What a great blog. The bit about managing expectations means so much. I think this is a core issue for so many people. You might not accomplish a whole lot if you don't set really high goals, but that doesn't mean you are a failure if you don't get all the way there. You have to reward yourself for what you can accomplish. As long as you are true to yourself and know that you are giving your all, you are doing yourself a diservice by not being proud of your accomplishments, no matter what size they are.
Thanks for adding that additional information - as you will note if you read the links you posted they are no way listed in the absolute, sure you can be fired and denied benefits - IF the employer sustains the burden of proof necessary to show misconduct in connection with work. (in some states there is an even great burden)
You may also collect unemployment compensation if you resign so long as you have "good cause" in connection with work (with a number of exceptions)
I have been representing Claimants and employer for over twenty years - so, while i love to promote my web site I am also concerned when I see what appears to be bad information.
Thanks for your response - I think and hope we are reaching a point of agreement
Contentment is the key to a life well lived. Learning to master your frustrations, learning to live and enjoy each moment and learning to cherish your successes are, in my mind, milestones on the road to contentment.
I once made a Cajun style pizza with shrimp sautéed in Tony's seasoning (real New Orleans spice) and fried green tomatoes. For the sauce I used some leftover homemade rémoulade (don't remember where I found the recipe though).
The thing with this is how to convey to someone you are looking for a job without putting pressure on the other side during an informational interview?
Second thing would be, is how to know what the other person's needs are during an informational interview?
Good article, Nora! But I wish you'd spent some time discussing one of the biggest time-eaters in most of my days -- the manufactured crisis or sudden shift of priorities that makes a mockery out of most to-do lists and scheduled plans. I think these are somewhat easier to deal with when you're (essentially) your own boss, but how do you handle them in organizations and businesses?
Well, you should start by understanding how unemployment works. You DO collect it through your state government. Employers pay the government through unemployment insurance rates; the government, in turn, pays unemployment benefits to people who qualify. Here's a little primer for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_benefits
People that are fired are increasingly unable to receive unemployment benefits, especially if fired for misconduct (some employers are trying to prevent people who were laid off from receiving benefits by claiming that they were fired for misconduct, even if they weren't - that's sort of the point of the article).
I'll paste a little bit of it below to help you out:
"Fired employees can claim unemployment benefits if they were terminated because of financial cutbacks or because they were not a good fit for the job for which they were hired. They can also receive benefits if the employer had a good reason to fire the person but the infractions were relatively minor, unintentional, or isolated.
In most states, however, a fired employee will not be able to receive unemployment benefits if he or she was fired for "misconduct." The trick lies in figuring out which reasons to fire are serious enough to qualify as misconduct and justify denying benefits.
Common actions that often result in firing but do not constitute misconduct are poor performance because of lack of skills, good faith errors in judgment, off-work conduct that does not have an impact on the employer's interests, and poor relations with coworkers."
I realize that you have an unemployment-related web site that you want to promote through blog-commenting, but I'd recommend boning up a little on your reading.
Hi, Ian! Actually, I'd much rather eat "daisy" products, especially their sour cream. (See why I had this cholesterol issue in the first place?) Ha. Thanks, seriously, for catching the typo. (And thanks for fixing it, Meg.)
Doesn't FeeFights working on a commission model dictate that the merchant is paying more than absolutely necessary?
Assuming the merchant processor is trying to keep its margins as thin as possible, the pricing they offer to a Fee Fighters customer has to have been padded to provide FeeFighters their cut.
Is this not correct? Just wondering how FeeFighters can claim to offer its users the lowest costs possible, when by playing a middle man they have to add cost?
I totally hear ya, for some reason I'm specifically addicted to the taste of Wendy's fountain Coke!?!?!? It's just like a drug for me and I'm well aware that literaLLY NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM IT!!! The one caveat is that I'm totally ADD and I think that specific brain chemistry problem has a lot to do with said addiction. My other vice are the Mocha frapp drinks from Starbucks and the like. I basically trade it and soda back and forth trying to get a caffeine high which of course gets harder and harder to get as the tolerance builds!?!?!? And the amount of money wasted is getting ridiculous!!! Think I need an AA type support group lol...
I think it's important to come to the realization that you don't have to be a "master" at everything. I fell into the trap of trying to be the best at everything and wound up being good at nothing. When you spread yourself too thin, no one gets what they need.
In addition to watching my infant son reach his milestones, I'm looking forward to growing my art business. My goal is to be a stay-at-home mommy, but also a freelance illustrator/crater, etc. Let's hope 2012 is a good one! :)
I don't drink much soda, and agree with many of the reasons here! I will not stop drinking it entirely and I still enjoy it every now and then, but I drink tea and coffee on a more regular basis.
I'm not sure where you got your information from. It it's all wrong. A buyers agent would try to get you the lowest price possible. And the listing agent would still get the 6 % even if there was a dual agency unless there was a special deal between the seller and the listing agent. But usually the dual agent if they sell the property they (and rightfully so) they recieve both commissions. They do all the work. Al's last but certainly not least your are way off on representation. A dual agent represent the seller. He/must be honest with the buyer but they work for the seller. Make no bones about that. It always always pays a buyer (especially since you don't pay for it) to just get a good agent who works and represents only you. Who has your best interest at heart. Who knows the business. Please next time you post something know what you speak of. I've been in this. Usi was for 35 years and it my profession and I take it seriously.
