Anxiety at Work

We all have anxiety at work. Its normal, our jobs are demanding and changing. Priorities change, reorganizations happen and new management changes goals.

We work with new people, customers and supervisors regularly. They have different needs, demand and ways of communicating. Adjusting and accommodating are stressful.

New assignments will use new or rusty skills.  Expect you will do lots of things in life you never anticipated. Leading teams with poorly defined goals. Having to make public reports. Helping coworkers.

We have anxiety at home too. Being a parent may be number one example of changes forced on us. Teenagers anyone? Don’t think we don’t bring those anxieties to work with us.

What can we do? 

Take a deep breathe. Accept life and we are not perfect. Stuff happens, from bad to horrible. We all make mistakes. Break stuff. Mishear other people. Say the wrong thing (good thing have a big mouth, have put both feet in my mouth). Grateful no or few videos exist of my mistakes.

Talk with friends or advisors. Experienced coworkers can provide guidance. You are not alone.

Look at incidences over a long term. Will this matter in … 30 seconds, 10 minutes, an hour, day, a week, a month, a year, or a decade from now? Those questions have kept my red headed Irish temper in check over years (Rarely get past hour now). You have conquered many trials in the past and will overcome more in your life.

Even if it is serious, you can make the best of changes. In a year or two, you will look back and be grateful you handled it as well as you did. If not handled well, you learned what not to do next time.

Anxieties will hit us, maybe daily. If anxieties are overwhelming you, cannot emphasis how valuable talking to a professional counselor is.  Make an appointment.

Anxieties usually respond to a little self care, conversation, humor and time. 

Successful Resolutions

Studies show we struggled with resolutions. Most people fail before February. Have you made progress on your resolutions? If not, forgive yourself. Change is hard for everyone.  

How about a path towards getting results? These steps will make success likely.

Focus on why do you want to change? The more you understand your motivation(s), the more creative and persistent you will be to succeed. The hard part is understanding yourself.

Start small. What is the tiniest first step towards your goal? Read an article. Take a walk. Type a paragraph. Your little successes build confidence to try the next step.

Allow yourself time. Instant diets don’t work. Permanent changes work well, but they need time to blossom. You may not get much in 3 months, but the results in 3 years will amaze you.

Track actions that leads to your results. I track my weight and number of steps with a pedometer daily. Weight is the result of my eating and steps indicate current activity. 9 years of tracking weight and activity on a spreadsheet let me know to make adjustments. 

We all change. Choose to make changes you need.

Boeing Knows How to Fly

Had a friend say she would not fly on 737Max. Can’t blame her all the news reports proclaiming end of the world.

Here is how I answered her: 737 is not a new airplane. It started commercial service in 1968. (she “Did not know that”.) The Max is an updated version. Over 10,000 737s have been delivered to airlines all over the world. 

Daily over 10,000 Boeing airplanes of different models 737, 747, 757, 767, 777 & 787 fly. There are thousands of Boeing military aircraft and helicopters flying daily including F-15s, F-18s, KC-46, P-8, C-17 & a new trainer on the way. Don’t forget Delta rockets. Boeing is flying every day.

Boeing has revised the software, actually starting before the second crash. The problem was not comparing angle of attack sensors on both sides, plus revised training for the pilots. Angle of attack sensors have had ~20 failures over 17 years. Almost understandable someone may have assumed wasn’t necessary. However Boeing and FAA both should have caught that.

Assured her I would fly the 737Max today and not afraid to put my family on one or any other Boeing. Just flew cross country and back on 757s.

Why am I so confident? The people I worked with in the factory on 787. They are our babies. Our job is to make near perfect airplanes, and we care.

Disclosure - 5% of my 401K is in Boeing stock. Have no inside information. What I know is from published public information. No idea when regulatory approval is coming, just confident it will. 

Suspect the news cycle will die down, and people's memory will fade in a year or two once the 737Max is flying again. Can’t wait to see it flying, getting people to where they are going.

Generations Don’t Divide Us

Greatest

Silent

Boomer

Gen X

Millennial

Post Millennial (Need a better name people)

Grew up, live, work and church with all generations. With all the variation we all have in abilities, athletics, career, disposition, education, experiences, family, friends, geography, heritage, religious beliefs, scholarship, talents and wealth. Wonderful, interesting, different, frustrating, impossible, people first and foremost.

