Those Who Can't - Steal

Those who know me know that I'm not one to beat my own drum.

They also know that I'm not very crafty.  In fact, I went to a scrapbooking conference a few years ago, sitting at a table doing a page.  The teacher walked by and said "Are you happy with that?"  Well, I was until she said that.

Okay, to set up the story:  My oldest niece turned 12 recently and I wanted to do something special for her to celebrate this transition.  For a long time I have searched for a Project Life scrapbook focused on LDS Young Women with no luck.  For those of you that are not familiar with the LDS church programs, the Young Women's Program is a program for teens/tweens from 12 to 18 years old.  The program uses Sunday lessons, weekly activities, and a goal-setting program to help them develop into polished, accomplished, well-rounded, spiritually minded women.  They focus on values such as faith, knowledge, good works, and virtue.

One day, I had an epiphany.  I realized that with a bit of work I could use what was I could find out there to meet my own needs.  Despite what I can't do, I have learned that I can steal from the best - to find the good work of others and modify them for my own needs.

I found a site that gave free quote cards that accomplished each of the values done by an amazing designer, Colette Bomsta from My Computer Is My Canvas.  The cards were 4 x 6, designed for an inexpensive photo album.  I thought with my very limited Photoshop skills that I could modify the cards to create a "title" card then use the quote cards for the 3 x 4 slots.  I even got creative enough to "erase" the middle and create blank cards to use to write information.

This set had a title page for the theme.  But I wanted to add a picture of the medallion (that she can receive if she finishes the goal setting program) and a picture of the logo.  I used a second set from the same designer to pull out frames that I could use.

Finally, I wanted to create a section where I could have her take pictures of her classes each year (girls spend two years in each class).  I was able to pull from one of my FAVORITE sites - sugardoodle.net and again use my limited Photoshop skills to crop and paste a title card for each of the classes.  I then used another site - The Idea Door - to pull the background for the mission statements.

While I can certainly see the flaws in what I have done, I have to admit that I'm pretty happy with the results.  It's a labor of love and something that I hope she uses.  Even if she doesn't, this project was a testimony to me of a talent that I have been given from a loving Heavenly Father that I can use to bless the lives of others.  I wish I could create fabulous scrapbook pages or know how to put two different patterns together to make a beautiful design.  I am grateful to those that can.  But I can find a way to take your talents, modify them, and make them my own.

Project Life Album
http://www.amazon.com/Project-Life-Mini-Album-Ivory/dp/B00CICSS2U/ref=sr_1_11?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1385350447&sr=1-11&keywords=mini+album+becky+higgins

Medallion
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58379/Fostering-spiritual-growth-among-Latter-day-Saint-young-women.html

Young Women Torch
http://vector-magz.com/clip-art-2/young-women-clipart-item-1/

Medallion and Young Women Torch Background
http://mycomputerismycanvas.blogspot.com/2011/09/freebie-lds-yw-value-centerpieces.html

Beehive, MiaMaid, Laurel Title Cards
http://www.sugardoodle.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4899&Itemid=200004

Mission Statement Background
http://www.theideadoorfiles.com/index.php/81-young-women/printables/2000-yw-value-quote-4-x-6-booklet

Font - Papyrus

Quotes, Intro Page (Theme), Value Theme Cards
http://mycomputerismycanvas.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-quote-album-for-ldsyw.html

Blank cards!

My Back-to-School Prayer

It's back to school time.  I can't help myself but pick up some new markers, a pencil box - I've stopped with the notebooks as I have so many.  Autumn seems more "new year" than "New Year's" - it's a time I tend to recommit, refresh, think about new adventures.

Five of the seven nieces and nephews are already back to school this week.  One starts middle school (ugh) and the other four are in various grades in elementary.  The two toddlers are home I'm sure loving the extra time and attention.

It's days like these that I wish I were just a short drive away to be able to see them go and watch them come home with all the excitement a new school year brings.  The new kids, the changes to the school, how the new teacher is...all the brushstrokes that help paint what the new year is going to look like.  Each subsequent day adds joys and frustrations until another year is gone with new memories and lessons learned.

