New Year New Outlook

John Ploetz

18 Jan, 2016

What is different with the coming of the New Year? The weather hasn’t changed. In fact, it’s even a bit colder. No nothing has really changed. So why is the anticipation of the New Year such a positive event? It seems everyone looks forward to it. But, then when it arrives no one knows what to do with it. Here are some thoughts on what the New Year really means to us.

1. It’s a clean slate for us. We can use the New Year to start over; we can toss aside things we didn’t complete or no longer want to complete. It’s a time to begin a fresh start.

2. It gives us a chance to look forward. All of a sudden we have an entire year to think about. We don’t need to look back. We are focused on looking ahead.

3. It’s a time to set new goals. Which goals you set are up to you. The key is that it’s a time when we think about change. We are willing to embrace new ideas; and we even take steps to change our lifestyle.

4. We start new things. It’s all about embracing the “new”. We’re willing to get rid of the old and take on new challenges. We are reborn.

5. We get back to a regular routine. With the holidays come stress. Our pace picks up; we enter a chaotic time in our lives; we pack more events in and see more people in a shorter period of time, than we do during the entire rest of the year. Now that that is over and the New Year has arrived, we can turn our life’s volume back down. Now that the added events and chaos are all over we can get back to our regular schedule.

6. We can be ourselves. The lofty expectations we place on ourselves, trying to be who we think we should be and who we think others want us to be, fall away. We can just be ourselves and we don’t have to worry about what others think.

7. We have nothing to worry about. For a brief time, we can live in a vacuum. We have no expectations nothing to focus on but our day to day schedule. It can be refreshing to be worry free.

Maybe the new year is about developing quality time to be ourselves. Why does it seem that the we allow the pressures in life to build as the year progresses? Maybe this year will be different. Right now we have a clean slate to fill in how we want. What are we waiting for?

When Opportunity Knocks

John Ploetz

21 Dec, 2015

There’s the old saying that a new door opens when another door closes. But how do you know whether a new door has actually opened and whether you should actually walk through that new doorway to whatever lies beyond. Sometimes real opportunities are difficult to assess. You need to take time to ask yourself the right questions to decide whether a true opportunity is knocking.

1. Will this opportunity meet my current goals? First you must know your current goals. If you don’t, then take a little time to think about what they are. Make sure you have your current goals in mind when looking at possible opportunities. Decide how this potential opportunity will help you meet those goals.

2. Is the opportunity something that really interests me today? No matter how great an opportunity seems, if it isn’t something of interest to you, something you can be passionate about doing, then it isn’t the right fit for you at the moment.

3. Am I being realistic or idealistic? Look at the opportunity for what it is. Don’t make it into something that it isn’t. If you get caught up in dreaming about what it should be rather than what it really is, then you will become disappointed with the “opportunity” very quickly.

4. Is the time right for this opportunity? Realizing opportunities is truly a timing thing. Is it the right time in your life to take on this opportunity? No time is perfect, but all things considered does it feel right.

5. What can I handle at this point in time? Look at your whole life picture. Are family and kids taking up your spare time? Are you taking care of aging parents? Are other needs taking up more and more of your time? Can you juggle this new opportunity with your current obligations?

6. Will I have time left for me? There is always the need for “me” time. Make sure you aren’t going to overwhelm your life by taking on more than you can realistically handle. Don’t lose your own inner peace by stretching too far beyond your own comfort zone.

7. Am I being honest with myself? By taking this opportunity will I be going in a direction I ultimately want to go. Is it a positive step for me?

8. Does this opportunity fit with my priorities? We all have a set of priorities that guide us through our life. Yes, these priorities change from time to time. A true opportunity will meet one or more of your current priorities.

9. Am I using this opportunity as a surrogate? Am I taking on this opportunity to fix something else that I’m unhappy with in my life. Taking on this opportunity won’t solve other unrelated problems in your life. Don’t look for an opportunity to solve unrelated issues in your life.

10. Should I pass up the opportunity? It’s always OK to turn down an opportunity if you don’t feel comfortable. Don’t force an opportunity to fit if it just isn’t going to work.

Just because you come across something doesn’t mean it is an opportunity for you at this moment in time. Perceived opportunities come and go. Real opportunities are all about the right fit at the right time.

The Trouble with Beignets

John Ploetz

23 Nov, 2015

We all have those special treats that we just can’t resist. No matter how much we try to block them from our mind, they continually seep back into our thought process. No, we just can’t shake the thought of indulging in those certain treats. Eventually we succumb to the guilty pleasure of that treat and once again indulge.

For awhile I hadn’t been overcome by the desire of a new treat. Sure there were the familiar old friends: the fast food craving of sliders, the big mac attack from time to time, the large strawberry-banana smoothie fixation, or that special crème filled frosting coated long john desire; just old friends that from time to time would reappear. But I really hadn’t come across any new treat fixations until, on a recent trip out of town, I encountered one such treat: beignets.

When I first saw them on a menu board, I didn’t know what they were. I wasn’t even sure how to pronounce them. As I learned quickly they were pronounced with a nasal “n” and a silent “t”, sort of like “beret” but with an “n”. They were local fare; and I immediately became intrigued. When you’re traveling you are supposed to check out the local fare; and so I decided to place an order of the sweet doughy sensation in a bag. That would begin my weeklong interaction/obsession with the doughy delights.

The problem with beignets is that you’re always chasing that first delectable laced memory moment; that first instant when you bit into one. That mixture of warm, no hot, dough surrounded by the powdered sugar that encases your mouth as you bite down. Each time that you start eating a beignet you want to compare your experience to the moment you first enjoyed the delicate flavors of one. Yet the experience is never the same. You try to compare: this beignet is warmer than that beignet; this order has more powdered sugar; that beignet was more fully coated with sugar; I had to shake the bag this time; the last time I opened the bag they were completely coated; or these beignets were colder than normal.

Each day when I ordered my beignets my mood was a little different. This added another layer to my beignet eating experience.

“How did I want to eat them today?” I’d ask myself.

Mouth over the bag breathing in the sweet dusty smell of the powder sugar and steamy dough like a horse with a feed bag. Or did I want to be messy today, and pull each beignet from the bag separately and let the splashes of powdered sugar cascade down the front of my shirt onto the floor in front of me as I slowly consumed each one.

Each morning and most afternoons I’d find myself at the counter placing an order.

“Could I have three Beignets, please.”

And the reply was always, “Do you want one order of three or three orders of three.”

I always hesitated each time I ordered, wondering if I should go with three orders of three; but ultimately I realized what made them so irresistible was the warm freshness that gave off a subtle sugary smell. There was a short window of time in which to enjoy their peak freshness. Also, in a strange way I enjoyed the feeling when I finished the order, of always wanting more. No, more at one sitting wasn’t necessarily better. That, and I knew I’d always be back for one more order.

No, the experience of eating a beignet is never the same. Yet still I try to compare, in my mind each eating attempt to the first time, no wait to the last time I ate one. Well, until my next beignet I will just have to try to remember the moment and settle for pumpkin pie. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!