REPOST FROM 2012: Social Media & How We Lost Our Social Skills

Being in the food service industry has introduced me to a different interaction with people.

When I was sitting behind a desk, in a professional environment, I used the computer to type documents, prepare presentations and converse over email.  I used the telephone to answer questions, have conversations and get information.  I went to meetings to talk and listen to people face-to-face and I actually had real relationships with the people who came into my office to sit down and chat.

Now that I am working with the public in a more relaxed, casual environment, I see who is out there and that most people just don't have the desire to have conversations or even look up from their telephones.  I don't know how many times I approach a table and greet them with a "Hi, how are you today?" only to get them request a water with lemon without even looking me in the eyes.  They are too busy texting or playing games on their phones.  In fact, I waited on one table that consisted of a mother, father and two tweens and every single one of them was playing on their phone at the table.  Come on!!!!  

What is this world coming to when we can't even use our voices or have meaningful conversations with someone anymore?  We rely so much on technology and I only imagine it getting worse in the future.  Don't get me wrong, I love technology and use it on a daily basis.  It does seem that the younger generation (pre-teens, teens, young adults) are not the only culprits, many people in their 40's are teaching this kind of social trend.

I must say, lots of other servers don't like to wait on the "older generation" but I really love it.  These are the people who are grandparents and great grandparents.  They have been around in a world without all of the social media and probably have no desire to ever learn about it.  They have real talks and real stories that they will share with you whenever they feel like it.  They genuinely care when they await your response to "How are you today?"

I had a conversation with my daughter about social media recently and how kids her age are using it to express all of their feelings to the world instead of talking to their parents, writing poetry or even calling up a friend (as I did when I was her age).  If teens have a problem with someone's actions, they take to the Internet or texting to express their feelings instead of going straight to the person and just talking things out.  This leads to so much confusion and many more people's involvement.  I guess I can't limit this behaviour to just teens, I know plenty of marriages that have unfolded over the Internet and Facebook.  It's put right out there for all of us to be a part of and to react to.   

One of the biggest problems I see (and there are many) is that when you rely on written word to get your point across, there is no reflection to hear and no guarantee all of your words will be taken the way that you mean them.  Texts can get lost, sarcasm can be detected (or not detected) and cap locks can accidentally be used when we are not even upset.  Why not just pick up the phone or go hang out and talk things through?

Okay, I am done venting and I am going to step off of my soap box.

Hang Tight!

After all of the revamping of my Blog and it's appearance, I realize even though the colors are pretty, many of the posts are hard to read. I will be going in and changing each post to make it easier to read by changing font colors.  Please be patient.  If you just discovered my site, put a pin in it and check back shortly :)

Thanks,
N2ativeone

ps. I am re-joining BlogLovin' <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/19730065/?claim=be9h6fahjr8">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>.

WELCOME TO MY NEWLY RE-VAMPED BLOG!

Good-Bye, "Thoughts From A Down-To-Earth Girl".  Hello to "Synchronicity"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Boy, have I come along way!!! I have crazy stories, helpful tips, insightful thoughts and a whole lot of opinion. The 2018 year has brought BIG changes for me. This blog was revamped from my previous blog, Thoughts From A Down-to-Earth Girl. This is my creative outlet and I hope you will find it interesting (and maybe even laugh a little). I have lots of beliefs, interests, thoughts, so join me on this adventure I call LIFE.

Need a ride? Try Lyft - I could be your driver

This is a new "side" venture for me.  I get $$$ if I refer people to either drive or take rides with Lyft, so make sure you click on the link below if you are interested. 

For $20 in ride credit, download the Lyft app using my referral link: https://lyft.com/ici/JENNIFER65963. It’s the most affordable ride in town. Terms apply.

You're Never Too Old To Learn

I'm killing two birds with one stone.  No, not literally, but I am doing TWO things that I NEED to do, at the same time.

I want to learn more about nutrition and write for my blog, so, I thought that in order to hold myself accountable for both, I would do some blog posts about what I learn.

I was always a skinny kid with high metabolism who never really worried about eating right.  Eating vegetables was not my priority or my desire.  In fact, I would sit at the table, like most kids who do not want to eat their food, and waste time until my family would get tired of seeing me there and take my plate.  I also used to throw my peas under the table in hopes that my little white dog would eat them.  Well, apparently, my aim was not so good, because she would give me up by trotting around with peas on top of her head.

As a 40ish-old woman who now weighs considerably more, who has type 2 diabetes and who still doesn't like vegetables, I find myself teetering on obesity and a life of hospital stays.  Due to a recent bacterial infection, I lost 24 pounds in 3 months and now that I am getting healthy again, I don't want to gain the weight back.  Now couldn't be a better time to make some changes!

I'm going to be learning out of two awesome books: The Complete Idiot's Guide To Total Nutrition written by Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D. and Nutrition For Dummies written by Carol Ann Rinzler.

Stay tuned to learn with me!

REPOST: How To Delegate

We all get to be the boss sometime in our life, whether it be with our work, our school, in our homes or with our children. Being a leader has it's challenges. There is a job that has to get done and you either need help with it or you need someone else to complete the task. There is a certain way the project needs to get done and usually a time frame that has to be met. Knowing how to ask for that help and see that the project gets carried out is a skill some people need a little help with.

#1: Describe the job and the outcome that needs to be reached. For example: "Today, we need to get this mailing out to all of our clients."

#2: Specify who's responsible for meeting this goal: "I would appreciate your help in spearheading this project and seeing that it gets completed today. Can you please take care of this?"

#3: Describe the steps that need to be completed so that the project is successful: "It's important that we make enough copies of this memo so that all of our clients receive it. We will need to put it on letterhead, prepare labels and envelopes and tri-fold the memo so that it fits in the envelope. Then, let's make sure that the correct postage gets applied and that the mail is done before the carrier arrives at 4:00 pm."

#4: Ask if there are any questions or concerns with accomplishing the task: "Do you have any questions? Do you think that you will be able to get this mailing out by 4:00 pm today?"

As the employee being given the task, this would be the time for you to clarify the instructions to make sure that you understand everything that is being asked. Far too many times, employees feel intimidated and they proceed with a project without fully understanding what needs to be done. This leads to mistakes and delays in completing assignments.

#5: Make yourself available to the employee and check on their progress.

#6: When you see that the job is completed, praise your employee: "I see you got those memos out. Thank you so much for taking care of that, you did a really good job. Those memos were really important."

The steps above can be applied to any sort of delegation, whether it be asking your kids to do a chore or working with groups for community service. Following these steps will help make you an effective delegator.

It's That Simple