I wanted to take a moment to stray away from our usual musing, rants and general craziness to send out a big THANK YOU to those who matter the most. Yes, you! Our customers.
Without you all of our creative energy would be bottled up with no where to go, until our heads burst open and jelly beans came tumbling out. Without you we would just be crazies walking the streets, muttering PMS numbers, ranting about quote marks versus inch marks, or applauding the kerning on a billboard. Without you we couldn?t support our chocolate and coffee addiction. Without you, well, we simply wouldn?t have jobs.
In case we don?t say it enough, and we don?t, THANK YOU from the bottom of our pinky toes (and those are some LONG pinky toes), for giving us the opportunity to do what we love. And to do it for you.
If you are looking for a team that is thankful for each and every customer we?re the team for you. Contact us or visit our web site to find what we do, and how we HELP YOU.
?I can?t take it with me when I go.? This is what my mother would tell me whenever I?d ask to have something of hers. It is one of the many bits of sage wisdom she would bestow upon me. It?s a little morbid, now that I think about it. But it?s true.
Most material things, even those with great sentimental value, is just ?stuff.? I learned that lesson, once again, with my puppy last night. In two hours, he ate half the contents of my storage shelf: several notebooks, a case of pencils, pens and markers, a CD and case, a pack of note cards, sunglasses, part of an iPod case, and a sketchbook. Not to mention part of the shelf itself and the cord for the track lighting. I was actually more upset about cleaning up the mess and whether or not he had consumed any sharp bits than I was about the destruction itself. That was just stuff. My puppy is more important.
Photo by Kym Parry.
The same goes for design. Some can be wonderful and beautiful and helpful and sometimes even change the world. But most designs will be discarded shortly after it?s created. All those hours we spend creating it and agonizing over it, allowing it to take over our thoughts ? just to move on to a new project next week. The design we create is important, especially to our clients, but it isn?t everything. Don?t let what you do for a living be the only thing that defines you. Find time to get away, enjoy life, and spend time with loved ones. Everything else is just ?stuff.?
At Moxie, we create the ?stuff? our clients are looking for! Check out our stuff at www.thinkmoxie.com.
? Post written by Cristy Wiza.
We?ve all had days like this: everything that can possibly go wrong, has gone wrong. And then some. The new, big and important customer has been amazing to work with, adding project after project after project and is keeping everyone busy and happy. But?they expect all of the additional work to be done within the original budget. And then that newish monitor (only 1.5 years old) just up and dies on you. Do you repair it or replace it, repair it or replace it? Or just make due with the smaller but still decent monitor that wasn?t being use anyway. And then there?s the computer that seems be possessed. Some days it?s fine and other days, well, it seems that it rather not be working and continues to freeze. 3, 4, 5 times a day. Add to that the normal stresses of life, family, pets, friends, finances, and on and on and on. It?s enough to send you over the edge, down the river, to the ocean and onto a small raft that will take you out to sea and away from everything and everyone.
It really is amazing how much we can take and still keep going. I believe that we are given only as much as we can handle and just when you think you?ve reached your breaking point, you find just a little bit of strength left (it?s usually hiding in your pinky toe) that pulls you through. The trick is taking that last bit of strength and using it to your advantage. While freaking out and running around like a mad-woman with her head cut off does provide amusement for the office staff, it really doesn?t do much to help you or improve the situation. Instead, I suggest trying one (or all) of these 5 tips.
- Find a solution. It?s so easy to get wrapped up in what is going wrong that you lose site of what the problem is. Instead of focusing on the problem, placing blame or pushing the issue under the rug, focus on finding a solution.
- Make a list! If you are overwhelmed by all of the work that needs to be done, all of the places the kids need to be, or all of the chores that need to be done at home or in the garden, start out by SITTING DOWN, writing a list and prioritizing. You?ll probably find out that you can handle everything that you have going on. Chances are everything will look less intimating on paper.
- Enlist the help of others. And listen to their advice! It?s easy to miss the solution to a problem because you are too close to see it. Take a deep breath, step back, ask for help, make a decision and move forward.
- Talk, talk talk. There?s nothing wrong with over communicating, it helps not only you, but anyone else you are working with if everything has a complete understanding of what is going on and what is expected. And if questions, concerns or issues come up later (such as, who ate the last piece of chocolate?), ask! You?ll only add more stress to your life if you don?t know the answers.
- Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Need I say more?
One final note, everyone has stress to deal with. Be kind to those around you, they could be dealing with something just as bad. Or worse. Showing just a little bit of kindness and sympathy will make their day, and yours, that much brighter.
If you are looking for a team that has the creativity to tackle the task at hand (even under pressure) we?re the team for you. Visit our web site to learn more about what we do, and how we can help you.
