By: Shelly Sobol
Our office has a wonderful mix of staff. We have employees that are currently enrolled through Florida State University, working towards additional degrees. There are also staff members currently shipping their youngsters and teenagers off to school the past few weeks. And if you’re like me, caught in between those milestones, then you’re whizzing past traffic and long lines avoiding the college students coming back to Tallahassee.
But if you don’t need new class items (by the way mom, if you’re reading this- I’d totally love this solar power backpack) and you’re not buying them for your little ones… how do you get excited about this time of year? For students, back to school ushers in a sense of excitement with the idea of something new is around the corner: new friends, new wardrobe, new technology, the works! How do we transfer that feeling to some who only view this time of year as 3rd and 4th quarter? Moreso, how do we get them pumped so that we can prepare for 2016?
New Friends: Life feeling a little bland? Change it up by joining a club like Toastmasters, gym class, or something you’ve 
been afraid to try like rock climbing. Just like our associations, membership is the lifeblood of these smaller groups- so I promise they won’t turn you away. They want new people there to share their passions with. So sign up, and introduce yourself to some new people. Spend time with these new friends and get outside of our comfort zone. You never know where that path may lead you to- new job, new mentor, new significant other even!
New Wardrobe: My mother engrained in me the following quote “If you look good, you feel good.. if you feel good, you do good”. Maybe kids get new clothes because they’re still growing.
But maybe there’s something deeper. Building confidence by means of fashion may give them the confidence to try harder on that math test. No different than adults wearing a nice suit or something bright for an important presentation. So I encourage you this season to buy some new clothes or accessories that inspire you; it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Try to find a new tie, empowering lipstick, or watch that makes you excited to start the day.
New Technology: There are whole websites dedicated to awesome technology out there as well as apps that can help you do just about anything. But for streamlining your professional life, I have to say that IFTTT is a fantastic tool- available for Google and Apple devices. The name stands for “If This Then That”- basically a generic computer code. This website and application allows you to create “recipes” for just about anything. Examples include:
-Mute my Android device when I get to the office & turn on vibrate (IF I arrive at a location, THEN turn off my device)
–Every day at 6 AM, add today’s weather report to my calendar (IF it’s 6am, THEN send me a weather report)
–Share new WordPress post to your Facebook Page (IF I create an awesome new blog, THEN automatically post to Facebook)
The only type of recipe I would encourage to not use for those handling social media either personally or professionally, are ones that replicate text/information across several platforms (ie. IF I post a photo to Instagram, THEN share it to Twitter). There’s nothing worse than seeing the exact same content across the board. Remember to change the text, images, and times of posting when you can when posting on social media sites if you must share cross platform.
I hope this post inspires you in the next few weeks to shake things up and create a new driving force for the last part of the year. You only need a little spark to start a fire. What will yours be?
