mental fortitude.

There's an unspoken type of strength that is often underestimated in life: the ability of an individual to not allow stress, pressure, or distraction to prevent them from achieving the goals and dreams. People who are easy to manipulate are often called "head cases" and it affects far more than their ability to perform a certain activity - it can eventually take over their life.

Everyone responds to the outside pressures and stresses of life differently. I have discovered that my personal reaction is to start to shut down and want to sleep all of the time. This is a change from stress eating, but at the same time, it does not help me to achieve. All it does is further stress me out, which plunges me deeper into the need for sleep. Often, I am sitting up at a random hour finishing (or even worse, starting) a project that is due in mere hours.

Realizing your weaknesses is a key to becoming stronger. Being open and honest about them only helps to assist others who may potentially have the same weakness but aren't quite as able to express themselves. They will eventually reach that stage, but for now, they need the time to realize their weaknesses, figure out their reactions, and then be able to talk freely...is all part of the process in finding a solution.

For me, my solution would be determination and a quality to-dominate list system. I have a chalkboard that I require myself to empty complete before the end of the night and then refill whenever I am gearing up to accomplish for the day. On my window is a series of Post-It notes where I scribble to-dominate items as they come to mind or as I am reading/responding to emails. Yes, you had better believe they are even color-coded. I'm OCD like that...they are also in groups of 4, but that's another long story. Whether intentional or not, my to-dominate lists are always written and accomplished in sections of 4.

How do you keep the outside pressures outside?

Are you a Cheerio or a Froot Loop?

This morning, I was busy stocking cereal while at work, and I grabbed 5 boxes of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and 4 boxes of Froot Loops [don't ask me why I still remember 12+ hours later...obviously I need a life] in order to replenish the shelves.While I was ensuring that everything was FIFO'd, my boss came up behind me and asked the question that is today's blog post title: Are you a Cheerio or a Froot Loop?

I had no idea how to answer this question - also, it was right around 7am. My power of thought is rather absent at this hour. I still have no idea how to answer this question.

I need to get past my dislike of cereal. Perhaps that it is the problem.