Big changes and lessons learned.

It is only January 11th, and I am already tired of the phrase, "New Year, New You." Honestly, I am a bit of a different person every single day. Hopefully, I am going in the direction I intend with these changes. Working for Starbucks has helped me learn to adapt to change much more smoothly than before. Change is inevitable, but only you can choose how you will react to it.

Moving on.

Lessons learned:
If it makes you smile, it's nearly as healthy as a vegetable. Unless it's a cigarette... then it's just a cancer stick. Strive to genuinely smile as often as possible.
I love to make people laugh. I should never turn my back on my sense of humor, for any reason. It has the ability to pull me through tough situations.
Be more vocal when you see something going wrong. Be more vocal when you see something going right. Realize that we are all in this together.
The difficulty of being 20-something years old is very much understated by the general population. 20-somethings are all at once being expected to make huge decisions, while ultimately finding a mate, setting the course for life, and establishing themselves in society... all while we are young and have less experience from which we can draw wisdom than those older than us.
Alcohol can be extremely destructive, and consumption of it is something one should limit.
Some have it harder than others... but everyone will have a difficult time at some point. What doesn't kill you should make you stronger. Learn from your experiences.
It is so important to be supportive of the people around you.
There is not nearly enough reading going on.

I am not yet ready to discuss the biggest change of the next few months of my life, so I won't... but there are plenty of other changes occurring.

I have worked hard to incorporate healthier eating habits into my life... eating high-fiber cereal, reading nutrition labels more for the nutritional value and not for the calories, eating lots and lots of fruits and vegetables fresh and raw, limiting myself to drinking water, coffee, or things with nutritional value (tea, milk, orange juice), eating smaller portions but eating every few hours... Really, it's hard work, especially with as much as I'm out of the house.

I am going full steam ahead with my position at Starbucks. I am trying to leave a mark on the store where I work now by being a positive and proactive partner. I will soon be completing extra learning sessions so that I will be able to take more leadership on the floor as a knowledgeable partner. I am also working hard to recognize the strengths of other stores where I have worked and to cultivate those same qualities in this store.

I am working on setting boundaries with people and standing up for standards and values I hold to myself.

Life is too short to have any idle moments. So... I carry a book with me all the time, and when I'm not doing something of value (ie, just idly riding the subway), I read. I'm trying to read a new book each week. I am happier when I have been reading. So far...
Week 1: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Week 2: LOTR: The Two Towers
Week 3: LOTR: The Return of the King
How dorky! But now I wish I had the extended editions of the movies. Seriously, though, if you enjoyed the movies, you should read the books.

I think that's enough for now. I hope all of your New Year's resolutions are going well.

PS - to make you laugh:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_hMnT44Etk
I'M OLD GREG!