Exceeds Expectations

Back when I was a new auditor, we used to get performance reviews after each engagement.  The way it was set up was that you reviewed your own performance, based on your perception of how you did, and then your senior reviewed your performance, and you see if they lined up.  The options to choose from were something like, "unsatisfactory," "needs improvement," "meets expectations," and "exceeds expectations." I would laugh because "expectations" was such a funny concept.  If I expected myself to do a phenomenal job on the engagement, and I did, then I would select "meets expectations."  But, that doesn't sound like the best review you can give.  So, should I select "exceeds expectations" instead?  Then I'd be saying I did even better than I expected to do - but why would I have expected myself to do anything less than the best I could??  It could go on and on.

I used to tell my senior that he should just lower his expectations of me, because then I would always exceed them.  For instance, if he would just expect me to show up drunk to work, I wouldn't, and then I would be exceeding his expectations.  He should expect me to work 6 hour days, because when I worked for at least 8 hours - BOOM, exceeded expectations.  I just think it's a rather silly review method, because is the point to have high expectations and the person meet them, or is the point to have high expectations and the person exceed them?  Wouldn't you then start having high expectations for them and they'd only be able to meet them in the future?

The reason this came up recently is because I was meeting a mover at a client's house to give them access. My clients have already relocated to another state, and I'm trying to make this process easier on them.  The mover called me the night before and said he'd be at the house at 9am. It's a 30 minute drive for me, so I appreciated the heads up.  I got to the house at 9am and waited.  And then waited some more.  And then a little bit more. He finally showed up at almost 10am.  I've done enough moves and repairs and remodels to know that contractors are notoriously horrible at being on time.  I get that.  But, when I saw the moving truck, I just had to laugh:

"Dedicated to exceeding our customers expectations"

So, what you're saying is, I should expect you to be 2 hours late.  Then, when you're 1 hour late, you still have exceeded my expectations!  I totally get it.

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

October 15th was National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  I'll be honest, it was a tough day for me.  The 16th was as well.  I would say that I've handled my miscarriages pretty darn well, considering the circumstances.  I'm not going to rehash all the details - you can read them here.  But, there are still times where they cross my mind, and I get choked up.  These past two days were especially emotional because my dear friends, Brandon and Ericka, have been in my thoughts.  I talked about them last month, when the well we helped build in their honor was completed.  They are ready to share their story with the world, and I would appreciate you taking a few minutes to read it. It can be found here.  

As a reminder, I am always here if you or someone you know needs a confidante.  You're not alone, it's okay to grieve, and it's okay to talk about it.

xoxo

Home

I bought a cool shirt for my German friend, Kim, last month, but I didn't want to post about it until she had received it!  When she was here visiting, we saw a shirt in a souvenir store that had a Texas flag on it, with the word HOME in bold letters, written across it.  We tried to buy it for her, but they only had kid sizes. She was pretty bummed.  After she returned to Germany, I started searching the internets for that same shirt in adult sizes.  I found one, but didn't get around to purchasing it yet.  As fate would have it, I went to Dutch's My Gym class and a girl was wearing this shirt:

Perfect!!  It was way cuter than the one we had seen in the souvenir store, so I found out where the girl bought it.  Check out The Home T.  They offer shirts with your state's outline, with "home" written inside of it. I bought one for Kim, and one for myself!  She was pretty happy:

I think the shirt is such a cute idea for friends or family who have moved away from a state they love, or who really think of a certain state as their second home.  Not gonna lie, some of the states' shirts really make me laugh, though.  Like, seriously, check out Wyoming's shirt.  Who knows what that is referring to??  That's gotta be confusing.  Lol.  I almost pulled the trigger on this shirt too, but refrained:

They've got another cute one where you can get your state outline with just "y'all" written inside.  Check it out!  Great gift ideas...for someone else or simply for yourself!