I hope they know that even though I'm far away, I do think of them and more importantly pray for them.  I pray for their success.  I pray they won't have problems and if they do have problems, I pray they can endure and be made stronger.  I pray they can find and keep good friends.  I pray for their physical and spiritual well being. 

One of my favorite scriptures is from Luke 2:52.  It's the only scripture that really talks about Christ from the time he was a young boy in the temple until He began His ministry.  In one succinct verse, we can find the foundation for our lives.

 

And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.

My sweet nieces and nephews - here is my prayer for each of you using these same four principles:


Lord, please help them to continuously increase in wisdom

• Study hard and well - school is your job. If you do your job well today, you'll likely ensure a better job when you are actually paid.
• Learn not just for today, but in a way that you'll remember things in the future.
• Grades are important as excellence can give you opportunities, but grades are based on a measurement that is sometimes unfair.  Do your very best - that's all we can ask.
• But, with all that - wisdom means stopping once in a while for re-creation.  So take time to have fun.  You'll likely not remember what you studied for the test, but will remember a special night with friends.
• Learn from others - both good and bad.  Sometimes the best lessons you can learn is by watching how NOT to do something.  
• Listen to your elders.  They are smarter than they look (especially me)! 
• Try new things whenever you have an opportunity - sports, art, music, food.  You probably won't be very good or love everything, but trying it you'll know what you love, what you appreciate that someone else can do well (even if you can't), and know what you just don't like.  Being well-rounded is becoming less of a skill in a world that is expecting you to specialize at 12 years old.
• Keep a scrapbook and write things down - the shortest pencil is better than the best memory.
• Wisdom and knowledge are different things.  Wisdom is how you apply that knowledge to your life.  Knowing something and living the something make all the difference in your character.

Lord, please bless them that they will increase in stature (but not too quickly, they are still my babies...)

• Your body is truly a temple.  You wouldn't pollute the inside or outside of the temple with junk - the same applies to your body.
• It's important to get enough sleep, eat right and get exercise (that goes for me too).  Not so you can look good, but so that you can feel good and never limit yourself in what you are able to do.
• Learn the rules of sports and even try to play a few of them.  One of my greatest gifts in maneuvering the male-dominated business world is that I understand most sports and can have a conversation with a group of guys about it. 
• Don't grow up too fast - once you start wearing makeup, press your jeans, spend hours on your hair - you can't go back and the maintenance stinks.
• What you wear really is important - but not in the "I need $150 pair of jeans to look good" kind of way.  You are judged by how you are dressed.  So always dress appropriately for the occasion and dress your body respectfully.
• Use sunscreen - seriously - use sunscreen.  I don't want any of you getting cancer when you could have avoided it with a five minute process.

Lord, please help them increase in favor with Thee

• I believe like all good parents God is most happy when all of His children are happy.  The greatest lessons you'll ever learn and joys you will ever have probably begin when you helped someone else
• God never moves, but we usually do.  He listens, He loves, He cares - even when we make mistakes.  He's there when you are in a hotel room a thousand miles from home, in a tent in the mountains, in a place you shouldn't be, even in the car driving home from a bad day from work.  Just open your mouth and your heart.
• Despite what people tell you and even the lessons in church, it isn't always easy to choose the right and good things don't always happen when you make the right choice.  You may get an F when the cheaters get the A; if you wait until your sixteen and miss the prom, all the disobedient fifteen year olds won't die like in Carrie.  But God makes up for it in ways you don't realize until much later.
• Take in the gospel messages where you can - the scriptures, church, family home evenings, etc.  It may all honestly start to sound the same - and the messages don't change a whole lot even when you are my age.  But, the times when things are darkest, one of those simple things you learned will ignite the room.
• Sometimes things just don't make sense - but trust that gut or that little voice that has more wisdom than you do.
• There are times God really doesn't care what choice you make when it's not vital to your eternal salvation.  It doesn't mean He doesn't listen or care about you - He just knows you are smart enough to make your own decisions.

