Things that Make me Smile

I received some upsetting and disappointing news today. My immediate gut reaction was to feel sad and upset and I was for a brief period. After processing everything, I decided to turn a negative situation into a positive. I figured out the positive outcomes. I wanted to move forward. Just thought I would share that with all of you :)

Continuing on a positive note,  today I am going to discuss the things in my life that make me smile!

My friends: My friends are there for me always and support me no matter what. They make me laugh and I can always be myself around them. They appreciate me for who I am and make me feel good about myself. I don't know what I would do without my group of friends :)

My boyfriend: My boyfriend is basically like one of my friends, except I would say he is my best friend. He supports me and loves me for who I am. He treats me very well and always make me smile. I feel very lucky to have him in my life.

My family. I love my family dearly and they are a great support system for me. They love me unconditionally and support me no matter what. They constantly tell me they are proud of me and that sure makes a girl feel good.

Music. As I have mentioned before and I am incredibly passionate about music. I have been since I was a very young girl. I love how music makes me feel. Whenever I am upset or down, music just lifts me right back up. Singing is also amazing for me. It makes me feel incredible.

Food. Food just makes me really happy. I don't consider myself to be a picky eater and I love all different types of food. I love trying new food and going to a variety of different restaurants and food-related events. I'm getting hungry just talking about food!

Movies. I love how movies get you so involved and invested in a story. Like you are actually a part of the story. I love all different types of movies and will usually never say no to watching a good flick :)

Giving Back and Helping Others. I really enjoy volunteering my time to worthy organizations and helping others. I think it is really satisfying and rewarding to volunteer and lend a helping hand to those who need it.

Executing an Event. After putting in a lot of hard work and hours towards the planning of an event, it's very rewarding for to see an event fully executed. Seeing it unfold before my eyes makes me feel amazing and fulfilled. This is one of the many reasons why I am an event planner.

Making Others Smile. I love making people laugh and smile, it just makes me feel good. Improving someone's mood is so awesome. Anytime I can turn someone's frown upside down, I will do it!

Love. Of course, the love I feel for others make me smile but also seeing others love for one another does too :) I love seeing people care for one another and seeing two people in love. Oh boy.. I am getting all mushy again!

I could continue this for days but I think I will stop right here. I hope this post brings a smile to your face and makes your day just a little bit better :)

-Shira :)

Project Management Software for Event Planners

Sorry for the lack of blog posts last week guys! I have been busy and also just wanted to relax during my down time :) I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

I have mentioned this before, but it is important as an event professional to stay organized and on top of everything. We often have to juggle multiple tasks and communicate to a wide variety of individuals. This can become very overwhelming and if you don't have a proper system in place you may miss deadlines and not have a good grasp on what needs to get done. Excel spreadsheets, calendars, and task lists are good but sometimes, depending on your workload, you need something more to keep you organized. A project management software is a great tool to keep on top of everything.

There is a variety of project management software out there but the one I am familiar with is Basecamp. I believe it is an amazing organizational tool for many event professionals out there. I used it on a daily basis when I worked as an Event Coordinator for Vancouver Film School. The whole marketing department at VFS used this software for a variety of projects outside of events, however, it can definitely be used to manage events on a small scale and larger scale.

Here are the reasons why I think Basecamp is a great tool for event professionals:

• Assigns Tasks/Deadlines: You have the ability to create a task, assign a deadline and assign who is responsible for getting the task done. All the deadlines that you create will be added to a calendar so you will be shown a visual of what needs to get done at any given time. This will help you meet all your various event deadlines.
  
  

• Create To Do's: You can create to do list items in no time flat. And we all know how important it is as an event planner to have on ongoing up to date to do list.
  
  

• Create Message Posts: Rather than having confusing, scattered emails about the various event projects you have on the go, you can create message posts. In a message post you can discuss  a particular project within your event and include all the necessary people who are involved in the project. Once a message is posted, anyone included in the post can make comments. Message posts help keep communication clear and keep it open so everyone can work collaboratively.
  
  

• Share Files. Along with posting messages, you can also upload variety of different files that are related to your event. A file can be uploaded with your message post, comment, deadline or to-do item.
  
  

• Email Notification. Whenever someone posts a new message or a new comment (where you are included) you can receive a notification by email. You also get email reminders of upcoming deadlines and a reminder of when your project item is due.
  
  

• Collaborative Word Document. Basecamp has what you call a Writeboard where you can create a web-based document. It is basically a Word document but other people other than the creator have the ability to make changes. The Writeboard tracks all the changes and at any time you can review a previous version of the document or compare versions side by side. This is a great way to work collaboratively if you have a number of people involved in the event production.
  
  

I know this post is a bit of a Basecamp promotion, but I really am a strong advocate of this software. It really has kept me organized. Check out their website for more info: http://basecamphq.com/

-Shira :)

Staying Positive

I'm baaack! Sorry for not posting yesterday but my brain just had too much in it and I just wasn't able to function properly :P I'm still a bit wonky today but I have promised myself to blog and to blog often!

Throughout my career transition period there have been a lot of ups and downs. A lot of the time I have been motivated, enthusiastic and giving it all I got. There have been times, however, where I was upset and just really frustrated with the world (I'm only human). I would wonder why things weren't going my way. I would put myself down and get into a very negative state of mind. When you are going through a transition period like I am, I think it is only natural to feel this way from time to time.

Even though I am human and it is ok to sometimes be this way, I realized that having a negative state of mind was effecting my mood and my relationships with my family, friends and my boyfriend. No one really wants to be around a Negative Nancy. Being around this type of person is draining and can cause you to be negative and down as well. When I came to this realization, I knew I had to make a change.

I realized that I am in control of my state of mind and I can change it at any time. If I feel myself moving towards that negative state, I accept those feeling/thoughts and then move towards a more positive state of being. For example  - If say I did not get the job offer that I really wanted, my typical immediate reaction is to get upset and get down on myself. I can choose to stay in that state or I can move away from that and tell myself it just wasn't meant to be and that I will find something soon. Of course, this is easier said than done. You really have to acknowledge and accept how you are feeling and make the decision to change your perspective. If you don't acknowledge your negative thoughts, you will continue to stay in that negative state.

Having a positive attitude I think is really important. People want to be around people who are positive, it is just the way it is. Positive people are fun and often have a smile on their face. Positive people are happy. Positive people are contagious in the sense that they spread positivity to other people. I think it is just a great state of mind to be in.

I think it is crucial for me to stay positive during this period in my life. It will help me stay focused on what it is important which will in turn keep me motivated. If I go to that dark place, I know it will be a downward spiral and I don't want that.

Sometimes I just need to remind myself about the things that I am grateful for and that everything will turn out as it should.

Just typing that out made me smile :)

-Shira :)