My Values vs My Life - Am I aligned

I have been struggling the last couple of years. I have been dealing with a lot of surprises and conflict, but I also feel like I am not in sync with where I should be.

So a website popped up, and I thought I would take the quiz to see where my values lie and whether I am currently living according to them. The Value Bridge, created by Suzy Welch, professor at NYU Stern School of Business and creator of the Becoming You methodology, seemed like one of those personality quizzes that are all over the place, like Myers-Briggs and the Big Five. This one appealed to me because it focused on values, an area where I think I have experienced a lot of discomfort. So, I figured, what the heck, let’s give it a shot.

So I took the quiz. These are the results.

These are my core values in stack rank order. Interesting. Helping the world and helping individual people are tied for first place. That actually kind of fits. But I got my alignment and I am out of whack.

This makes sense. At my previous job, I felt like I was contributing to improving the world until I no longer did. Now, I am helping, but I don’t feel like I’m making a significant impact in the same way I have sought for the past two decades.

That disconnect alone explains why I have been feeling the way I do, but then I started looking at the others, and boy oh boy, am I off balance.

My top five absolutely make sense to me, and I could have probably told you that already. However, it was the sixth that brought discomfort and problems. Eudemonia focuses on expansion and experiences, and I have always struggled with this one. It had the highest out-of-sync percentage among all of them.

I think this is because I get wrapped up in helping, working, or seeking approval and achievement, which causes my goals to fall by the wayside. Yet, my bucket list is large and still only represents a portion of what I want to do and learn experience.

I think it is clear where I need to focus on improving. This will also impact my main five and could lead to aligning those. But I have lost my whimsy and sense of adventure, which is critical to returning.

I think I will dig deeper into this value and alignment concept to discover where I need to head next. It’s a good compass. Overall, worth taking the quiz.

Movie Review - Players

Okay, so first off, a Netflix rom-com shouldn’t make me cry. And yet this one did. Not a hard cry, but it definitely got dusty.

I put it on because of Tom Ellis. I am not one who leans into the rom-com category unless I am watching with my girlies or I’m depressed. But I will watch Tom Ellis is anything so when I was actually in a mood for a movie and happened to be on Netflix and this popped up, I put it on.

I think there is something so sweet about the friendships in this movie. Every character was allowed to be themselves, and there was teasing, but it wasn’t condensing for cruelty. But I also really loved how honest and forthright they were with each other. Except for the obvious he loves her but hasn’t said it yet aspect, they dealt with conflict so freaking well. Which for a rom-com just isn’t the norm.

I’m happy that this type of movie is being made. It was sweet, soft and real. But most importantly it also just showed what real male and female friendships can and should be, without the toxic they will just end up together messaging. The fact that the friendship was ALWAYS the most important part is why the ending felt earned.

Plus “Can I hear hotdogs?” is going to live in my brain for a while because that might be the best description of a baseball stadium I have ever heard.

The List of all 40 Executive Orders President Trump Issued his first day

1.        Reinstating the name Mount McKinley

2.        Renaming Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America

3.        Designating Cartels as foreign terrorist organizations

4.        Ending diversity, inclusion, and equity hiring in the federal government

5.        Temporary withdrawal of all areas on the Outer Continental Shelf from Offshore Wind Leasing

6.        Revocation of any active or current security clearances held by the former intelligence officials involved with "inappropriate political coordination with the 2020 Biden presidential campaign" and John R. Bolton

7.        Granting pardons for January 6 rioters

8.        Reevaluating United States foreign aid

9.        Declaring a national energy emergency

10.  Restoring accountability for career senior executives

11.  Promoting beautiful federal civic architecture

12.  Restoring the death penalty in the US

13.  Routing more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to other parts of California

14.  Securing the United State's borders

15.  United States citizenship does not automatically extend to those born in the United States

16.  Realignment of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program

17.  Unleashing America's affordable and reliable energy and natural resources

18.  Clarifying the military's role in protecting the US borders

19.  'America First' trade policy that benefits American workers, manufacturers, farmers, ranchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses

20.  Resolving the backlog of security clearances for Executive Office of the President

21.  Restoring accountability to policy-influence positions within the federal workforce

22.  Withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization

23.  Delaying TikTok ban for 75 days

24.  Putting America First in international environmental agreements

25.  Deliver emergency price relief to the American people

26.  Hiring freeze for federal civilian employees (does not apply to military personnel of the armed forces or to positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, or public safety)

27.  Regulatory freeze pending review

28.  Restoring freedom of speech and ending federal censorship

29.  Recissions of dozens of executive orders and actions from Biden administration

30.  Ending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government

31.  Only two sexes, male and female, to be recognized by the federal government

32.  Department of Government Efficiency to implement the president's DOGE Agenda

33.  Putting America and its interests first in foreign policy

34.  Protecting US citizens from terrorist attacks and threats

35.  Tapping into the vast natural resources, energy, and seafood in Alaska

36.  Ensuring the federal government carries out United State's immigration laws

37.  Pulling the US from the Paris Agreement

38.  Declaring a National Emergency at the Southern Border of the United States

39.  Pulling the US out of the global corporate tax deal secured by Biden

40.  Organization of the National Security Council and subcommittees

The Election

First, for those who had candidates or ballot measures they were really passionate about who won, congratulations. I really hope that what you voted for plays out in the manner you want it to in the way you think it actually will.