Lord, give them the opportunities to increase in favor with men

• You'll likely have very few true friends in life - if you do, treasure those people.  Even the most popular people at school probably have many acquaintances, but only a handful of people they can be fun and honest with.
• Finding good friends and being a good friend are two very important skills.  The second is more important; if you master that, the first will come naturally.
• The most important people to be kind to are usually the hardest - your family.  But they are nearly always the ones that will be there when everyone else is gone.
• Say "Please" and "Thank You" - it goes a long way and is vital even when you are an adult
• Smile at everyone - the scared new kid at school, the angry clerk at the store, the frustrated teacher.  Nearly everyone is hurting from something these days.  A simple smile lets them know the world is still a decent place
• You can become an instant hero by opening doors for people - especially seniors and those with heavy packages in their hands. 
• In this day of anonymous communication, it still hurts when you make fun of someone or use unkind words - even if you don't know who they are.  Be kind even in random chat rooms.
• Listen.  We all have so much to say, but we learn more when we close our mouths.

I love you so much and want you to be the very best children, brothers, sisters, neighbors, friends, cousins, grandchildren, students, nieces and nephews you can be.  Know that your Aunt Heather thinks and prays for you all the time in faraway places at strange times.

Strikes, Softies, and Sermons

My oldest nephew has a passion for electronics.  The kid is a wizard with computers and can find anything he is interested in online.  When he was in preschool, the school was held in a elementary school building.  One day, the school's computer went down during an assembly.  They came to the preschool and took my five-year-old nephew down to fix it!

One challenge with this gift is that he can become nearly obsessed with electronics.  If there are any electronics around, he just isn't able to keep his hands off the device.  Because of this, his parents have to limit the amount of time he spends on them.  And the computer time is used both as a reward and consequence for bad behavior.

When I go to visit him, of course, I normally have my Nook and phone.  If I forget to put passwords or locks on the devices, I oftentimes can find my suitcase and purse ransacked and my nephew in a corner playing on them.  Now, unless he's downloading something I have to pay for, I don't mind so much.  He gets a lot of pleasure doing what he wants.  

However, when he does this without asking, he breaks a house rule - no taking things without asking - and will get a strike.  One strike is usually enough to prevent it from happening again, but three will cause him to lose all computer time for the day.  I respect his parent's rules and know these rules are for his own good.

If I catch him, I usually will scold him a bit and tell him to turn it off because he is going to get a strike.  That's usually enough to stop him.  It may seem a little sneaky to not tell his parents.  But, I'm a softy aunt that hates seeing him in trouble.  If I can make a little course correction quickly and privately, it's usually done.

How many of us are lucky enough to have people in our lives that help us course correct?  Do we have good friends, family members, ward members that can say things in a way that helps us to change what we are doing right now into a way that's better?  Or better yet, helps us to be obedient in the first place?

Just like my nephew's parents rules, our Heavenly Father gives us rules to keep us safe and happy. And, whether we choose to obey or disobey, there is always a consequence - good or bad.  If my nephew obeys, he gets computer time; if he doesn't, no matter how sorry he is, the punishment is fixed.  Our Heavenly Father, in order to be just, must follow the same path.

Unlike the exchange between my nephew and me, we never truly escape from the consequences of our actions.  We may not have an immediate tangible consequence, but we always displease our Heavenly Father when we make mistakes.  But, fortunately, because of the Atonement and the mercy of our Heavenly Father, we are able to repent and move forward.  

I was thinking about the upcoming General Conference- a semiannual gathering of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where people can receive inspiration and instruction from Church leaders.  At the beginning of the year, I started reading the talks from the last general conference.  Each talk gives insight into areas of my life where I need to make improvements and changes.  

This year, I'm planning to view conference a little differently.  I want to think of general conference as a time where the leaders can pull me aside, like a softy aunt, and remind me that there are areas of my life where I am either doing something where I could "get a strike" if I'm not watchful.  , or worse, letting me know I have strikes from what I'm already doing and find my way back.