How can this diversity all be reduced to an age range? The theory is common experiences in our youth affect people alike. But don’t we view the same events differently? Don’t we learn and grow during our life? How can we be categorized by decades?

Studying the bible, people from over 2,000 years ago act the way we do today. Same fears and worries. Have babies changed? Don’t children still grow the same way they always have? Don’t awkward teenagers grow into amazing adults? 

More important we pay attention to people we meet than divide each other by a theory. 

People are people. We need to be acknowledged, respected, listened to and loved.

Safe Travels and Happy Thanksgiving

Taking a vacation day to stay out of Seattle’s Wednesday afternoon traffic horror show. Starting my holiday weekend early. 

I am grateful for my wonderful family, fellow volunteers, talented co-workers, and all my friends who keep me engaged and interested in our world. Thank you all.

Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving with family and loved ones. Enjoy good meals, conversation, and remembering old friends who can’t be with us. Then safe trips home.

"Always direct your thoughts to those truths that will give you confidence, hope, joy, love, thanksgiving, and turn away your mind from those that inspire you with fear, sadness, depression." - Bertrand Wilbertforce

Thanksgiving and Holidays

Relax. Everyone has made an effort to be there. The hosts have really worked hard to welcome you and everyone. It is stressful. Smile and greet everyone.

People are there you don’t know. You are likely nervous, so are they. Welcome everybody assuming best intentions.

No one has changed since last time. Everyone still has their annoying habits. Including you. But we have all learned from living one more year.

Politics are a minefield. Nobody has the same views on everything. Expect them to support other candidates or positions. You are not there to convert them to your views. Besides no one has all the right answers.

We gather to celebrate. Those who made it this year, those who can’t come, and remembering those no longer with us. Sharing success and failures, children, and another year of life. 

Success formula for gatherings - Relax, Tolerate, Celebrate and Enjoy

Preventing Dementia

New study by University of Michigan shows most people do not understand their risk of dementia, nor best ways to prevent it. Not understanding the risk, they may not make the best choices. 

First reasonably assess your health. If you are in very good or excellent health, you have lowered your risk substantially. People in fair to poor mental health have the highest risk, however mental health by itself has low causality. 

What can you do to lower your risk of dementia? Research has shown that regular exercise, a good diet, limiting alcohol and not smoking make dementia less likely. If you have chronic health problems like diabetes, take care of them. Surprising only ~5% of people ask their doctors during visits or physicals what to do to prevent dementia.

Vitamins and supplements have not been shown to help (I do take them). There are claims for mental exercises like puzzles. There is stronger evidence for playing chess, taking a class or reading about unfamiliar subjects. 

Social activities and exercise like walking are valuable boosting attitude and health. See “Counting Little Wins” how to keep active and healthy mindsets.

Dementia is personal to me. There are no proven cures. My grandfather had Alzheimer’s ~6 years, my father had dementia symptoms 1.5 years after strokes, and my wife’s mother has dementia for the last 8 years. Seeing their struggles and downward trajectory are why sharing this information. Reasonable prevention will improve your and your family’s life.

Links to study and article below:

Perception of Dementia Risk and Preventive Actions Among US Adults Aged 50 to 64 Years

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/2753774

Americans don’t understand the dementia risk they face - MarketWatch

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/americans-dont-understand-the-dementia-risk-they-face-2019-11-15?mod=MW_story_top_stories

Counting Little Wins

https://problem1solver.blogspot.com/2019/07/counting-little-wins.html

Old Age is Made Up

MIT AgeLab punched holes in the accepted viewpoint of aging:

·      The 50-plus population controls 83% of household wealth in the US.

·      Account for $7.6 trillion in spending, more than those under 50.

·      Over 50 outspend online 2:1. 

·      73% of 65-plus population is online, and half own smartphones.

·      Only 35% of people 75 or older consider themselves “old”.

Why should they consider themselves old? Older individuals are generally healthier than generations past. They remain engaged and relevant.

·      50-plus business leaders start twice as many successful companies as ~30 YO business leaders. 

·      Sister-in-law’s 83 YO father takes care of 100 acres and started new hobby woodworking 2-3 years ago. (getting really good)

·      Her 81 YO mom takes care of horses and mucks the stalls after 2 hip replacements.

