TraceyNolte
SharePoint, Web, Photo, Video
Personal
The power of one
Jul 23rd
Tracey Nolte Winning 1st Place - Texas All Natural Bodybuilding, Houston, TX
Productivity. Most people strive for it in futility and some master it effortlessly. Why then are companies struggling with understanding why they don’t have it and how to get more of it?
I’d relate it to having the perfect combination of DRIVE, ORGANIZATION and CREATIVITY. You can juggle many things, but without having those 3 as your base… you won’t keep everything in the AIR for long. We all have the same amount of time given to us. However, your priorities in life are STRICTLY YOUR OWN CHOICE.
Since, I’m not married, nor do I have any children, I am able to maintain a full-time job and several side jobs. It does take effort to organize, prioritize, maximize and execute getting it all done on time, but I love it. I love the feeling of accomplishment, I think I’m addicted to solving problems and fixing things. So here is my algorithim for getting it all done.
1. Keep a calendar and use it! Organize everything, every meeting, every piece of work you plan to do and put it on the calendar, along with the time you think it will take to finish. Also be sure to schedule your rest, social and personal time. Keep balanced.
2. Integrity is everything! Do what you commit to… follow through on your word. Your word is your bond, it’s the way people learn to trust you.
3. Don’t overcommit! Only do what you KNOW you can do. Do not make agreements, promises or anything that you are unsure of. Be clear about your boundaries and people will respect you.
4. Communication is Key! Keep in constant communication with stakeholders of your work. Keeping people informed about your progress or any changes allows for them to make educated decisions about the work you are performing.
5. Be creative and have fun! If it’s not fun, don’t do it. You will perform poorly, your commitments will suffer and so will you. Be creative about the things you take on and make it enjoyable… when you do… you’ll stick with it. It’s always great to get paid to do things you love. You will find it easy and you will accomplish alot more.
I am a strong believer in the power of “you can do anything you set your mind to.” I’ve proven it over the past 40 years, from being a triathalete, body builder, rock climber, cyclist, kick bocking instructor, painter, sculpter, IT professional, graphic designer, web developer, photographer, videographer, costume designer, interior designer, woodsmith, leathersmith, metalsmith, writer, musician, fashion designer, model, aerobics instructor, mountain climber, financial analyst, legal researcher, filmmaker, mobile app developer, and so much more!
It’s completely possible if you plan your work and work your plan.
Being a superhero
Mar 12th
Heath Shields - AKA SUPER HEATH
There are so many movies about super heros: Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Watchmen, Wonder Woman, Smallville, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Daredevil, Ultraviolet, Fantastic Four, Blood Rayne, Hulk, Ironman and Kick-Ass.
I suspect our love of superhero’s stems from our desire to be more than we think we TRULY ARE… and then projecting that “IDEAL” into a persona to idealize.
The problem with this fascination with ’super’ ness is that we feel that it’s something we can’t be or strive for or even attain. Of course we can’t have the strength of a speeding train or stop bullets with our eyeballs, but I do think we limit ourselves by putting boundaries on ourselves without really testing … I think I can. I’m a strong advocate of ‘you can do anything you put your mind to.’ I’m seriously not going to argue that if I wanted to fly bad enough I could… but I do suggest that you stop thinking about your boundaries of “comfortableness” with your capabilities and start EXPLORING those things that may seem highly improbable or impossible.
For example, have you ever NOT tried Chess because you didn’t think you were “SMART” enough? That’s a self limiting belief. TRY CHESS! Another example, do you avoid doing something because as a child you had a bad experience (like Karaoke, running, or even shooting for a new career in something your interested in doing?) TRY IT NOW… it’s never to late to use the time you have left on this planet to explore, expand and become your own inner SUPER HERO.
Uncle Ben always said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” I interpret that to mean that you are FULLY RESPONSIBLE for your own success or failure. You cannot blame anyone for your choices (which have consequences). I’m talking about the day-to-day problems you encounter when trying to deal with all the normal folks and making choices that REFLECT GREATNESS… SUPERNESS.
It all starts in your mind. Your mind is a SUPER computer and what you think about and focus on will manifest itself as a view or belief. If struggling with the DESIRE to do something that’s not so SUPER, then remember the words of my ZEN MASTER Niki (aka Sharon Jacobs Pieters) of Nikifit. She once told me “You choose the outcome when you choose the action. A mature person makes choices that align with their goals an idiot does what they want without considering the consequences. Then later they sprial into misery of never accomplishing goals due to their own poor choices and end up blaming everyone else because their are unhappy with life.” I strongly feel that being a SUPERHERO has everything to do with setting VERY HIGH attainable goals and aligning your actions to support your goals. (e.g. going to the gym, trying a new hobby or exploring a new job etc.) There is a super hero in all of us. Tap into your inner greatness and keep it plugged into your daily actions and you will SOAR, CONQUER, and ACHEIVE ALL KINDS OF GREATNESS!
Are you suffering from Information Overload Syndrome?
