I’d Love to but…

• that sounds super lame
• life gave me lemons so I need to make lemonade
• you play bad music in your car
• your girlfriends overuse of hashtags annoys me
• there are pokemon out there and I’ve got to catch them all
• I have to clean my iPhone camera roll
• the guy on TV told me to stay tuned
• I have to study for a blood test
• my plants need to be watered
• I don’t want to…
• I’m trying to see how long I can go without saying yes

I probably wouldn’t actually say any of these things. I just decided to think of a bunch of different ways to say ‘no’, for a laugh. The point is that sometimes you have to remind yourself that it is okay to say ‘no’. I most certainly am not capable of doing everything all the time. Even if truthfully I would love to…

 

“It’s the hard days – the days that challenge you to your very core – that determine who you are.” – Sheryl Sandberg gives the 2016 commencement address at UC Berkley

Montreal inspired Haiku

Eclectic spaces

Vibrant art on cobblestones

Juxtaposed city

How to negotiate effectively (and get what you want)

1. Define success: prior to engaging in negotiations determine exactly what you want and how much you are willing to compromise.
2. Understand your weaknesses: we all have weaknesses but if you know what they are you can combat them or possibly utilize them in your favour. For instance, if you tend to get hot headed or take things personally know that you may negotiate more effectively in a setting where you can take a break before continuing negotiations. I always sleep on an offer prior to accepting or making a counter offer if a situation allows because I know that emotions can sometimes influence my decision making.
3. Know your counterparty: this isn’t always possible, but putting yourself in the other parties shoes can increase your understanding of the situation.
4. Never take advantage of an inexperienced counterparty: this may tarnish your reputation and inevitably harm your long term business strategy. A good reputation takes years to build and moments to ruin. The inexperienced counterparty will soon recognize their mistake and the likelihood of developing a long term business partnership after breaking trust will be low.
5. Be confident: this is not the time to be shy. Ask for what you want and always have evidence to support your arguments.

Happy negotiating!

–@nlatter

11 things every YYC business woman needs

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This list is a compilation of my favorite things that I consider to be must haves for any Calgary business woman. They will save you from being late, you’ll be more comfortable in the snow, commuting will be easier and your office will be so much more comfortable!

–@nlatter

My affection for rejection

My romance with the beautiful sting of rejection has been going on for some time now. Rejection loves to play with my emotions, surprise me and turn my world upside down. Nonetheless, I find myself running back to it ever so often and running away from it all the same. I fall in and out of love with rejection because it means so much more than failure.

Rejection means that I was brave enough to put myself out there and try something new. I am suggesting that rejection is something to be proud of rather than shy away from. I don’t consider rejection as something lost but rather a lesson learned. Every time that someone tells me ‘no’, I realize that I haven’t lost anything instead I am just back where I started. These realizations have sparked my love for rejection.

The most tragic thing that could happen is if we stopped volunteering, asking and putting ourselves out there just because we have experienced rejection in the past. Nothing new or remarkable would ever come into our lives if we simply stopped putting ourselves in situations where rejection is a possibility. This is why I keep running back to rejection no matter how terrible it has made me feel in the past. My skin gets a little thicker, and it hurts a little bit less each time rejection visits. This makes me a stronger person.

This affection for rejection can be applied to many aspects of life whether it be career, personal relationships or other social engagements. Not everyone is going to like you or believe that you are the best fit, that simply wouldn’t be possible. We couldn’t all fall in love with the same person or it would be chaos. Poisonous thoughts that rejection should be taken personally will only crumble your ambition. The strength that comes from lessons learned in experiencing rejection will give you the courage to face rejection head on and maybe even fall in love with it the way that I have.

–@nlatter

Lessons Learned: Creating my 1st Budget

Once my broke student days were further behind me I started looking into budgeting tips. I insisted (to myself, of course) that I would not change my spending habits just because my income has changed assuming that this mindset would put me on the path to savings glory.

First thing was first, a reality check. There is nothing glorious about saving, taxes were taking a significant portion of my salary and I needed to get my own credit card moving forward. The credit card connected to my parents bill was being cut… both literally and figuratively speaking.

Since then I have learned the importance of quickly getting back on track after modifying your budget, tracking your credit card statements and most importantly, the lesson of liquidity.

My biggest mistake so far came with poor timing, fortunately it had no financial consequences, it just caused me a lot of additional stress when it wasn’t necessary. I moved my savings from my spending account into my TFSA (tax free savings account) with a high risk savings portfolio and left my spending account somewhat sparse but with enough to last me for two months of spending. Unfortunately, this was a mistake. That month the hot water tank leaked and needed to be replaced, I ended up with a flat tire that required all four tires to be replaced and on top of that I booked a trip. This is where the liquidity lesson comes in. I think that I was just really excited to have been saving as much as I had and moved my savings to soon.

Fortunately, I had just enough to cover my expenses without dipping back into my TFSA but I cut it closer than I felt comfortable. I think that patience is a key part of financial growth and even though I could have done without the stress I am glad to have learned the lessons that I have with little penalty.

I have also learned that there isn’t a universal budget that will lead to success, everyone’s spending and savings habits are different. Everyone’s budgets need adjusting over time as well. Below is a pie chart of my budget… for the time being..

I think that I am like most people and want to increase the saving portion and lower the entertainment expenses. What can I say, I like to have fun. I think that a realistic goal is for the unknown expense and some entertainment expense to both go into savings just to increase it to the 55% mark. I hope that reading about my experience has either helped to inspire you to stay focused or feel less bad if you’ve gone off the path in the past. Just remember to get back on track as soon as possible!

–@nlatter

Corporate Social Responsibility: Investing Beyond Industry Standards

Sometimes I read books full of stories and ideas that are far from my concepts of reality including enchanted forests, detective fiction or mystical creatures. This time I am reading about real life events that feel a lot closer to home. “[Christine Bader, author of] When Girl Meets Oil: The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist goes beyond recounting  [her] ups and downs in a decade at BP to offer deep insight into the central importance of morality in any job, company or life” – Dan Etsy, Hillhouse Professor, Yale University; author, Green to Gold.

During my time in University and to this day I struggle with my views on environmental, geopolitical and regulatory risk and their influence on the energy industry. Torn between optimism and pessimism I found myself asking more questions and changing my moral points of view each time a different speaker came to our lecture. I have become intrigued to expand my knowledge on Corporate Social Responsibility and keep an open mind while doing so. Since, I have come to the conclusion that CSR can only add value through proactive action inspired by company culture ingrained in core decision making. CSR does not add true value by simply meeting the standards set by industry peers.

Unfortunately, there is no step by step guide for managing environmental, geopolitical or regulatory risk because these are emerging risks forging a new landscape. Christine Bader, in When Girl Meets Oil: The Evolution of a Corporate Idealist, tells her personal story of working towards the management of these risks on behalf of BP. Stories of the risk management failures and successes of energy companies are so often told from a biased perspective. Christine Bader writes from the perspective of an insider motivated by corporate idealism. She rejects the notion of the “ostrich’s head in the sand approach to risk management” and promotes transparent and accountable corporate social responsibility. I find her journey of moral exploration as it relates to her work easy to relate to and highly insightful.

–@nlatter

 

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