Regarding Gwen's posts...

I intended to respond to them yesterday but when the time I planned to do so arrived, I was beat. More on my day in a subsequent post. This one is dedicated to my thoughts on Gwen's thoughts. :)

As for calling you out, that's what this blog is all about. I expect others to do the same for me, too. Even though I hate it and is bound to make me feel all defensive, it's the only way to ensure I'm actually doing the things I say I'm going to do. It's easy for me to justify my actions to myself and give myself a "free pass" but excuses are just excuses when it comes to explaining myself to others. But big kudos to Gwen for posting her intentions and then following through and saying so. I think that's a good approach.

Social responsibility and giving back is a tough area for me too. I know I don't do enough. However, at this point in my life, I'm not beating myself up for it. Two main reasons. One...I have enough of my own problems that I just can't handle taking charge on some larger social issue. If I did, I'm bound to lose sight of what I need right now, which is the most important. Second...while I realize I'm lacking in giving back and paying it forward, and I want to improve on this, I recognize now is not the time. I've found that if I give myself too many goals, too many things to change about myself, I'm bound to fail at all of them. Instead, if I focus on one or two qualities/aspects, I'm more likely to succeed. Then, I can move on to something else. In short, I can't remake myself into the perfect me in one fell swoop. Right now, my focus is on getting healthier and getting a job. The rest...like cutting back on tv, or sleeping less or volunteering...I'm willing to forgive myself for not meeting my own standards in those areas. It will come, with time, after I've dedicated serious effort to the two things I want to fix in my life right now.

To be sure...this approach might not be for everyone and I promise not to judge anyone on how you want to tackle your self-improvement. I think if you feel strongly about repairing some part of your existence (i.e. social responsibility) then absolutely find a way to fit that into your current goals. In return, I promise to kick your ass about meeting your own standards. Deal? :)

To the question regarding Microsoft Office skills...I think using proficient is fine. You know how to use them for basic things and can figure anything else out. To me, proficient expresses a more-than-basic understanding which I think you have. My resume says "fluent" only because I've spent more hours than I'd ever like to know using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and, as a result, I can do just about anything. Should you do more practicing and get the books you could probably bump proficient to something higher. Make sense? I'm more than happy to read resumes and/or cover letters and provide feedback. Just holla.