Joy Phenix's Blog

I’ve never been a person to make many New Year’s Resolutions. One year I made a goal of getting rid of all ill-fitting clothes.  That was big for me, and, I’m happy to say, I pretty much nailed it (as long as you don’t count owning socks that “quit” midday). Aside from that, I stick [...]

“Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”  Steven Covey Some days parenting feels all about managing logistics: Do we need to swing by the store for more milk? What time should we leave to make the bus/game/party? Are all of the school papers [...]

“Security is an illusion.  Life is either a daring adventure or it is nothing at all.” Why do I get lulled into expecting life to follow a schedule and a plan? I make my lists and check off my tasks as if I could manage my way into order and predictability.  I behave as if [...]

“You can’t test courage cautiously, so I ran hard and waved my arms hard, happy.” Annie Dillard I worked my way through college by giving summer swim lessons.  I loved this job because not only did I have a fabulous tan (note my wrinkles now!), but I was able to give kids a skill they [...]

I am fatigued by the phrase “Life Balance.” So often, we mentally put our commitments on an invisible teeter-totter, hoping to distribute our obligations evenly. The theory is that balance brings calmness.  The thinking is if we distribute our work evenly, then we’ll be less tired, less stressed, less guilty about our choices, and happier.  [...]

No matter how much you love your work, there’s usually something that makes walking into a new week feel burdensome.  The disappointment in Monday can be triggered by having an enjoyable weekend end, the dreaded start of another week with a bummer job, or even the dread of the commute.  Yes, Monday blues are cliché, [...]

When I use the expression “he can’t see the forest for the trees,” I mean that person is so detail-oriented that he misses the big picture.  I use this saying frequently at work because, quite frankly, I like seeing forests.  I would rather not look at the trees (which are the more detailed points of [...]

I have always thought of conflict as an unsavory, unfortunate fact of life. I dread conflict because it means I’m in a battle I may or may not win.  I like winning.  I dislike losing. I don’t even like admitting to such competitiveness;  it sounds spoiled.  Much of the time my desire to win IS [...]

“We have a ‘strategic plan.’ It’s called doing things.” Herb Kelleher I have always loved this quote from the CEO of Southwest Airlines for its simplicity and practicality.  So much of the time it’s easier to analyze than to do.  Southwest is known for its “do something” sense of urgency, and, quite frankly, I want [...]

I didn’t mean to flash the window washer.  The incident just happened. Let me back up… I took twelve weeks off for maternity leave when I had my first child.  As I described in an earlier post, I gained an extraordinary amount of weight with this (and my subsequent) pregnancy.  As a result, I was [...]