I hope all of you will join me - whether or not you are of my faith.  There are many ways to watch or listen. There is something we all can learn from the words of these inspired leaders who speak with love.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/invite-others?lang=eng

Dear Reality Show Producers...

I'm an admitted fan to reality shows.  I have watched them ever since the early days of The Real World.  Do you remember when this revolutionary show was about putting six truly different people together and watching them try to survive in their environment?   They had to get real jobs (not fake ones where they got a bonus if they showed up - gag), adapt to the culture shock of a big city, and learn from people you wouldn't normally associate with.

I am your core audience.  But, even I am beginning to wane.  You've moved so far from your base concepts that it's hard to remember when you too were interesting like The Real World.

To all of you, here is some words of advice:

1- Do not forget that the shows that get the most audience are FAMILY shows.  When your show neglects to support family values, families stop watching.

So many families have shared good times in front of the television watching amazing performances and cheering on their favorites.  But, the myth of Hollywood is that pushing the envelope will get ratings.  It doesn't work.  Go back to having family values and the families will come back:

Dancing with the Stars - Admittedly, things have improved on this show from the "sexiest night in television" with the Rumba and Samba on the same night (although Bruno needs a muzzle sometimes).  But, I think you probably have money in the budget to buy more fabric for the women's outfits.  And seriously, telling a teenager that she needs to be "more sexy"?  I have an eleven-year-old niece that likes ballroom dancing - she doesn't need to hear that garbage!  The sexualization of our young girls is a huge problem and it's comments like that which contribute to the problem

Amazing Race - love this show, one of my favs.  But last season, you let people that "stole" money have no consequences to their actions - they nearly won $1 million dollars.  What's next - throwing away competitor's passports or slashing taxi tires?  When six year old kids know something is wrong, how can dozens of adult producers not?

2 - Shows stop being "reality" when you producers set up the situations.  Then it just becomes a science experiment looking under a microscope.  And most of us hated science in high school (not me, Mrs. Seydel, but lots of other people...).

I got totally dissolutioned when I watched The Hills where two warring groups of people "ran into" each other at the same restaurant in L.A.  Well, I live in a small town in Idaho.  And, I have people who live in my home town that I only see at class reunions every five or ten years, not at McDonald's every other week.  So, the odds of "enemies" picking the same restaurant on the same day at the same time in Los Angeles?  Right...

Jon & Kate plus Eight - lost me when you went to Disney World.  While the long drive there was on par, once they got to Florida, the Disney people pulled out the red carpet.  The kids went on any ride they wanted, got a huge gift basket and they had their own private everything.  That ain't reality - let's see how the kids do standing in the 40-minute line or walking through the dozens of gift shops with a cornucopia of toys.  That's what REAL parents have to face.  (This goes DOUBLE for the Duggars - trips to NYC or Asia where everything runs like clockwork, all the people are uber-friendly, and no expense is spared!)

Real Housewives - Really?  Who invites your mortal enemy to a party or a once in a lifetime trip to the North Pole?  I wouldn't invite good friends on this kind of adventure because people have kids & responsibilities, it's ridiculously expensive, and more importantly, we'd drive each other nuts.  This show was so much more interesting when you watch the women at their jobs, with their kids, etc.

3 - While people talk about the fighting on your shows at the water cooler, people are really not as interested as you think.  It does work, but it's like taping the broken windshield wipers in a hurricane.

I'll admit that I talk about a show the next day with people that are fans.  We shake our heads at some of the things.  But, after time, you hear the tone "Oh, yeah - she's at it again (yawn)" or "I can't stand that guy - it's getting so old".

The Apprentice - this show used to be about the tasks, not the tempers.  I loved watching the teams try to pull of the impossible and create something amazing from scratch.  Now, nearly half the show is devoted to in-fighting.  It wears on you week after week.  (By the way - HATE that you brought back Omarosa - I don't care if it's an act or not, if it improves ratings or not - no one who represents herself like that should get an audience.)

