What I made happen this Monday

So - since I coined the term "Make it happen Monday" just last week, I am proud to say, that although not as rested, wide eyed and bushy-tailed as I was last Monday I still managed to make it happen.

How?

1. I had a great breakfast - 2 packs of oatmeal and a banana!
2. I wore a fantastically chic outfit - black pencil skirt, leopard ruffle blouse and a tan blazer.
3. Managed to sit through a painful discussion about the fraudulent activity taking place when it comes to our employees covering ineligible dependents on health benefits.  Hey - take your grand kids, your boyfriend and girlfriend's niece off of your medical insurance right now!

There - with a smile on my face and sling back heels on my feet - I made it happen this Monday!

Is professional attire in the eye of the beholder?

Ironically on the night of "Fashion's Night Out 2010" I read a story about female sportscaster Ines Sainz and the controversial outfits she wears when performing her job covering sports events.  While the story intends to discuss the sexual harassment she endured by a couple of the New York Jets players on Sunday, by the end of the article, the issue is clearly Ines' inappropriate choice of dress when she entered the office of football players - the locker room.

Check out the article which I found on lemondrop.com and see what readers have got to say.  Whoa - and the opinions on this topic. http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/09/14/ines-sainz-sexual-harrassment-jets/?icid=main%7Cmain%7Cdl5%7Csec1_lnk3%7C170626

Now, I've been nicknamed Carrie Bradshaw around my office (stylish, quirky, and great shoes), but I do keep it work appropriate.  While I choose to not place judgement on Ines' outfit selections from what I've seen and read, I'll just say that sometimes people just don't know what they don't know.  It seems like common sense to know what professional work attire is, but those lines can get blurred depending on what industry you work in and also based on what is communicated to employees upon hire and through the working relationship.

At the end of the day, this article brings up lots of topics: Professional dress, sexual harassment, gender double standards, and freedom of expression or choice.  Who would have thought an LBD (little black dress - for the guys who don't know this) could cause so much drama!

Make it Happen Monday

Normally my Mondays are a drag.  I struggle to get out of bed, try on 5 outfits before I find a winner, enter the building with a fake grin on my face, take the stairs instead of the elevator to avoid small talk and then fight my way through the day making a to do list for Tuesday when I know that I will have my act together.

But not today!  I woke up from a very restful nights sleep.  I haven't sleep that good since I was put under anesthesia to have a tube put down my throat and into my stomach for a endoscopic x-ray 2 years ago, and that procedure only took about 10 minutes!  But I woke up a new person.

Anyway, this morning, I only snoozed once, and when I got up I had a new attitude.  Not sure if it was the sleep, a subconscious new look on life, or some telepathic sibling connection since today is my big brother's birthday, but by the time I was headed out the door, I singing "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride, nobody gonna slow me down, OH NO - I got to keep on movin'!"  (You know that song by "Men at Work" - OK I didn't know who sang it either, until I got to work and googled it.)  I still don't know where that came from, but let me tell you - it felt good!  I went into work hyped up and ready for anything.  Ready for the irate employee who is pissed off that I added his 3 children to his medical benefits due to a court order, ready for a colleague to interrupt my in progress phone call to ask me how to load paper into the copier and ready to debate why our company does not acknowledge common law spouses - on an average Monday, I would put my phone on mute and say "Because we don't!".  But today was different - I was making it happen - any and everything.   

Mondays don't have to be the dreaded day that its become.  So I am now making every Monday - Make it Happen Monday!  We are the creators of our own destiny - we get back what we put out and all those other cliches and phrases that mean the same thing - pick one and do that.

What's your name again?

Majority of us have them.  It could be based on our appearance, the shortened version of our name, or even our last name, the city or neighborhood we are from, something a boyfriend or girlfriend has given us, or something we were given from childhood or in our adult life.

YES - a nickname!   How prevalent are nicknames in the workplace I thought, I mean I use them for coworkers and other colleagues and they have been used in dun, dun, dun DUN, not the nicest fashion.  You could say that they are more-so created so that you talk in code about them.  I know its best to not talk about people, hence if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all, but it happens sometimes. We all have coworkers who get on our nerves and having to work in such close quarters, nicknames allow you to speak of and vent about them when they are possibly near.

A couple that I utilized over my work history range from the person's last name or initials like "The NAG", or a physical descriptor like "Belly", "Shorty" or even "Red Face".  Now, of course, some may have some nicknames for me that are not that becoming, but I've never heard one yet.... I have been called "Precious" and I like that one!

If you would like to read more about "Nicknames in the Workplace" or if you want to confirm what nicknames you can use in the office or which ones to keep under wraps (inappropriate nicknames can spur lawsuits regarding discrimination!) give google a try.  I found that although I like my office nickname of "Precious" it is inappropriate and shouldn't be used.

Saturday Shopping Tip: Seeking Stylish Work Clothes

Banana Republic to the rescue...

Growing up, Saturdays meant hitting up the mall.  Me, my mom and my two aunties.  What fun we had - Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, Express, New York and Company, Ross, Marshalls, Old Navy and my then favorite Mervyns.  Is there a Mervyns around anymore - I know they closed the ones in my town.  Anyway - I am always on the quest for stylish work clothes, that can also double as going out weekend clothes.  Gone are the days when you had - work clothes, church clothes and weekend clothes.  If you do it right, you can pretty much mix and match for any occasion - within reason. 

Right now, my favorite store and website has to be Banana Republic because they are catering to working professionals.  Being the professional shopper that I am - I am signed up on most retail websites and get alerts literally every day!  But Banana Republic comes through each time.  Not only do they have great sales and discounts and but free shipping frequently too.  Their clothes really can transform from day to night - weekday to weekend!  Even if I don't buy anything new, their website gives me countless outfit ideas.  This is not just for ladies either - MEN - they have great business casual ideas for you too.  

So whether you are shopping your closet or actually spending the dollars - next time you seek out work attire ideas hit the Internet and hit up Banana Republic.com!