment. Although, I do suggest thinking longer-term at one point in your life, start off thinking about the next one month to three years. 

Get Educated

Some people can actually save well and have money saved up. Some people might be planning on saving money but might still not know what to do with that money. Eventually, these folks tap into this pool of money because they have no other choice. For those of you that might be dealing with this situation, I recommend doing some research. Just google, "what to do with money I have saved." For those that are thinking about investments, look into real estate investments or setting up an investment portfolio. Most people don't know how to do this because they were never taught these things. However, if you start asking the right questions, you'll start getting the right answers.

Spend this weekend trying to answer the question: What do you want to do with  your money? Discuss it with your spouse, write down some ideas and you'll see how things will begin to improve very quickly. Was this blog helpful? Share. 

Don't forget to share this blog so you can encourage others: family, co-workers, friends. Give them something to get motivated! You never know what they might be going through. A few words of encouragement can go a long way.

You Think Your Job Is Tough? This Is Absolutely The Toughest Job In The World

Time to time I hear people complain about how tough their life is. I hear people saying how they have to balance a job while going to school full-time and how tough everything is at work. I hear how tired people are because they are working 10 hour days and how much their back hurts because of the physical labor that they do. If you think your job is tough, watch this video and then read the rest of this article.

Almost everything we do and everything we think about is about "me" or "I." "I  have a million things to do" and "I am stressing out because of everything that is coming up and everything that I am doing." Those are only a few examples. I am definitely guilty of this selfish pursuit. I want to continue to grow professionally and personally, I am pushing to become the best at my job and I am always busy with all the things I want to accomplish.

However, we owe most of our success and most of who we are to our mothers. Mother's Day is coming and this is only one day that we try to go out of our way for our mothers. This day is only celebrated once a year. Yet, I'm sure your mother celebrated you almost every day from the moment you were born until the day you left the house.

You don't have to wait until Mother's Day to call her. You don't have to wait until Mother's Day to tell her how much you love her. You definitely don't have to wait until Mother's Day to give your mom a present. What if your mom would have said, "I'm not going to get you some new socks until your birthday or Christmas"? Mother's are at work every single day and every single hour. Make every day a Mother's Day.