ClaireMolineaux.com

Life is messy. Sticky. Goopy. Some days, I feel I could run a cleaning business. Based on the number of hours spent washing, changing, tidying, scrubbing, folding, and wiping, I often feel that parenting is just one giant exercise in cleaning up. Before I had kids, my house was fairly clean. My car smelled fairly nice. My schedule was fairly organized. My life was – for the most part – under control. And control was the key. Control allowed me to manage my responsibilities. Control gave me the power to change my circumstances. I liked control. Actually, I loved control. As an ENTJ (the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment is spot on for me), it felt fulfilling to have a sense of control in my life. That’s why parenting was such a major adjustment. I suddenly lost control of so many variables – my time, my space, and even my feelings (Okay, why do Subaru commercials have to be so emotional? I think I cried at every single one of them when I was pregnant). In the early years of parent...

Some of the smartest people I know work in IT.  Think about it - folks who work with technology on a regular basis are just plain smart.  They seem to have an innate understanding of the way things work.  It makes me kind of jealous, actually. Think of the smartest person you know.   What does that person do?  Maybe it's not IT, but I bet you wish you knew what they know.  There's a lot to be gleaned from building relationships with people you respect for their understanding.   Here are the top 5 reasons you should surround yourself with people who are smarter than you: Elevate your knowledge base.  When you place yourself in circumstances where you'll learn new principles and ideas, you're bound to increase your understanding. Get a fresh perspective.  Have you ever outgrown your peer group?  It's actually a good thing.  You may find yourself excelling above your peers intellectually, socially, emotionally, or spir...

We've all had those moments.  Those times when, despite your best efforts, you just fall flat on your face.  And then you dust off and pretend it never happened.  Why?  Because, for whatever reason, it seems taboo to admit it happened.   Failure is a touchy subject.  Nobody wants to admit failure.  More importantly, nobody wants to accept failure.  You have a drive within to achieve better results, and most bosses, family members, friends, and significant others affirm that drive by expecting better results from you.  They certainly don't want to accept failure, so neither should you.  Right? It's funny how society seems to have formed this image of pseudo-perfection in daily living.  We put on a good face for the company.  And the neighbors.  And the church.  And the social networks.  When it all adds up, you're left with a self-image that appears, to the general public, to be perfection.  Only ...