The Bachelor - STOP casting the "witchy villian" and bring back more "wholesome virgins".  Seriously, we are all smart enough to see that these vixens are purposedly cast to create drama (everyone except for the idiot who actually picked one in the end).  The premise of the show itself is drama - watching love, heartbreak, etc. I don't need to spend time watching some girl who wants a tabloid contract act like a ho, spread venom,  and continue her reign week after week (I'm sure due to coaching producers).

4 - Product Placement should be like ordering fresh lobster at a fancy restaurant - seen and not heard!

The Biggest Loser - these limp-o-mmercials look like a junior high drama class (imagine this exchange slow, with constant looks at a teleprompter, and every other syllable said with a higher pitch):

• "Wow, I, I, I am hun-gry.  (Long pause as he forgets and then quickly remembers to rub stomach) I won-der if there is an-y-thing to eat."
• "Boy, they have been work-ing us hard.  Whew.  (Wipes off invisible sweat) I sure do wish I could have some ap-ple pie."
• "Me too, in-sert name, I mean, Jack.  I could sure use a treat."
• "Where can we find some-thing that is low, low cal-o-rie but tast-y too?"  (Trainer enters with a lame smile, holding product facing the camera.  Extreme closeup of product.)  
• "Hey, have you tried new Ap-ple I-pie?  It is a new phone app that al-lows you to scratch and sniff your fav-or-"I"te fla-vors."  (Everyone hovers over the phone with overly dramatic facial expressions and head nods)
• "Wow, Trai-ner Mike, that smells great."
• "Smells just like ma-ma's kitch-en."
• "Now, let's get back to work.  Eve-ry-one rea-dy to run fif-teen miles?"
• "Great!" (all smile)

Top Chef - same dialogue.  Just change eating to driving and replace the product with a Ford Fissle.

Ugh, it's painful to watch and you see it more and more.  Listen, I worked in marketing for eight years.  I know the importance of getting product noticed.  But, are people really buying diet food and cars because of these Cub Scout melodramas?  Just buy some dang airtime and use some brilliant out-of-work creative people to come up with a real commercial (or the ones who do the Doritos ads for the Super Bowl)!

5 - Talent Shows are about having a talent, not a sob-story.

That sounds harsh.  I have loved some of the heart-warming tales I have seen on these shows.  We all want to root for the underdog.  But, as my dad says "What does being homeless have to do with how you dance?"  I am growing so weary of the phrase "I deserve it because I've worked so hard to get here."  So, the contestant with good parents and friends that practiced every day didn't work just as hard as the guy who needed rehab because he was addicted to Pudding Pops and lost his right pinky finger in a tragic 4H milking accident ?

Even celebrities with all their fame are exploited this way.  We've all cringed in a season where someone keeps staying on a show where they clearly aren't talented to do so (I'd insert something about dumb voting processes - but another day).

And, you can see it's becoming so important that people are actually making up stories just to "move on".  Remember Timothy Poe on America's Got Talent who made up a story about being in a war hero?  I'm now starting to get suspicious of all these people with terrible life histories.

Let the talent be the main story.

6 - Finally, if it ain't broke, DON'T BREAK IT.  And don't spin it off.

American Idol - This was my favorite show.  Now I can't stand to watch it.  The new judges are awful - especially Nicki Minaj. She is completely inappropriate (seriously, bleeping a judge on a family show?)  And, Mariah needs a better tailor as everything is falling out of her clothes.  Focusing on just modern songs or way out there songs is a mistake.  The great part of the show was watching these kids spread their vocal wings and try out classics and different genres.  P.S.  Check out your ratings...

Survivor gets an exception to the "Don't Change" rule.  I would love to sit in the producers room watching them wring their hands like Snidley Whiplash or Boris Badenof coming up with new and sinister ways to shake up the game (if you don't know the references - check out 70's cartoons!).  This show has "survived" (no pun intended) because they are constantly changing the format.  Players are never truly comfortable and never truly out of it.

