Life & Work By Design Blog

It doesn’t take a whole lot to make me happy when it comes to food.  Although I’ve learned to enjoy lots of different ethnic dishes and styles of food, there are still some old favorite comfort foods that I just can’t resist.  Homemade macaroni and cheese, Campbell’s tomato soup, and cinnamon toast are some things I reach for when I am sick, tired or just plain homesick for the meals and memories of my childhood.

For many years I spent holidays with in-laws who insisted on making a “chiffon” version of pumpkin pie.  Now I don’t want to insult anyone who prefers that recipe, but it’s just not pumpkin pie to me.  So, this year, I get to go to my daughter-in-law’s family dinner for Thanksgiving and I just pulled my contribution out of the oven.    Aaaaaah….. the spicy aroma of real pumpkin pie is wafting throughout the house.   I’m so happy…….

Thank you to all of you - clients, workshop students and loyal readers who continue to energize me in this wonderful career.  Please take time to think about all the things you have to be thankful for , and whether you are a party of 2 or a table of 20, tell those around you that you appreciate their company while you enjoy your favorite foods.      And if you live outside the US, I hereby give you permission to over-eat tomorrow along with me!

Two friends asked me just last week what the orange RSS button means up there in the left hand corner.   If you read blogs or go to websites for information you see it almost everywhere.    I suspect they are not the only two readers who don’t know what it is.

RSS stands for rich site summary.  It is a system that will automatically forward each new blog post as it is posted.  You can choose to receive an e-mail containing the post, or to have the title added to an RSS reader provided by Google, Yahoo, AOL and other browser services.

This way, you don’t have to remember to go back and find a blog to see if there are new posts.  It can be quite handy and you can cancel it easily if you decide you don’t want it anymore for a particular blog - but, of course, you would never want to cancel this one!

Go ahead and click on the button.  You will see a new window with a lot of little buttons for the different browser services and also a place to select, send it by e-mail.  If you have a Google, Yahoo or AOL account, clicking there will add a Reader area to your home page and you will see the title of each post.

I prefer have the posts come to my Google reader.  Then when I am eating lunch or waiting for a phone call, I can just look at the list, click on a title that sounds interesting and read it.  From there, you can choose to keep it or toss it.  If you choose e-mail alerts, then you can read it in your in-box.

Don’t be afraid….. Click on that orange button now - I double dog dare you to do it!

A recent Google alert reminded me of a fun career counseling site I had seen a couple of years ago.  It is a quick test that provides you with an analysis of your personality, work habits and ideal habitats for your career based on your favorite colors.

This is one of those tests you should do without thinking about it - your first instincts are important to your selection of colors.  There are 5 pages that each take less than 10 seconds to complete.   Then a basic report is generated about your personal traits.

It’s a fun way to see if you are even on the right track.  You may find that the real reason for your misery at work is that your position is all wrong for you.  I find that the results are spot on for myself - the analysis is amazingly accurate about who I am.

For $19.95 you can order a complete report of your strengths and weaknesses, abilities to work with others, etc. if you choose.      Give it a try - it might be enlightening!

You can find the test at:

http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx

Barbara Winter, my joyfully jobless guru, has entered the world of blogging with her new site, Buon Viaggio which means good travel in Italian.  The title comes from Barbara’s life-long quest to fulfill her sense of wanderlust.  If you’ve ever thought you might like to write, take photos or be a tour guide in exotic, exciting foreign places, Barbara can help you get there.  Another of Barbara’s many talents  is Storytelling and she has developed a workshop to help the rest of us learn how to express out own stories well.  Her blog has lots of other good inspiration for the entrepreneurial spirit - be sure to check it out.   I’ve added it to my Blogroll or you can get there from this link.   Buon Viaggio