Haaave you met Ted?

If you’re talking/dating (what does “talking to someone even mean” ?!?) just pause and think about how it all started. Where did you meet? How did you communicate those first few months?

In the days of our parents, they had a few options: they met up in person to talk/get to know one another or they spoke on the phone. They were able to focus on each other and it was raw; it was just the two of them. No collaborative text messages or Tinder replies.

People today are so afraid to expose themselves to other people. We huddle around our friend’s phone when “he” texts her and all give our two cents on what her response should be and what emoji she should send, if any. Are we really getting to know one another if it’s actually two groups behind phones or computers? Employers have said our generation is bad with face-to-face interaction during interviews and it resonates into our personal relationship building skills. Are you getting to know her, or her entire group of friends as one voice?

This technology barrier gives false impressions more often than not. Our parents didn’t spend hours with their friends carefully crafting responses to suitors. They responded in real time and it seems to have turned out okay.

Just show up in a trench coat and play music from your boom box for me so I know it’s real.

l8r sk8rs,

Justine

We’re all in this together. (cue the coordinated dance scene.)

If you know that Ashton Kutcher isn’t a band, I’m sure you’re aware of the movie Mean Girls. Ms. Norbury, played by Tina Fey, states the seemingly obvious.

Why are we calling each other sluts and whores? (Along with many other things.) It turns out that Tina Fey wasn’t just trying to make a cult comedy, but had a point to emphasize from the book she adapted the plot from (Queen Bees and Wannabees.)I’m not going to bore you with the endless questions Tina Fey asks the girls of North Shore High and the questions I’m sure girls wonder daily. We females are on the same team. As Troy Bolton and the rest of the Wildcats from High School Musical sings and dances, we’re all in this together. Knocking me down only brings you (fellow female) down too. Maybe not directly, but in the long run you are hurting girls everywhere. You’re perpetuating the endless cycle you hate. Instead of thinking when the next guy hurts you “Would he treat his sister this way?” think “Would I be happy if my daughter put up with this bull shit?” NO.

We can fight the problem of being put down as a sex by starting with ourselves. As the late Michael Jackson sang, “I’m starting with the [wo]man in the mirror.. If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change.” This all sounds cliche, but quit making the guy population of society our scape goat for our inner self loathing. It’s a cliche for a reason. You think you’re winning by putting me down as a “stupid bitch?” Well, you just scored on your own team, in the goal you’re trying to protect. Welcome to soccer for five year olds.

I’m not saying we should all live in a world where we bake cakes from rainbows and smiles and we’d all eat it and be happy. But we sure as hell can make it a little less mean.

l8r sk8rs,
Justine

Six things you’re saying and doing that are holding you back

1. Sorry, but..

If you’re saying sorry for things you aren’t doing wrong or you are just saying sorry as often as a teenager says ‘like’ then you unconsciously appear subordinate and weak. Think about it: do you say sorry automatically when someone bumps you or if you need to call someone’s attention? “Sorry to bother you, but…” is a phrase we all need to eradicate from our daily usage. Not only does it make you appear timid, it often times makes people you say it to feel uncomfortable (or feel as though they are your boss even if they are not). Practice saying, “Excuse me, *blah blah blah*.”

2. Not maintaining eye contact

If you aren’t looking people in eye when speaking to them or being spoken to, you appear as though you are not paying attention, are lying, or are otherwise untrustworthy. You also give off an air of submissiveness here too. Maintaining eye contact shows the person you are listening to or speaking to that you are on their level (we are all humans, after all) and that you are worth their time.

3. Not giving a firm handshake even if you are a female

This one is tough because I have attempted to give a firm, full-palmed handshake many times and have been cut off at the pass by both males and females into giving them one of those half handshakes. You know the ones I mean – where you just shake their finger tips.

Even if you are very feminine, these half handshakes are sending the wrong message. You want to show the person you are shaking hands with that you are trustworthy, capable, and strong. If you cohabitate with males, then most likely you are doing similar work to them, and you ARE just as physically (and definitely mentally) capable. You bring a lot to the table, but this half-handshake shows underlying tones of weakness.

I personally love when a very down-to-earth, but feminine woman, gives me a full handshake. It shows me she is comfortable in her skin and confident in her capabilities.

4. Not dressing for your body type

I hate to say it, but one size does not fit all. I am a larger woman, and I dress accordingly. It’s not that I am ashamed of myself, or wish to hide myself in larger clothes; I just wear the clothes that fit my body because… *newsflash* …they look better!!

I am not saying you should wear drapey, sack-like clothing, but I am saying you should know and understand your body and it’s proportions. How you present yourself DOES matter because it shows how you feel about yourself inside. If you dress like you don’t care, then you are showing (whether you mean to or not) that you don’t find yourself important enough to take the time and care. Again, as I said in my last post, you don’t need to dress to the nines all day, every day. What you should be doing is showing you made an effort in one way or another. People do notice and it will shape how they think about you. If you truly don’t care, then okay – no problem. BUT… if you work in an industry where you want to get promotions then you need to learn to play the game, even if you don’t agree with it.

5. Speaking too fast

A lot of women speak very fast (men too), but by doing you you are sending the message that you don’t feel worthy of the person’s time to whom you are speaking. It’s as if you are trying to condense the amount of time you are ‘taking’ of theirs. Not only will they probably ask you to repeat yourself, but they will probably retain less of what you said, and spend more time thinking about how hard it is to understand you. It can be hard to retrain yourself, but it comes with practice. I wish there was a magical solution to completely overhauling your speech patterns, but really – you just need to practice speaking slower. (If you have a magical solution or some cool trick, please share!)

6. Always having contact with your phone

This one is really hard because our phones are a kind of safety blanket that redirects awkward conversation. By pulling your phone out every couple minutes, you are showing an inability to connect with others in a truly honest way. People will notice that you avoid their conversation, and it will send them the signal you don’t find them important enough for your undivided attention. Even leaving your phone on the dinner table shows that you are ready to respond to any notification or buzz immediately, and that makes it harder for people to get into deep conversations because they have it in the back of their mind that you will stop paying attention as soon as it happens. You’re better off putting your phone in your pocket or purse and silencing it for important conversations. By doing so, you will strike a chord with a lot of people and they will remember you for it.

xx Nicki

TED Talk describes perfectly why women don’t advance to executive levels in the workplace

While men soar to the top in the workforce, women are often left capping out at mid-level management. Are we destined, as women, to live in the middle? Susan Colantuono, speaker at TED x Women, disagrees.

One part from the talk struck a nerve with me – that while women work up the courage to gain confidence in themselves, men are learning the industry (having already been endowed with gender confidence). They learn the financials, the ins-and-outs, and how they fit within the puzzle. Mid-level management employees don’t necessarily need to know the financials of the company. Rather, they focus primarily on their own skills and bringing out the skills in others. What differentiates them from executive is the financial/business aspect in addition to the rest.

So, women: if you are wondering why you are withering away in a mid-level management position, watch this talk and see if it changes how you think about your career movement.

Here is the TED Talk, by Susan Colantuono on why women are often unable to become executives in their industries.

xx Nicki