And, do we really need to watch celebrities learn to kayak, shoe horses, and knit?  Will there be a Housewives of Laramie, Wyoming where they fight over milk prices and county fair pie contests?  Stop already!


I'm sure the suggestions will go on deaf ears, but then again, the voices of hundreds of other channels and Net Flicks are already drowning you out!  Your "reality check" is coming fast.

Dissatisfied -

Heather Rich

Whoa, We're Half-Way There...

A few years ago, I was in a bad spot career-wise.  I had come near to losing my job through a mistake.  The department I worked in was lacking leadership.  We were low on resources and even lower on morale.  The only bright spot was that I was two years from a $20,000 payoff.  It was at that point that I tried to find any way to track the time. 

One of the things I discovered is that today is a special day.  If I retire at 65 (given the state of our economy and national debt, that's a big IF), today represents the half way point of my working career.  It's honestly a little depressing to think that I've only half way done.  At the same time, I'm astounded at how quickly the time has passed.  There are the usual regrets we all have with experience.  But, I'm in awe of everything I have accomplished and become.

I believe I was truly inspired to choose Business.  When I graduated from college, I had spent my life learning how to have a career, but never believing I'd actually have to get a real job.  I always thought I'd be married by the time I graduated from college.  I mentally never prepared to have to work.  I didn't consider any options like graduate school, resumes, or interviews.  I came home and hit a wall - I hadn't thought of any goals beyond schooling since I was five years old.  Thankfully, I had an understanding family.

My mom was working at Melaleuca and offered to get me an interview.  I didn't even know really how to interview.  I remember it didn't go very well. My last interview was with Steve Coggin and I remember telling him that my college education prepared me for all aspects of the business world.  He humbled me when he said that after 25 years in the business world, he certainly couldn't say that. 

Thankfully, he gave me a chance and I started at Melaleuca as the company's first forecaster.  I had a small desk in a small office shared with seven other people.  I remember having to go back to BYU and buy an operations book to reeducated myself on operation terms like MRP, cost accounting, and basic forecasting.

I learned so much that first couple of years from a wonderful boss - Tim Transtrum.  He helped educate me in so many ways.  When he left, I took over his position.  I made so many mistakes as a first time boss.  I wish I could go back and do it over knowing what I know now.  That time in my life was filled with laughs, huge stresses of a company growing beyond it's capacity, and long days and nights.

The time came that I needed to move on to help forward my career.  I moved to be the manager of the collections department.  It required moving buildings - while it was just a few blocks away, it felt like it was half way around the world - new environment, new dress code.  In one short year, I learned that I never ever want to supervise a call center. 

Fortunately, I was able to move on to Finance.  I would consider this time probably my favorite cumulative working years.  We worked very hard, but had so much fun (unless we were stapling papers for SELC - which was more often than we'd like!).  At the time, the finance team had their hands in everything so we were maybe a bit cocky, but we accomplished a lot in that time.  And my favorite Halloweens were spent with that team.

I was asked to move on to a project to launch a new system.  It was supposed to take six months, but lasted nearly three years.  We were a small team of four.  I consider it my attempt at speaking tongues - working as a translator between users and developers needs.

It was finally time to move on and I chose International - the department I still work in today.  I started at first with operations helping with budgets, IT issues, etc.  Then I was asked to be the International Marketing manager.  Marketing is where I always wanted to be so I was thrilled to move on.  I held that job for eight years.  With the growth of the number of markets and number of products, we nearly doubled in responsibilities.  I was involved in many major projects and learned where my strongest skills are.

This last year, I have bounced to two different jobs.  I moved to Regulatory to basically fill a hole needed while we launched Germany and then now to my current position as International Inventory Control Manager - kinda full circle. 

Most people change companies and even careers several times in this time.  While I never expected to be still in Idaho Falls and especially at the same company for this long, you can see I have somewhat of Career ADD.  I've been fortunate to work somewhere that has allowed me to move around a lot to gain a unique skill set.