·      Uncle celebrated 85^th birthday leaving New Jersey for Arizona senior basketball tournament with his team. 

·      Komo news interviewed 2 women celebrating their 104^th birthdays. Each walks separately over a mile daily around Ballard, WA.

Business seems stuck in outdated narratives. Advertising focuses on the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups, which have less money to spend. Half of long time jobholders are pushed out before they planned to retire. Many older workers have to fight outright ageism to prove their value. They are not considered for hiring, new assignments, or promotions.

Research does not confirm these beliefs. BMW experiments show: 

·      Productivity improves when work teams are intergenerational.

·      Age-diverse teams do better at problem-solving and generating ideas.

·      Older workers mentor and serve as role models.

These expectations are from 19^th century beliefs that the old run out of “Vital Energy”, like a worn out battery. Sex and manual labor were both considered to be especially draining. Science has disproven these theories.

These beliefs affect your careers and businesses. Have overheard HR discussions about the aging workers problem - people in their mid 30s and 40s. Despite record low unemployment and a skills shortage, these ageist beliefs persist.

Successful leaders need to provide better products and services for age diverse consumers. They need to lead teams with diverse cultures, backgrounds and ages. How can you start addressing these opportunities for your business?

“Old age” is made up—and this concept is hurting everyone 

MIT Technology Review

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614155/old-age-is-made-upand-this-concept-is-hurting-everyone/

Happy birthday to you, Madelyne and Kay

https://komonews.com/news/erics-heroes/erics-heroes-walking-is-the-fountain-of-youth-for-pair-of-104-year-old-women

Business is Not the Bad Guy

It’s a cliché in Hollywood movies where the businessman is evil. Dabney Coleman as a tyrannical, sexist boss in 9 to 5 comes to mind. When is the last movie you saw where the business owner was the hero? Not since Gung Ho about American workers working for Japanese ownership can I remember one movie.

Politician’s blame all your problems on business (or the other party). Truth is governments run on money generated by businesses. Governments don’t create wealth, governments tax it. 

Making more revenues than expenses is hard work, and people take risks to create businesses. They invest, spend their time, and often fail at businesses before they succeed. Most businesses fail in the first 5 years. Even when they succeed, family wealth is usually gone by the 3^rd generation. 

We need businesses - small, medium, large and international - to create growth and have jobs for people. People and their businesses built the United States. Most of us work for a company and our salaries come from the businesses. 

Gig workers are their own businesses. Was more difficult self-employed than as an employee. You do everything - sell, perform, administrative, taxes. Or you hire help when you can afford it.

Businesses are at their heart people serving people. Not faceless others. Support businesses, don’t blame businesses.

Build Resilient Communities

Some days going to work is a grind. Dreary commuting. Repeatedly walking in the door. How do you avoid the negativity?

Worked a lot of places in a 40+ year career, and it is not just your company. Negativity comes at us from everywhere. This time of the year doesn't help coming to work in the dark either. Nor do I like coming off daylight savings time, just feels gloomy. 

That said, here are ways make work more rewarding for yourself and your coworkers:

Gratitude starting the morning

Have a job, people & family like/love in my life. Warm bed. Decent health. I get to work with good people. Gratitude does not have to be anything big. Faith helps. Focus on the good as groggily try and get out the door.

Laugh

Councilor I know taught stressed out financial industry people to read the comic pages before starting work. Really improved teamwork, productivity and office collaboration. I listen to radio getting dressed & driving in and find something to smile about. Fortunate to laugh at my own foibles. "Those of us who can laugh at ourselves will be endlessly entertained." – Unknown

Eat healthy and exercise

If you feel good, easier when you need to put in extra effort. A walk often improves your mood. Look around for whatever makes you happy.

Learn something 

Always learning something new, might use or will be helpful in future brings joy.

Build community around you 

Smile. Greet people. Find out how they are today. Find something in common like families, hobbies, work or sports to talk about. Does not take much time. Some people respond only after 6 month to a year, and usually shocked/pleased when the breakthrough comes. Benefit comes when working/moving all over factory & offices if can say hi to one person, am okay, and then other people will work with me.

What you feel is not unusual. These are rewarding ways I learned to stay involved, productive, and enjoy my days. I plan to work another decade before a long active retirement. Enjoy your career as well.