Jan 22nd
‘Knowledge is power. But too much information can make you feel powerless – and unproductive’ according to Xerox. This silly video is actually and unfortunately becoming our new reality even if it is a bit over the top… we are leapfroging over some critical basics right into “get it now”.
Our advanced technology of texting, tweeting, blogging and googling has made us the Tower of Babel. We are becoming a world where we are all going to start speaking the same language and have the unrestrained ability to do anything we set out to do.
I feel that we too greatly depend on information to make life changing decision, whether it’s good information or not. Information is becoming it’s own currency or like a drug. It’s free at first, but then becomes something you must buy. We must purchase via iphone apps, music downloads, kindle downloads, internet bill, cable bill. Our information is being fed not only from the internet, but through television, too. According to this blog post from the church of England our world has a desparate need for “quality content” to circumvent our moral decay. We are quick to comsume whatever is put on television, the internet or in the public view. Rather than take a good look at how much time we are spending consuming information, we should consider if this information will bring about a positive impact to us, our family and our friends. We are fed from whomever has the biggest pockets. The biggest pockets are usually the movie, NEWS and music industry… they are information generation giants. They know we piranah-style frenzy feed over the latest celebrity misfortune, the latest gloom/doom tragedy of our society, most beautiful or wealthy people or any action/thriller. In my opinon, most of this is not information that will help anyone or do anything productive, yet we consume what I call “information junk food”. We not only consume it, we OVER-consume everything. And, we are little bratty kids who throw a fit if they don’t get what they want right away. We live in ignorance and are building it up more quickly than intelligence.
As we progress into the future, I know that the texting and other automation is definately making us less smart. Our speech has gone from fully correct sentances to short acronyms. Our manners have disappeared and we live in a state of “I want it now, I deserve it, I, I, I.” Which equates to our accustomization to quick information, quick satisfaction and short tempers, no manners and no appreciation. Everything that isn’t quick and easy frustrates us now…
So I must ask the question to you. What information do you most consume? I challenge you to step away from the TV, PC, smart phone or any man made devices and simply close your eyes and breathe for 5 whole minutes. Think about what you do and why, then choose to consume information wisely and moderately.
Reporting rich information is like the ‘Jewel of the Nile’
Jan 19th
Quite often I find people asking for reports and generating reports without a clear purpose for the report. They just have an idea about something they want to find and ask someone else to generate the data. Then it gets generated over and over without a reason why and with no ability to interpret the information, they just do what they have always done whether it’s right, wrong or even what the requestor needed. What can happen is chaos. If you don’t have a clear vision of the reason you are reporting something, you could end up with garbage data, wasted time and a frustrated reporting team. The team should first ask the question… ‘why, what are you trying to find out?’ With a clear understanding of the purpose and vision, they can navigate the data like a tour guide through dark forest and find the “jewel of information” that the ‘data visitor’ is looking for. In addition, the report creator can interpret any ’strange markings’ within the data to help the requester understand what they are looking at. This is essential for helping drive business improvements and help the requestor understand the impact of the information. The main ingredient for success is having the report generator KNOW THE FOREST… er business. Otherwise, they can arrive at the wrong destination with the information and mislead the person requesting the information. Doing this often can destroy the credibility of the report generator. If you took a tour of a forest and wanted to see the a waterfall filled with diamonds, but the driver got lost often and freqently took you to the wrong place… you’d lose confidence. Same concept. Double check the goal/destination, double check the route, double check the findings to understand it’s impact to the passenger and then ensure they have what they need to be successful. When you deliver diamonds, you gain credibility and increase business value for your peers.
Wishes granted
Jan 7th
1. I got my iPhone repaired for free —> THanks Stacey! You totally rock!
2. My new laptop is being delivered this week!! —> Delicious Toshiba laptop goodness
3. iPhone player for my car —> still on the list of things to buy
4. Monitors are already in place, patiently awaiting my new laptop! Woot Woot!
5. I was happy to get CS3 from Davon!
Curtsey and bow!
Thanks for making my holidays happy everyone!
Christmas Tech Wish List
Dec 23rd
As an IT professional, my wish list is fairly predictable. From iPhone repair, new laptop and software… it’s going to be an expensive Christmas.
1. My iphone cracked screen repaired
2. A new toshiba Qosimo Laptop (On it’s way in 8 days!!)
3. iPhone car player (allows me to play my iphone through car speakers)
4. 3 new 32″ monitors for side by side by side viewing (UltraMon)
5. Adobe Master Suite CS4
Ground Rules for Living
Dec 18th
Ground Rules For Living. – Bill Ferguson
1. Be positive. The words you speak and the thoughts you accept determine how you see life. You then act consistent with the way you see life, and life proves your point of view to be true. If you want a life that works, don’t speak negatively or accept negative thoughts about yourself, other people or your life. Don’t speak or think negatively unless you want your words and thoughts to come true.
