Life – Brianne Larson

Playing the hand you’re dealt

Ever feel like your brain is in a rut? Ok, glad to hear it. Let’s play cards sometime.

Picture me: 14-year-old Bri, sitting at the kitchen counter top. Big bowl of ice cream. TV turned on to some secondary ESPN channel featuring the World Series of Poker.

It’s the big boys table. It’s poker on TV!

Growing up, I played Texas Hold’em for fun. Getting the chips out at family reunions was always a blast, and you’d learn something from the game every time, win or lose. Naturally, I amped up the dedication and started watching poker on television every day after school. It’s what you do when you really want to learn!

TV is your best teacher.

I look at life a bit differently now being in my upper twenties. I remember my 14-year-old self, not really knowing what the future would hold. I mean, why worry? Bowl of ice cream + TV means life is great! But now that I’ve got some young professional experience under my belt, I know that I have to treat life with the hand I’ve been dealt, and make the most of it.

See, poker is part playing the hand you’re dealt, but also part the game you want to play. Life is the same way, only your brain chooses how you want to live it.

Chronic pain issues and many sleepless nights have served me some boiling hot soup from my mid-teens to present day. Back then, I wouldn’t have known that it was just the beginning of a really odd life journey. Because chronic pain is really weird. Only you know how you feel, and let me tell you, lower back pain is a fighter.

“Have you ever tried chirotherapy?” – every person who hears I have low back pain.

Oh boy.

I’ve filled in these pain diagram charts more times than I can count. They’re really fun. But something that I never factored into all my pain was my brain. My soup bowl has been overflowing with all the “X’s”, slashes and dashes, and my brain has been holding it all in like a champ.

Lately, the champ status has been sinking as my brain has been a chirpy little bird reminding me how much it sucks. I know that it’s just the hand I’ve been dealt here in life. It’s a weird hand, that keeps me at the ready with Advil, ice packs, pain patches, special cushions…all the things. So I’ve got to play it the best I can. And you know what? I’m gonna keep playing!

Why process fits my personality

I’m one of those people who really likes a routine. Not necessarily doing the same thing everyday. No, that would be boring. But more waking up around the same time everyday, eating a morning banana with the dogs, driving that predictive 10-15 minutes into work, leaving at a suitable hour for lunch with the pup (pee pee), and watching a quality television program at night. And if a small gathering should pop in every once in a while, well that’s perfectly fine.

I’m sold; sign me up.

This doesn’t just balance out my home life. You’ve guessed it: I like routine in my professional career as well! I like to call this process, or a process, for taking care of necessary business. Keeping projects on tighter than tight schedules, on budget and under control. It’s what keeps those knots in my upper shoulders/neck region stronger than ever.

A process to handle various situations is what keeps me going when managing multiple projects at once. Without process, I would literally be a screaming monkey.

But processes don’t always work out. It’s just the nature of the game, kids. I think the typical reason is due to communication. And it may not be internal—it could be something you were unable to control. Variability. Unpredictability.

Oh process, what are you even good for?

This is key in my pivot here. Ever heard, “People over process”?

This phrase is common in the Agile Methodology where “Individuals and interactions over processes and tools” is the first bullet in the list. This method of course spins me both ways since I value people, their thoughts and feelings. And I want people to collaborate, share their thoughts and make cool products without that feeling of constraint. But I also know that in the advertising, marketing and web world it is difficult to obtain new work without demonstrating that you know what you’re doing (sometimes known as, “What’s your process to get this done, sir?”)

So it’s just a little struggle. It’s where I look to let a little more flexibility into my process-driven workflow. Because, why not?

The more time and experience you have with something, especially the people you’re working with, hopefully the more predictive they will be, and thus, less process needed. But if things derail, because why not, then reel those fish in again.

What about dogs? How do they fit into this?

Oh lots of ways and thank you for letting me end with this thought. Balance, routine and process. Happy dogs. But the simple thing here is trust. Why would anyone follow your lead unless they could trust you? Dogs will do a lot more for you if they can trust you. So you need people to trust your process. Gain some trust and then let them run off leash for a bit.

Image via freeimages.com

Talking it up on Above The Fold Podcast

A guy. A girl. Two microphones. A laptop. Garage Band running on that laptop. Another laptop. Two pairs of headphones. Two glasses of water. Maybe some candies. An electric piano. Smiles because we’re having fun.