I only expected to work a couple of years and then maybe back to school or another company.  Even professionally, I hoped to be at a different point than where I am.  But, I guess very few of us have the lives we expected to have.  I have truly been blessed with what I have been able to do, the people I have been able to meet, the places I have been able to go.  I look through photos of friends I'm still in contact with and places I never thought I'd see - like Shanghai or Taipei 101 or the rolling hills of England.

Thank you to those who have mentored me - I learned so much from you.  To those who worked for me, I'm so sorry for all the mistakes I made and hope the good was better than the bad.  For those co-workers who have remained my friends, I appreciate what a blessing you are in my life.

I have spent more time in the walls of Melaleuca than some convicted killers spend in prison.  I have laughed until I've almost cried (even last week).  I have been angry enough to kick through a wall (hey, I even did that once, but I wasn't angry - we were just tearing down the wall and I thought it would be fun).  I have cried so many tears - of anger, embarrassment, frustration, true sadness, and even happiness.

I am a different person than the person who walked in the door 21 years ago.  I certainly have less hair, more greys, deeper wrinkles, and more around the middle.  But, hopefully, I'm better.  I am more outgoing, have a broader view of people and the world, and am more confident.  I can work on the second half of my career to balance kindness and candor, to be kinder to those that can't necessarily advance my career, and to wait before responding.

Here are some key lessons I have learned:

• Having a large rolodex of contacts is more important than what position you hold.
• If your gut tells you not to wear jeans and a T-shirt (even if the dress code allows it), follow it!  That's the day you'll be asked to meet with the CEO.
• Even though women say they want to be treated like the guys, I have an immense amount of respect for men that carry luggage and open doors.
• Learn to say "I don't know, but I'll find out" and "I messed up".  These phrases have gotten me further than most anything else.
• Always bring your own snacks and medicine when you travel internationally.  You won't know which is which when you are at a Korean 7-11 with a sweet tooth and bronchitis.
• Write down your best stories from work.  They are still funny after years of time. 
• You take on the smell of your environment - even if you aren't aware of it.  So, beware if you work anywhere that uses camphor.
• Physical inventories are useless.  But, if you can get a trip to Knoxville's NASCAR park with the rednecks, it's almost worth it.
• Never smell perfume at full strength.  It'll burn your nose hairs.
• If you are the baby of the office, be careful - one day, you will be that "old" person who is shaking their heads when they discover the new guy wasn't even born yet when you started working!
• Kangaroo tastes like beef.
• Women shouldn't cry at work, but if everyone did that more, I think the work environment would be better.
• A clean desk is highly overrated. 
• Take time when you travel to do something fun - even if it's just eating spicy chicken wings so your lips go numb.  You never know if you'll ever be back there again.
• Doing a Brady Bunch dance does not guarantee you'll win the Halloween prize for best group.  But you'll make other people laugh
• You don't have to be friends with co-workers, but it certainly makes the day go much better.
• Take opportunities to work with and meet multiple people.  The guy you play softball with can help you in ways you never realized.
• British food is awful, but their desserts are phenomenal; Asian desserts, on the other hand, are terrible (if you can even find any), but their food is really good if you can handle the spice.
• Send notes to people - they'll remember them longer than even a financial reward.
• If people really want your opinion, give it to them - in a kind way.  It's appreciated when the same thing comes your way.
• Filing was created by Satan.
• If people don't have a job where they are personally missed if they are not there, they will find a way to not show up.
• If you let people know you are annoyed if they pull a practical joke on you, it guarantees they will do it again and again.
• Never ask a blind man for a driver's license.
• Always ask the question "How do other people, companies, departments accomplish this?"  I have found workarounds so many times by not accepting that things are the way they are.
• Finally, at the end of the day, ask yourself:  "Based on what I accomplished today, would I hire me?"

I hope the next half of my career brings me joy, success, and especially the friendships that I have had for the first part of my life.  Thanks for sharing this with me.