Monday Motivation Series -Finale

Today marks the end of my five motivation series. Please leave me a comment on whether or not you’ve found any value in this series.

The one quote that keeps my going every day says; “When God pushes you to the edge of difficulty trust him fully because two things can happen either He’ll catch you when you fall, or teach you how to fly.”

The last few years have been a challenge for me, both personally and professionally. I’ve had a few jobs working for different companies. The last two, I thought were going to be my last ones until I retired. God has a quirky sense of humor.

These last few years are not what I had planned for my life. Trying to find anything positive from it all gets hard.

Trying to break out into freelance work has been difficult for me. Either I haven’t found the right niche, or I lack the experience that certain companies want.

Sometimes I feel like giving up on my dreams, other times I push myself to keep trying. One day. One day it will happen for me.

May you have all your dreams come true and stay MOTIVATED to keep moving forward .

Gain The Advantage,

Alicia Osmera

When Bloggers Think About Bringing Their Blogs To An End

Renard tells bloggers that it is okay for them to continue blogging if they are unable to pay their WordPress.com renewal package fee.

When Bloggers Think About Bringing Their Blogs To An End

This is not my work. I hope you found it interesting.

Gain The Advantage,

Alicia Osmera

Monday Motivation Series

Welcome to my Monday Motivation series part four.

While doing some research for today’s blog post, I came across a few interesting ones which pose the argument of not motivating others.

Sounds a bit harsh to me. That was until I started to read a few of them. One article that stood out to me is written by Dr. Carolyn Morgan, Carol Morgan has a Ph.D. in communication and is a professor at Wright State University. Her insight intrigued my interest in researching this topic further.

In this article, You Can’t Motivate Other People So Don’t Even Try!
She begins by pointing out that inspiring others is a good thing, however, some people can’t or don’t want to be inspired, motivated, or encouraged period!

If motivating people implies action and inspiring implies that you have moved them mentally or emotionally in some way. Then which one is better?

Changing the world around us can be done one small step at a time. Is it worth it?

I hope you will read Dr. Carolyn Morgan’s article and give some feedback to both myself and her.

Gain the advantage,

Alicia Osmera

Small Businesses I Recommend to Shop For Christmas Gifts In 2021

This year I chose to feature small businesses for gift-buying and giving instead of actual gift recommendations.

Let’s face it 2021 has been a strange year.   Businesses are still in comeback mode after all the shutdowns from 2020.

Apex QC Fans is owned and operated by Jack and Elaine Williamson and it is located in Parker, Colorado.  They serve the South East Metro area; as well as Parker, Castle Rock, and other areas. 

Apex QC Fans is A Premier Colorado Platinum QC Dealer!   They’re native Colorado-based whole house fan and attic fan experts. BPI certified licensed residential contractor with over 30 years experience in the whole house and attic fan knowledge, and a Quietcool dealer.

Now is your chance to get a Quiet Cool Whole House Fan Systems installed and save up to $550.00 on a new system. They also provide attic fans, solar roof vents, UVAIRx, and Puraclenz advanced air and decontamination systems. They offer Military, Law Enforcement, and 55 discounts. They serve the South East Metro area; as well as Parker, Castle Rock, and other areas. 

Annas Attic is owned and operated by Anna Locy and is located in Colorado. Anna takes fabric that once belonged to loved ones, and creates a tangible memory. With dignity and respect, she transforms sentimental materials into a lasting keepsake. Please visit her site and see what she can make for you or someone you know.

Grazing Upscale is owned and operated by Lindsay Giles and she is located in Aurora, Colorado. She is a mom, a wife, and a prior Army service member. She creates grazing boxes for any occasion and creates grazing tables for special events. She takes pride in each order she receives and makes all of them with love. These would make excellent Christmas gifts!

Janae Gibson is a Color Street Consultant. She is located in Aurora, Colorado. Color Street makes and sells gorgeous, customizable manicures with no dry time and for a fraction of what you would pay at the salon! I wish I was coordinated enough to use them. I tried and failed miserably at it. She has a special going on right now. French nails are buy 1 get 1 free, and the rest are buy 3 get 1 free. Please visit her site today.

I am so excited to introduce you to Odde’s Music Grill owned and operated by Chris Odde. Located in Westminster, Colorado. The OMG is your neighborhood bar, restaurant, and local music venue to sit down, relax and enjoy a great atmosphere with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Taunya Tobias Stillman is a Scentsy Consultant and is located in Bailey, Colorado. Scentsy is a family-based company that offers safe scent-based Products. Scentsy started with Wax and Warmers and has evolved over the years into a Fragrance company. Their Christmas line is here and cute too. Please visit her site today.

My wish for you this holiday season is that you and yours be healthy, happy, and blessed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to one and all!

Gain The Advantage,

Alicia Osmera

Self Care Sunday’s Series; Burnout In The Workplace

Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and ineffectiveness in the workplace, and by chronic negative responses to stressful workplace conditions. 

Burnout is more likely when employees:

  • Expect too much of themselves.
  • Never feel that the work they are doing is good enough.
  • Feel inadequate or incompetent.
  • Feel unappreciated for their work efforts.
  • Have unreasonable demands placed upon them.
  • Are in roles that are not a good job fit.

In this article titled; “Workplace Strategies For Mental Health” by Canadian Life, the writer offers many signs that an employer should be aware of. Of course we all want the productive and happy employee’s in our workplaces. However; due to what’s been happening with the COVID 19 Coronavirus pandemic employers need to become more aware of their employee’s mental health needs.

On my Facebook page, I asked this question

If you’re still working, what’s your company doing to help boost mental health and moral?
What would you want to see from management that would let you know they care about you?

The comments were very interesting. One person stated,

” We were provided with company logo masks, disinfectant sprays, extra pay for the month of April”.

Some people are receiving an extra bonus for working during this time because they were deemed to be an essential worker, yet others left the impression that management was ignoring their health and well-being.

Recognize signs and symptoms

Your employees may not realize that they are dealing with signs of being burned out on the job.

Some of the signs and symptoms that an employee experiencing burnout may exhibit include:

  • Reduced efficiency and energy
  • Lowered levels of motivation
  • Increased errors
  • Fatigue
  • Headaches
  • Irritability
  • Increased frustration
  • Suspiciousness
  • More time spent working with less being accomplished

Severe burnout can also result in:

  • Self-medication with alcohol and other substances
  • Sarcasm and negativity
  • Debilitating self-doubt

Are you a Psychologically Safe Leader?

Take the assessment

Granted this article is written from the Canadian workforce perspective however, I find it can apply to any leadership team or managers anywhere.

As a manager where I work, I’ve found myself with feelings of frustration, inadequacy at times to perform the functions of my job, and anger at the owner and senior management for not showing the staff how anything they really care about them or their mental health.

Make your employees feel special

Leave your employees an email or little notes saying something like “Hey we are thinking about you and we’re doing everything possible to help all of us make it through this pandemic together”.

Don’t become one of those owners or bosses like an Ebenezer Scrooge.

Dig deep into your own pocketbook if you have to and show them you care!

Life is hard enough without having a pandemic in it. Choose to show kindness, understanding, and patience with your employees and make them happy and proud to be your employees.

Please leave a comment.

Gain The Advantage,

Alicia Osmera