Nerd Goals

It's kind of odd to talk about New Years Resolutions in the middle of July, as many of these were long forgotten by mid-March, but mine is still going strong. Well, one of them. I didn't give myself the generic goal of losing a few extra pounds or working out more, I gave myself reading and writing goals. How nerdy is that?

First, I going to talk about the failed one. Ever since senior year of high school I wanted to become a published author and I thought I should make this a reality. At the beginning of the year, I logged in hours upon hours of research on how to get self published, and decided to write a short story to be published on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Apple's iBooks platform. All three allowed for short works of fiction (~20 pages) and I figured thats the best way for me to get my feet wet in the world of literary fiction. I would love to write my Magnum Opus before I turned 25, but I knew that wasn't going to happen.

The short story didn't either.

Almost 7 months later, I still have nothing written down. Not one storyboard. Not one idea. Not a single word.

Maybe I will carry this over for my 2014 resolution. Or at the rate I'm going, this decade's resolution.

On to the more successful one:

My second goal for 2013 was to read 25 books by the end of the year. This task might seem simple to most but with a full time job, a full time life, and beer; it's near impossible to sit down for a few hours to immerse myself into a book without the urge of vegging out taking over. I had to make time.

It's pretty amazing how many books you can read in a few months just by reading on your lunch breaks at work. As the end of July is quickly approaching, I have finished 16 of my 25. What I have read ranges from the classics, to contemporary literature, and non-fiction; some as long as 700+ pages to as little as 125. Nothing is out of bounds.

Out of what I read this year so far, I would have to say that Moby Dick (yes, I know, almost everyone has read this in high school, but I have not) and Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy are not only two of my favorites from this challenge, but two of my favorites from all time.

I am currently in the middle of books #17 and #18 as I write this- American Pastoral by Philip Roth and Cosmos by Carl Sagan.

So far, this challenge has not only opened by eyes to books that I never thought about picking up (The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman) but has made me into a better writer just by reading different styles of prose.

This is truly an enjoyable challenge, and by bookshelf has never looked better!

I will post my completed list at the end of the year, or when I finish book #25, whatever comes first.

Happy reading,

Chris

Honesty is the Best Policy

One of the first life lessons you are taught still holds true today — honesty is the best policy. Being honest to yourself and those around you should be a priority, but can be challenging in the workplace. With pressure coming from coworkers and interoffice politics, it can be difficult to give and receive constructive criticism or even speak your mind.

Sometimes it may seem comforting to not speak up and simply do what you’re told. You may be fearful because you don’t want to leave a negative impression on your boss and company, or you fear that your job will be on the line if your opinion goes against the flow.

My advice is to come out of hiding and speak up whenever reasonable. Don't push back on things when you know you are more than capable in completing the task, only when you disagree or the project seems unreasonable; just say how you really feel. Exposing your true feelings will expose the real you. The more you speak up and the more honest you are with them, the better you will feel about your role within the company and the better you will feel about yourself.

By speaking up and going against the flow, your opinion will be more valued within the four walls of your office. Your coworkers will trust you, and possibly look to you to speak your mind on their behalf. With your honesty in the forefront, your boss will also cherish your opinion more. They will see how you really feel about new projects, office operations, policy, ect.

But most importantly, you will feel good! William Shakespeare said it best: "To thine own self be true."