Thursday, June 10, 2010

attitude improvements

I’ve experienced so many technical problems over the last few days that I actually considered hiring my own personal IT specialist (not really…but almost!)

For example:

  • Cell phone: stopped working for no reason at all
  • Internet: down for 3 full days with no explanation from AT&T
  • Desktop computer: too much to say…but it’s not pretty
  • Laptop computer: wouldn’t turn on, wouldn’t turn off, wouldn’t do anything
  • Camera: (practically brand new) randomly takes pictures before you press the button
  • SD memory cards: not 1, but 2 of our memory cards bit the dust…on the same day…with all our pictures still on them :(
If I could buy a T-shirt to express my feelings...this is the one I would want!

I could go on, but I’ll stop there for now!

Need-less-to-say, running a business out of my home with no cell phone, internet, computer, or camera can be a little…well, um...frustrating to say the least.

How did anyone survive without it all?

So last night I broke down; I had enough! I was on the phone with AT&T for about 35 minutes and FINALLY got the internet problem fixed, only to find that both our computers now had massive viruses because of the aforementioned faulty internet connection (sigh).

I was up until about 1:00am uninstalling programs, installing new anti-virus, and updating both computers. Thankfully the majority of our computer related problems seem to be on the mend. The cell phone and camera are yet to be determined!

As I worked on the computers (and watched the time tick on), I was REALLY feeling sorry for myself. And then I felt bad about feeling bad…and the whole cycle was worsened!

So, as I waited for uploads, downloads, reloads, etc; I searched my newly connected internet for a few ways to improve my attitude. And these are 5 that I really liked.

  1. Find a positive response to every situation. Yes, often my first response is negative; especially these last couple of days. But on a positive note, I wouldn’t even be able to run my business if computers, cell phones, and the internet didn’t exist. Yes, I have to maintain them and fix them…possibly throw them out the window and buy new ones, but at least they are available for my use!
  2. Act happy, even if you’re not. You don’t have to be happy all the time, but you can try to look happy. Interestingly, studies have shown that the more you act happy, the happier you will actually feel!
  3. Look for the good in other people. Rather than seeking to identify the negative traits in the people around you, look for the positive ones. (This was extremely difficult for me as I tried to explain my internet problem with the non-English-speaking AT&T representative…but we figured it out!)
  4. Drop the sarcasm. Sarcasm can be a lot of fun, but in the end, it’s just negativity wrapped up and packaged as a joke.
  5. Get plenty of rest and eat a good diet. Ok, I have the eating part under control…but I did chuckle to myself as I read the part about “plenty of rest” at 1:00am! I’m usually pretty good about getting at least 7 hours of sleep…and I do know that diet, exercise and rest make a HUGE difference in my attitude.
Now instead of my T-shirt...I'll try out this mug!

After last night, I think my husband would be very happy if I started implementing one or more of these ideas. I guess I have nothing to lose; and neither do you! Let’s try to add a little more positivity to our lives.

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2 Comments:

Blogger Rochelle said...

Sorry about your rough day(s). If you need/want to recover pics from your memory cards, go to Marks Photo on Division. I think it might be kind of pricey, but if you know there are some you really want, they might be able to help you. Also to help you in the future w/ memory cards, make sure you format your cards every once in awhile instead of just erasing. This will help get rid of the "extra data" you don't want, that can screw up your cards.
Is the memory card thing related to the computer issues? Maybe if you tried them on a different computer, they'd work??

June 10, 2010 at 1:54 PM  
Blogger Andrea Dekker said...

Thanks Rochell, great advice and good to know about the memory cards. I'll keep that in mind for future reference!

June 10, 2010 at 2:05 PM  

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