Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Your Choice.
Lately I've been on a bit of a kick to listen to different speakers on different topics, mainly motivational & faith based... but a few others in there as well :) Who knew YouTube could be such a positive thing? it's not just bloopers and homemade videos gone viral after all...
Anyways, my time at work has been helping this 'kick' as my schedule for the next 2 months is training time. Time to do online trainings, full day courses & other requirements, but along with this extremely flexible schedule, I've been able to see a few guest speakers that have come to Fort Sill or even some special events which is fantastic!
One of the speakers said something that really stuck with me, his name is Jon Gordon. Most of his talks are in the business sector so they're motivational leadership type of talks, but I definitely got a feel that his content is faith based. Especially with this thought. He said "research shows that you cannot be thankful and stressed in the same moment."
Wait what? Read it again.
"research shows that you cannot be thankful and stressed in the same moment."
That means, at any particular moment, you cannot be both stressed and thankful. That's pretty powerful. If you're stressed, you're not thankful. If you're thankful, you're not stressed. So the next time you're feeling overwhelmed and stressed out, stop and take a minute to count your blessings and remember all that you have to be thankful for. You can literally choose to be stressed or blessed! (the saying "too blessed to be stressed" comes to mind... and fits!)
This has definitely helped me with my move here and the transition to being by myself & such. If I catch myself feeling overwhelmed or stressed by one thing or another, I just take a step back, take a moment to think of at least 5 things I'm thankful for and I can just re-group with that. So simple yet so powerful.
And to go along with this, I was listening to another talk online the other night (sadly, I can't remember details to reference) and this talk mentioned a similar concept. But instead of talking about being blessed or stressed, they were talking about hope & doubt. You can not be hopeful for something and doubt that it will happen in the same moment. To take it a step further, you cannot be hopeful in the Lord and doubt Him in the same moment.
This is another thing I've been struggling with, admittedly more than the stressed vs. blessed idea. I've been struggling with doubt, wondering what I'm doing in Oklahoma, why did I leave Colorado, is this really where I should be, and so on. So hearing this thought shortly after the stressed vs. blessed thought really hit home... whenever I'm in a moment of despair and doubting God and His plans for me, I just need to stop. Rid myself of those thoughts and think of all the things I'm hopeful for... all the things God has promised me, all that He has done for me thus far that show me He won't lead me astray, and what I hope will come out of my time here in Oklahoma.
I know this wasn't much of an update on my life, but I thought it was something worth sharing. Hopefully you were able to follow my thought process somewhere in there & thought so too :) So today's quote is my quick summary written on a post-it note that's stuck to my computer for my daily reminder.
Stressed or Blessed? Hope or Doubt? It's your choice today.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
1 month & OKC
Well, as of today, I have officially been in Oklahoma for a month. Not sure how big of a "yay" that gets as I'm definitely still adjusting to life here. I think the major factor with that is that I'm still staying in a hotel. Not necessarily a bad thing, as it's part of my transition benefits but I'm ready to feel settled and be into my own apartment.... which will be soon! :)
Work has been really, really great. It's been a lot of trainings and meetings and although this week was really quiet (an awful lot of online courses) I'm learning so much that will definitely be applicable as a manager within the Family & MWR programs throughout my career. I'm just looking forward to get past the reading & quizzes to apply what I'm learning and really see it in context.
One day this week I was invited to an all day training about the "Warrior Adventure Quest" program (or WAQ, because the Army loves to give things long important sounding names, and then not use them). Anyway, the WAQ program is a newer program to support Army soldiers after deployment, with a focus on team building and outdoor recreation. Although I have little to no experience with outdoor recreation (ODR) it was great to learn more about that in general and this program. It's set up so that funding comes from headquarters for each unit (approx 12-20 soldiers) that returns back from deployment will participate ('mandatory fun' as they call it) in high adrenaline activities to help them re-channel their energy and adrenaline after a deployment. The statistics show that soldiers are struggling when re-integrated into civilian life and just have too much energy and aren't sure how to process it all. So activities like bungee jumping, ropes courses, paintball, etc. will help them get to know their unit on a different level, find new ways to de-stress and release that energy and even have some fun. I'm not sure how much I'll actually be working with this program in the future, but it's just amazing to see what MWR is doing for these soldiers.
