Technology Woes - (or "Wanting to Tear Your Hair Out Now!")

Today hasn't been a good day. Even though I woke up after a full night's sleep in a good mood, had an invigorating workout and a yummy breakfast, the rest of the day so far hasn't been the best. Try this on for size:

• I get an email saying my Eddie Bauer account has likely been hacked - "Look up the last six months of transactions on the card you use, put a fraud alert on all credit bureaus, and sign up for more identity protection!"  That, so far, has taken two hours.
• I get another email from my patient portal saying I have an important message from my doctor's office - "Sign in and read immediately!" (Am I dying, and they didn't tell me in person when I went in for tendonitis? Or maybe that cyst on my arm is leprosy?) I try to be compliant, and after five login attempts I get locked out. (Where did I put that username and password information)? I call several doctor's offices to see who sent me the mysterious message and why, and so far haven't gotten through to any of the offices that might use that portal. The offices I did reach don't use it.
• I go to my site to write an inspiring blogpost and am locked out for some mysterious reason during the first eight login attempts. It must be the "infected files" on the site five different security analysts can't seem to figure out. Now, here I am, mystery still not solved, writing a not-so-inspiring post.
• I try to write my next article for my subscription lists and the aWeber hosting site is upside down and sideways, no buttons working properly until I've made about ten attempts. Finally, I get the article out, realizing it's about two weeks late. Shame on me, I've been having too much fun avoiding the f#ck*#g internet this summer, and now I'm paying for it!

So, gentle reader, if you too have had days like this, know you're not alone if you have also felt like tearing your hair out when it happened. ("happens" is more like it). You experience what we call a "lack of agency," or an inability to intervene effectively on your own behalf. It creates a sense of complete helplessness, and that's not good!                                        

In my case, I can't WAIT to get to "work" to see my clients who have real problems, so I can hopefully have some effect somewhere today!

PS. If you don't do so well with stress, feel free to call me for an appointment at 603-431-7131, and know that I get it...

Grit - Do You Have It? How Do You Score On The Grit Scale?

I've often been described as a "pit bull," especially by my husband. He's not referring to the kind of bite, but the trait of tenacity, thankfully. Friends and family will regularly remark that they don't know what drives my passion and perseverance at my age, especially when so many of them are slowing down. I think they think I'm a little crazy. I think they're onto something, but I like to think of myself as a little obsessive, with happy, episodic "manias." (Case in point: We've been updating our house and land, so I've often found myself edging and mulching garden beds, lifting out huge rocks and hauling cuttings until well into darkness. When I get a "bug in my bonnet" about the preferred new color of a room I'll repaint it three times until it's right. I've been practically living at Home Depot and Homegoods, picking out materials, pillows, and general stuff, all in a driving unstoppable desire to improve the form and function of our house). My husband should be nominated as a CNN Hero, for his enormous patience and support, putting up with what I think is my big supply of Grit.

The dictionary defines grit as "firmness of character; indomitable spirit; pluck."  People refer to the quality of "grit" as the presence of persistence and passion. It's the "drive" you see in some folks and not others, and often seems to be related to the daily grind around some project or situation. People who demonstrate laziness or "wimpyness" aren't thought of as having much grit.

Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, identified a Grit Scale to assess how much of it you may have, and also to identify traits that might predict success. The complete test appears in her bestselling book, “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance." If you're curious about your own score go to the "Resources" page of my website www.SusanLager.com to take a quick ten question test. With all my own crazy tenacity I wasn't surprised when I scored high on the scale. See what the test may reveal about you!