Tag: coping

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to have a friendly chat with someone you don’t know well.

I was on vacation recently, camping in Custer State Park in South Dakota. It’s a wonderful place, and I can’t recommend enough this as a place to visit at some point.

In any case, one of the people working at the site was walking around, trying to help someone get their very large camper parked. While we watched them struggle to get into a spot, we chatted a bit. About life, the area, and more. It was a nice 15-20 minute talk with Josh, before he headed out for a week on his own break from work.

I enjoyed the chance to talk to someone new, with a completely different view on life. He was moving from Chicago to South Dakota, and it I enjoyed our time. Hope I get to see him next year.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to find a way to pay it forward.

Paying it forward is a way of doing something for others that you’d want someone to do for you. You are hoping to inspire someone else to do something for others, not for you.

I’ve had a few people do this for me, sometimes buying me something or doing some favor without this being a trade. Without me doing something for them. They were looking for me to continue things forward.

I’m in town regularly, but not often with crowds. I tend to go when there are less people around. Often I get coffee after yoga, but it can be late morning, so rarely is someone behind me in line.

The other day that wasn’t the case, so I just decided to pay for the person behind me. this was in the drive through, so I told the person taking payment to let them know I was paying it forward, and I hoped they’d do the same.

No idea if it worked, but it was a small thing. About US$12 to cover their order.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to share an article, book, or podcast that helped you.

Lots of stuff helps me, but I‘ll pick an item that really got me to stop and think for a minute.

Scott Hanselman interviewed Abel Wang a few months back. I never had the chance to meet Abel in person, but I have watched him present and speak many times over the years. I did host a webinar with him last year and had the chance to sit and talk with him beforehand. I always assumed I’d run into him at some event or at Microsoft and get to shake his hand.

That won’t happen. Sadly, Abel passed away after a battle with cancer earlier this summer. Re-watching that interview, re-posted the day he passed, was a good reminder to me to not wait for some time to do things I want to do.

I am trying to tackle parts of chores, not waiting for a big block of time. I’m making small strides in areas I am interested in without putting things off. I’m learning that there are some things I don’t care about, and I shouldn’t spend time there. I’m also starting to travel where I can and enjoy the time that I get with my wife. As limited as it is during the pandemic, I’m trying to just get busy living.

I started to add a daily coping tip to the SQLServerCentral newsletter and to the Community Circle, which is helping me deal with the issues in the world. I’m adding my responses for each day here. All my coping tips are under this tag.

Today’s tip is to give others the gift of your full attention.

We have a team meeting every couple weeks. We update each other on things that have changed, but it’s not a heavy concentration meeting. However, I’ve been making it a point to close applications on other screens, put my hands on a cup of coffee or glass of water, and just pay attention to others.

It’s not always that interesting and it was a struggle at first, but I am working to be more present for the time I spend with others, rather than multitasking in some way.