Another great takeaway from this all day WAQ training was to meet the ODR director here at Ft Sill. She is a Management Trainee who spent her first 2 years here with sports & fitness division, and has just started her 3rd year in this position. I'm excited for this not because I'm looking to get really involved with ODR, but because she also oversees some other great programs like Special Events, BOSS (Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers), & LETRA (Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area). I'm definitely hoping to help out with Special Events as that's something I might be interested in working with in the future :) but who knows!
PS- here's the website to get a little bit of a better feel for all of the programs/services MWR offers. This site is specific to Fort Sill, but most of the programs are run very similarly at all Army posts -- www.sillmwr.com
Anyway, back to the title of this post... OKC! Last weekend (Labor Day weekend) I decided it was time to leave Lawton. Although there is a lot offered here, and I still have a lot of exploring to do, my travel bug was getting antsy so I took my first trip to OKC on Monday. The drive wasn't bad, just a little over an hour to get into the city. I decided to park by the National Memorial Park & Museum and make that my first stop. Hard to believe that happened in 1995, 17 years ago ! Visiting the Memorial on Labor Day wasn't my brightest idea, not because there were a lot of people, but because it was 106 degrees that day... I found myself looking for shade most of the time! haha but here are a few pictures from the Memorial Park -- the reflection pool is located where the street was, the truck with the bomb was parked in the street. The area with the trees and chairs is where the Murrah Federal Building stood, the building that was targeted. They do not believe specific people were the target, but that it was a target at the Federal Government in general. Each chair in this area represents 1 life lost from the bombing. The chairs are set up in rows, each row represents a different floor of the building, with the chairs showing which floor each person was on. So if you were to see an aerial view, you'd see almost a bar graph of where everyone was. The area opposite the reflection pool is where the parking lot was, and on the other side of that is the National Museum.
Across the street from the Memorial Park (which can be seen in this last picture above) is St Joseph's Cathedral. A few buildings that were part of the church grounds were damaged in the bombing, as I'm sure a few others in the area were. Below is a picture of the "And Jesus Wept" Memorial that is just across the street from the entrance to the Memorial Park. The second picture is St Joseph's Cathedral from the front.
Work has been really, really great. It's been a lot of trainings and meetings and although this week was really quiet (an awful lot of online courses) I'm learning so much that will definitely be applicable as a manager within the Family & MWR programs throughout my career. I'm just looking forward to get past the reading & quizzes to apply what I'm learning and really see it in context.
One day this week I was invited to an all day training about the "Warrior Adventure Quest" program (or WAQ, because the Army loves to give things long important sounding names, and then not use them). Anyway, the WAQ program is a newer program to support Army soldiers after deployment, with a focus on team building and outdoor recreation. Although I have little to no experience with outdoor recreation (ODR) it was great to learn more about that in general and this program. It's set up so that funding comes from headquarters for each unit (approx 12-20 soldiers) that returns back from deployment will participate ('mandatory fun' as they call it) in high adrenaline activities to help them re-channel their energy and adrenaline after a deployment. The statistics show that soldiers are struggling when re-integrated into civilian life and just have too much energy and aren't sure how to process it all. So activities like bungee jumping, ropes courses, paintball, etc. will help them get to know their unit on a different level, find new ways to de-stress and release that energy and even have some fun. I'm not sure how much I'll actually be working with this program in the future, but it's just amazing to see what MWR is doing for these soldiers.
Another great takeaway from this all day WAQ training was to meet the ODR director here at Ft Sill. She is a Management Trainee who spent her first 2 years here with sports & fitness division, and has just started her 3rd year in this position. I'm excited for this not because I'm looking to get really involved with ODR, but because she also oversees some other great programs like Special Events, BOSS (Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers), & LETRA (Lake Elmer Thomas Recreation Area). I'm definitely hoping to help out with Special Events as that's something I might be interested in working with in the future :) but who knows!