2. Accept yourself. You are the way you are whether you like it or not. Until you make peace with the way you are, you will never make peace with life. Accept every aspect of yourself, particularly the aspects that you don’t like. Allow yourself to experience the hurt and the feelings of being worthless and not good enough. Allow yourself to be human. See the love and the beauty that you are, just the way that you are.
3. Let go. When you resist the way life is, you get upset and lose your ability to see what needs to be done. You destroy love and make your situation worse. To restore both your effectiveness and your peace of mind, let go of your demands for how life should be and flow with the way life is. Be willing to feel all the hurt that your circumstances reactivate. Then take whatever action you need to have your life be great.
4. Express your love. To have love, open your heart and give love. Accept and appreciate people just the way they are. Be like a child. See the love and beauty in everyone. As you express your love for people, people automatically become more loving toward you.
5. Accept full responsibility for your life. When you see your 100 % responsibility for what happens in your life, you get your power back. Others may also be responsible, but when you blame others, you give them your power. You become a victim and unable to take action. Accepting responsibility allows you to take charge of your life.
6. Forgive yourself. At the moment you did whatever you did, you saw life in a very particular way. If you were wiser and more aware, you would have acted differently, but you weren’t. You only knew what you knew. So forgive yourself for not being wiser and more aware. Forgive yourself for acting consistent with your limited ability. Know that you did the very best you could with where you were at the time.
7. Handle what doesn’t work. When an aspect of your life doesn’t work, you get upset and close down. You lose your aliveness and peace of mind. Unworkability exists because you tolerate it. List all the items in your life that don’t work and handle each one as fast as you can. Clean up your environment, your relationships, your health and your finances. Handle every aspect of your life that doesn’t work.
8. Let go of resentment. Forgiveness is not for the other person, it’s for you. When you resent, a part of you closes down inside. You become bitter and lose your ability to love. Resentments are a subconscious tool that we use to avoid hurt. Once you are willing to feel your hurt, the need to resent disappears. You can then forgive. Forgive the person for not being wiser and more aware. Forgive the person for acting consistent with his or her very limited ability.
9. Don’t overspend. Upsets about money seem to be due to a lack of income, but this is seldom the case. Most people in the world would love to have your level of income. Upsets about money are almost always due to overspending. When spending exceeds your income, you can expect to get upset. To create a life of prosperity, make sure you spend less than you make and appreciate what you have.
10. Find a dream to go for. When you have a dream to go for, life becomes an exciting adventure. You have direction and a reason for living. You add spice to your life. If you don’t have a dream to go for, get one as fast as you can. Find your dreams and go full speed to make them come true.
11. Serve. Have your life be about more than you. When you put focus on yourself, upsets and problems grow. When you focus on serving others, upsets and problems dissolve. Find something more important than you and throw yourself into it. Have your life be about contributing.
12. Experience your spirituality. Love is your life force. When you experience love, you connect with God. You create a positive energy and great things happen around you. Find what allows you experience God and make this connection often. Pray and trust your intuition. Give your life to God and learn to love.
A New Healthcare System-Blending technology and fitness?
Sep 10th
I’m looking at possibly starting an online fitness community/app/program. I’d like to mash up technology such as iPhone Apps, Facebook and Fitness Instructors with real time accountabililty. I hope to include video, podcasts, and other stuff! America is getting fatter and fatter, let’s work together to brainstorm some ideas to jointly reduce our bellys, better use technology for our biological benefit and improve our nation’s health with a different kind of health care system.
What if your iPhone was integrated with BodyBugg enough to post your results to Facebook? What if your fitness instructor could monitor your performance and SCHEDULE your food program for you? What if as part of that program, your food was delivered to you? What if your iPhone automatically reminded you of when to eat? What if you felt like eating bad or didn’t feel like working out and and had an audio or video you could listen/watch daily that reminded you of why you were on your program… ?? BEST YET, what if all your bodyfat and caloric burn/intake was posted to facebook? Would that help give you the public support and motivation to keep you on track?
I am coming up with some really cool ideas rather than just a losy one-sided website or forum. Let’s brainstorm more and see how we can change the beltsize of America! Send me your comments and thoughts.
Celebrity Death Week
Jun 25th
Died at age 62 on 625/2009
Died age 50 on 6/25/2009.
Died age 86 on 6/23/2009.
Shockingly, 3 celebrities died this week, actually 4 if you include David Keradine. On a personal note, death has been in my face this week. My dad had a heart attack last Tuesday and would have died if he hadn’t been next to a hospital at the time of the attack.
It’s amazing to think of my personal timeline with these celebrities. I can mark how old I was by what they were doing. I remember when he was a kid seeing the Jackson 5 singing “ABC“. Then growing up with Beat It, Thriller, Smooth Criminal, Man in the Mirror and Alive. I remember all the posters of Farah and years of Late Night with Dave Letterman and Ed. It really reminds me of the timeline we are all standing in. We are all heading in the same final direction. But, the most imporant thing is to use your time wisely. It’s just a hard reminder to “Not go gentle into that good night.” http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15377
