Happy Wednesday, friends! I was listening to a podcast earlier this week got my wheels spinning. The podcast host said that “we have a moral obligation to be happy.” That quote really resonated with me – whether at home or in the workplace, practicing positivity has always been something that I strive for in my personal life. In fact, it’s one of my major pet peeves when pessimistic people ruin the mood. I would much rather surround myself with happy people – than with people who constantly remain in a negative state of mind.
Work Wisdom
This got me thinking about ways to extend this into the workplace. Yes, sometimes you have to be firm – and sometimes you have to push back on people and projects, but I strongly believe that there is always room to assume – and to give off positive intent. I’m in a weird position at work. I’m trying to knock off as many projects as I can before I know that I’ll be leaving my team for maternity leave. Admittedly, it’s left me a bit stressed – and a bit scattered. So, when I heard that quote earlier this week, it helped put things back into perspective for me. While I can’t control the amount of work I get done – or all of these doctor appointments I have to go to – I can control how I treat others. And, to me, that counts for something. There is a way to be positive (read: happy) and professional (think about those times when it’s appropriate to push back).
There is one person in particular at work that I constantly struggle with. This person doesn’t even know that they are like this. In fact, many people have said: “that’s just the way so and so is.” It bothers me a bit because I feel like every interaction is met with resistance – or obstacle after obstacle. It puts me in a mood to deal with someone I perceive as pessimistic. And I don’t want to be that person. Where everyone has to go behind my back making excuses for my behavior. That’s why, I’m a believer in this whole “happiness is a moral obligation” concept. It’s something that I”m going to try my best to embrace over these next few months.
So, there’s my work wisdom for ya’ll today. It can double as life wisdom as well, and I plan to carry it into my personal life.
How I”m feeling
This week has been physically tough on me. My body has been feeling a lot of the aches and pains of growing a human. I’ve been extra tired – and honestly just doing my best. And sometimes my best has meant going to bed pretty early, shutting off my computer at the end of the day when I’m supposed to and really listening to my body when it needs to slow down. It’s been a jam-packed short week, so I’m mentally a bit tired as well. This is one of the things they don’t tell you about pregnancy – you really need to have some good mental stamina to push through to the end. Getting out in this beautiful weather and getting some slower steps in has been such a lifesaver when I start to feel overwhelmed.
Recent Eats
This brings me to my next part of this post, which is recent eats. My doctor wants me to gain a bit more weight than I have been. Now, I certainly haven’t been watching the scale, and I’m definitely not depriving my body of food. But, I do need to up my food intake by the equivalent of a protein shake or smoothie every day. So, here are some recent eats I’ve been enjoying.
This is a rotisserie chicken salad sandwich, with a spicy/sweet pickle and some spicy chips!
I’ve clearly been all about the sandwiches lately. I made a fresh batch of egg salad last week, and I topped it with some relish! So simple and so delicious.
And this was a black bean veggie burger that I pulled out of my freezer. I topped it with some spinach and some jalapeño mustard. These black bean patties are from Costco, and they have a good amount of fiber and a good amount of protein.
For an afternoon snack, I’ll make a protein smoothie. This one has spinach, banana, frozen mango, ice, almond milk and some protein powder.
Leftovers have also been coming in clutch for lunch. I made chili on Monday night, and I had a ton leftover, so I heated up some leftovers for lunch yesterday.
This was another plate of leftovers. I really need to share this meatball recipe. It’s a new-to-me meatball recipe, and I’ll be adding it into the rotation. It made enough meatballs that I was able to reheat for leftovers the following day for lunch.
And finally, while I still have my granola yogurt bowls for breakfast during the week, I’m back to switching up my breakfasts during the weekend. This was an egg sandwich with some cheddar cheese and avocado topped with Everything But the Bagel seasoning. So good!
So, I’ll leave you with that today. Remember, happiness is a moral obligation – and if it matters to no one else, it should matter to you! Carry it with you in your work place – and your personal lives.