But I'm disappointed. I really thought we were turning out as a country and we didn't. 18 million fewer people voted than 2020. Even Trump supporters were less, from 74.2 mil to 71.8 mil and let's be honest, y'all rep Trump more than Latino Catholics rep the Virgin Mary and I have 2 references in my house and one in my wallet alone.

I really thought this election was going to be it, was going to be the year were finally people got it. Sure, no one really liked the Presidential candidates (yes some were super hyped, I get it) but guess what, you don't get better until you start ACTUALLY participating in the local stuff and demanding better there. Trump is the literal exception to the rule. If Citizens United didn't happen, neither would have Trump. The vast majority of his funding through all of his campaigns have been through SuperPacs and 501cs, which hey, not going to knock the hustle.

But if you want better, you have to demand better at the local level. And if you think politics doesn't impact your life daily it is truly because you are privileged enough that your politicians are ensuring you don't pay attention to it so you don't pay attention to them. So you don't notice potholes or streets not being plowed or traffic lights not working or trash along the streets. But be careful to not paying attention. If you ever had kids you know when they are quiet is when shit is happening.

So I was really disappointed to find out that so many people bailed to do THE MOST BASIC OF BASIC CITIZEN JOB. There will never ever be a candidate you agree with 100% unless you yourself run. It's a bus route, not an uber.

We have to do better. Sincerely I don't care what political party you are a part of or what you believe in (that's not true, if you think that centipedes should have free roam in even in houses I truly hate your stance but I will encourage you to still bring forward your proposals) we have to not just vote, which is like basic, we need to actually engage.

Because to pretend that life itself isn't political when we drink water that we get it from the pipes or in a plastic bottle that has to go through a processing plant that has been verified by government agencies or has to pass through customs and the importer into the country and has paid a tariff that has been passed on to you, is not fundamentally political is willfully ignorant. And that is just one thing. And you can't escape water. It's in your drinks, food, shower, laundry machine, etc.

Politics is everywhere, even if you don't want to admit it. And local politics impacts you massively. Start there and then maybe one day soon, we'll stop saying for Presidential candidates the lessor of two evils every 4 years. That's what giving a damn can do.

Hot Take: Dimension 20's Neverafter

College Humor creating Dropout has led to one of my all-time favorite shows - Dimension 20. A D&D playthrough show cases some of the best story-telling I have seen.

My addiction to this show which is really a series of various shows can not be explained other than the talent on display is amazing. I have been become so jaded by TV these days being so formulaic that I can predict what is going to happen so early that it isn’t fun to watch really.

It is almost better to watch the clips with the jokes on YouTube so at least I can get what might be original in the show. Nothing feels authentic anymore. But here, this does.

Don’t get me wrong predictable can still be done incredibly well. Historical retelling done well can still be well worth the watch but odds are it rarely is because they never trust the audience enough to do the work or they are trying to hard to draw conclusions that aren’t real or worse mythologize people who were simply human.

But in this show, you get to see people show real emotions in humor that touch on dark, weird and strange themes. That have characters that are larger than life yet feel ordinary and everyday. And stories that are so well worn that we all know them by heart feel so new that we don’t know what is going to happen next. And that kind of creativity I adore. There is no fake “a feminist retelling of Sleeping Beauty” where you read it and yet somehow she is now an annoying boss babe who seems to have even less agency. No, this is a woman who learns and grows and feminist but in a way that is more true to life than a bumper sticker approach.

The amount of horrors in this show is insane and yet I laughed so much it was ridiculous and it was because of the cricket saying don’t drink water. It was because of how amazing that the cast was of weaving a tale that was so dark and yet keeping it light enough that it never fully consumed you.

Which is why I love Dimension 20. They are my one go to. My one consistent show I watch. And it’s because I trust them completely to help me unwind. To turn off from the world. When it is dark and dreary. They are an escape I can count on. And I love them for it.

The Amount of Drafts I have is Comical, So I think I am going to just publish them all

Apparently I like to start writing and then think I am going to come back and edit and then don’t. And there are a LOT of drafts in here. Like a lot. Like a ton. Some over a year old. I think i am going to clean these out and then start fresh tomorrow. Because this is frankly too dang funny.

Letting Go

The Theme for this year is all about Letting Go. 2023 was rough, a lot of death. But 2024 needs to be about letting go of ideas, ideals and concepts that are bad for me, so some more death in a round about way.

But that will be good for me.

I need to be able to see things for what they are, and deal with them for the reality of the situation. It will let me be able to move past some toxic environments, relationships and habits that aren’t good for me and let me stop being toxic myself.

I think that is really what growing is all about. We are all toxic to someone in the end. So this year is really about going through and taking really hard looks at my life and focusing in on what I need to do to get myself on the right path. Hopefully that will get me to where I need to be.