PS- here's the website to get a little bit of a better feel for all of the programs/services MWR offers. This site is specific to Fort Sill, but most of the programs are run very similarly at all Army posts -- www.sillmwr.com
Anyway, back to the title of this post... OKC! Last weekend (Labor Day weekend) I decided it was time to leave Lawton. Although there is a lot offered here, and I still have a lot of exploring to do, my travel bug was getting antsy so I took my first trip to OKC on Monday. The drive wasn't bad, just a little over an hour to get into the city. I decided to park by the National Memorial Park & Museum and make that my first stop. Hard to believe that happened in 1995, 17 years ago ! Visiting the Memorial on Labor Day wasn't my brightest idea, not because there were a lot of people, but because it was 106 degrees that day... I found myself looking for shade most of the time! haha but here are a few pictures from the Memorial Park -- the reflection pool is located where the street was, the truck with the bomb was parked in the street. The area with the trees and chairs is where the Murrah Federal Building stood, the building that was targeted. They do not believe specific people were the target, but that it was a target at the Federal Government in general. Each chair in this area represents 1 life lost from the bombing. The chairs are set up in rows, each row represents a different floor of the building, with the chairs showing which floor each person was on. So if you were to see an aerial view, you'd see almost a bar graph of where everyone was. The area opposite the reflection pool is where the parking lot was, and on the other side of that is the National Museum.
Across the street from the Memorial Park (which can be seen in this last picture above) is St Joseph's Cathedral. A few buildings that were part of the church grounds were damaged in the bombing, as I'm sure a few others in the area were. Below is a picture of the "And Jesus Wept" Memorial that is just across the street from the entrance to the Memorial Park. The second picture is St Joseph's Cathedral from the front.
After roaming around downtown a little while, I was looking for a place to eat lunch but most every place was closed and I was about the only soul dumb enough to walk around downtown in 106 degree weather... I've had better ideas !! haha but my next stop was to the outlets just west of the city, so I just found some lunch there and did a little damage getting some clothes for work :)
Overall it was a great week, I'm looking forward to moving into my own place this month & hopefully doing more exploring if the temps ever cool down some. I know it's a been a little warmer than normal everywhere, but I'm really missing the typical "fall football" weather... especially since I might not see that weather until the end of October & into November...
Anyway, thanks for reading! For today's quote, I found a good one that's all about your perspective. Make it a regular practice to find something good in your day, every day... even Mondays! ;)
"Every day may not be good, but there is good in every day."
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Just what I needed to hear...
Ever have that song, or quote, or even something a friend or coworker said that was exactly what you needed to hear? I mean exactly...
Well lately I've had this song that's definitely hit the nail on the head. It started playing during the Olympics for the USA Women's Gymnastics Team, which was right when I went to San Antonio for orientation and then moved from Colorado to Oklahoma. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and it's still speaking to me.
Regardless of what you believe in, sometimes you just need to hear something and no matter how many people say it or keep telling you, it's eventually going to stick somehow. Well this song is what finally made it stick, even though I'd been saying it all along but I'm not sure I was really believing it. I'm 100% confident that this song is what God has been trying to tell me. I'm just finally listening :)
Anyway, here's the song on YouTube followed by the lyrics.
Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this weight of it is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Settle down it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Settle down it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Well lately I've had this song that's definitely hit the nail on the head. It started playing during the Olympics for the USA Women's Gymnastics Team, which was right when I went to San Antonio for orientation and then moved from Colorado to Oklahoma. The timing couldn't have been more perfect, and it's still speaking to me.
Regardless of what you believe in, sometimes you just need to hear something and no matter how many people say it or keep telling you, it's eventually going to stick somehow. Well this song is what finally made it stick, even though I'd been saying it all along but I'm not sure I was really believing it. I'm 100% confident that this song is what God has been trying to tell me. I'm just finally listening :)
Anyway, here's the song on YouTube followed by the lyrics.
Hold on to me as we go
As we roll down this unfamiliar road
And although this weight of it is stringing us along
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Settle down it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Settle down it'll all be clear
Don't pay no mind to the demons they fill you with fear
The trouble it might drag you down
If you get lost you can always be found
Just know you're not alone
'Cause I'm going to make this place your home
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)