ONE BIG DREAM.

So recently Josh and I started a podcast. Together, we chat about our lives and things attractive to young professionals. We made an official announcement by video. Talk about multichannel promotion! What!

What is this podcast all about?

I’m so glad you asked. Let me tell you. It’s called Above The Fold Podcast. Each episode, we discuss a marketing-related topic with some comedy on the side.

Josh and I both work in the advertising world, specifically on websites for clients. He has the angle of web developer, and I have the angle of interactive project manager/SEO strategist. Together we cover a lot of ground!

We both like listening to podcasts, and through analyzing our own conversations, thought it would be neat to start our own. Plus we are pretty funny. Multiple sources have confirmed this for us. We even have a website for the podcast, so you know this is serious stuff.

What have I learned so far from podcasting?

Sound is everything. The first things we bought were microphones. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars, but you do want to invest in quality. There is also an art of speaking into the microphone correctly.
Recording the podcast can be done right on your laptop. We use Garage Band to record the tracks, then edit in Adobe Audition. By “we” I mean Josh leads the way.
Keeping the conversation flowing takes talent. In normal, non-recorded conversations, you may pause a lot. But when you’re recording yourself, lots of dead air can leave listeners less engaged.
Headphones help you adjust your voice. Plus you also look more legit and B.A.
Guests on the show…that’s the next step!

Would you like to be a guest? Would you like to be our guest? What’s your favorite treat?

Subscribe on iTunes!

And have a great day!

Well, my weaknesses really are my strengths.

The golden interview prompt: “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses.” Oh. Gladly, sir.

Strengths are easy. You know what you’re good at. But when it comes to weaknesses, eh… I’d rather not. Not tonight.

And it’s not that you don’t know what you’re not good at. It’s that you may not want to admit to these things, or, it’s hard to put into words without making yourself sound incapable.

“I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes, I can be too invested in my job.”

– Michael Scott, The Office

The Regional Manager says his weaknesses are his strengths. Wise man.

But if you say that, you’re just being too fluffy. And you should kindly think about getting yourself to the groomer for a quick trim.

A weakness should be something you’re working to improve. It’s a challenge for you. Your weakness may resemble a strength—such as being too invested in your job—but it overall needs to be a problem for you.

When I think about my weaknesses, stress is usually the first thing that comes to mind. But stress on it’s own is not a weakness. Everyone gets stressed from time to time. Hey, you’re only human! If you get stressed out easily, then you need to find out why. And that’s your weakness.

For me, I’m like the neighbor you’ve never had but always wanted. Because I know you have a lot of web projects that you need help with. And I’m your man. Woman.

At my job, I’m always willing to help out. I generally say “yes” to most every new project or opportunity to learn something new. Since I’m a young professional (YEAH FORBES) I feel like I should embrace as much opportunity as possible.

But this is not good for me to do. This leads to stress from too much going on at once. I get neck and back pain, I don’t sleep well, and thus, I pretend on the surface I’m fine, when I’m really kind of uncomfortable.

So my weakness is that I don’t say “no” often enough. I don’t think most people would immediately think of this as a traditional weakness. Because saying the word “no” is usually seen as a negative. And I’m saying I should say this negative word more often.

Saying “no” to things that will throw off my time management skills will be better for me in the long run. By saying “yes” too much I run the risk of creating a problem if I overcommit myself and can’t return high quality work on every project. And this is honestly something that I’m trying to work on, so that I can avoid walking around with heat and ice packs taped to my body.

** Cue big smile from Bri: “EVERYONE, I’M OKAY. DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME. I’M GOING TO BE OKAY. PLEASE SIT DOWN.” **

Overcoming your weaknesses

So how do you overcome weaknesses, and talk about them in a way that doesn’t make you sound like a sack of meat needing to be carried around?

The main thing is finding a way to demonstrate you are always working to build your character and always willing to learn. There is no way any one person can walk into a new job and know everything. You would be a robot and scare all the children.

Also, don’t highlight things that make you look weak. Mention something you’re working to improve, and circle back with a strength. So you’re not an incredibly patient person. But given that you hate waiting for things, you always stick to your timeline and never miss a deadline. Something like that.

Admitting to things you’re not good at, or that you’re working on improving, makes you a better person. People like knowing that others face challenges too. Think of it like a community builder. And trust me, people will respect you and want to help you succeed.

(My other weakness would be donuts.)

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