Great article. This is exactly how I have been feeling. I have so many ideas and things I want to do and love to do, but not enough time to do it. Then at the end of the day I feel that I never accomplished what I wanted because I was just doing a little but of this and that and the feeling exhausted by the end of it all. This is a good reminder to appreciate the ride and appreciate yourself with everything you do. Thanks!
if receiving an unsolicited debit card with ur name on it offends u so much, its ur own fault that u received it. netspend can't GET your information unless YOU GAVE IT OUT URSELF to one of its affiliates such as u applied for something on junk mail like publishers clearing house, or u filled out one of those "WIN THIS CAR SWEEPSTAKES!" cards at the grocery store or you bought something or got something for free online and didn't read the fine print that ur information would be given out or sold to its affiliates. that's how netspend got your information so don't blame them; that's how they market just like any other company would. all they have is your name and no account unless you activate it.
netspend is a legitimate company and its NOT ONLY for underbanked people. its also good for people who have had nightmares with conventional banks as i have. i have a regular checking and savings accounts at HSBC bank however i only use those accounts to pay bills and accrue savings. it made me real uncomfortable to use my checking account for both bills and leisure spending so i opened another checking account through HSBC. however one day i bought a netflix subscription which was supposed to be free for a 30 day trial but they charged me for the first month by mistake so it withdrew more than what i had in my checking account. HSBC charged me $35 insufficient funds fee. i called the bank up and i told them it was suppose to be a free trial but i also told them i didn't put overdraft protection intentionally on this account so if charges try to come through without me knowing and there's nothing in the account, it couldn't overdraw it. well, to my surprise, HSBC told me that ONLY is applicable to face-to-face, swiped, purchases, not anything you buy online or bill payments. so having no overdraft protection will serve me no good because i hardly ever buy anything in a store unless its groceries; i'm a pure online shopper. Netflix refunded me the accidental charge and luckily HSBC refunded me the NSF fee as a one-time courtesy but that made me really paranoid. the bad thing about HSBC is that although they have online banking, they do not have account status texting nor when i view my account online, i cannot see any pending purchases, only purchases that have posted to my account. so HSBC pretty much sucks when it comes to real time banking. when i buy things i dont see them on my account until 2-3 business days later which is a huge problem because i have to keep a check register old-timey style so i dont lose track of purchases. god forbid if i forget to document a transaction.
i had never heard of a pre-paid debit card prior (other than unreloadable disposable gift cards that i got every year for christmas), i thought debit cards were only issued from banks, so i would use my checking account debit card very very carefully (more like "paranoidly") after the whole netflix fiasco. i found out about netspend through a co-worker of mine because she said she gets her paycheck 3 days earlier than i was getting through my bank. i asked her how was that? and she told me through her netspend card. so i looked into it and thought this is the answer to my prayers and signed up for one online.
i've now had netspend 2.5 months with a portion of my direct deposit going into it every month and i love it. i now use it for my leisure spending without feeling paranoid. since i do alot of online shopping, i was elated to find that i can even create a "virtual" card number that i can use so if someone happens to steal my card number, i can deactivate the virtual card number without having to terminate my whole account. it keeps my true card number safe from hackers as long as i dont give out my real card number, which i dont.
while there is a monthly fee of $5 for the kind of netspend account i signed up for, u do get cash back on purchases which is paid monthly as well. so if u can get $5 in cash back to offset the monthly fee, then ur essentially paying nothing for the card. in addition, they have an extremely high yield savings account of 5% APY, which is also FDIC insured, that i've turned to using over my HSBC online savings account which has .8%; there is no minimum or maximum balance that u can save on the savings account so the sky's the limit and the 5% APY has been that amount for about 5 years now; its not promotional. even if u have no desire to use the card because of the monthly fees, u can still just only use it for the savings and pay nothing.
i use netspend to protect my official bank account with HSBC so i dont have to worry about hackers gaining access to my life's spending or funds being accidently withdrawn from my account like my netflix ordeal. i'm also not so paranoid about spending because with netspend i have text alerts and can see my real time transactions unlike with my bank. i've never had any problems with deposits to the card and even though u do have to pay to call, i've had no reason to call them yet so i use their web site exclusively and usually get an answer within 24 - 48 hours. one time i sent an email i got an answer in only a few hours and on two occasions, i sent emails and THEY called me back themselves.
there's lots of perks with having the netspend card, and its certainly NOT only for the underbanked, so don't knock it before u try it. maybe you might not use it, but dont go around telling people to run away, claiming its some kind of scam when its not. if receiving a card with ur name on it freaks u out, then how about not giving our your personal info in the first place because thats clearly what u/your husband did, or netspend wouldn't have even known of your existence.
Yep, I've got my list; but here's what I really look forward to...being mindful and practising correct behaviour in every area of my life. Best to you all.
What a great blog. The bit about managing expectations means so much. I think this is a core issue for so many people. You might not accomplish a whole lot if you don't set really high goals, but that doesn't mean you are a failure if you don't get all the way there. You have to reward yourself for what you can accomplish. As long as you are true to yourself and know that you are giving your all, you are doing yourself a diservice by not being proud of your accomplishments, no matter what size they are.
Thanks for adding that additional information - as you will note if you read the links you posted they are no way listed in the absolute, sure you can be fired and denied benefits - IF the employer sustains the burden of proof necessary to show misconduct in connection with work. (in some states there is an even great burden)
You may also collect unemployment compensation if you resign so long as you have "good cause" in connection with work (with a number of exceptions)
I have been representing Claimants and employer for over twenty years - so, while i love to promote my web site I am also concerned when I see what appears to be bad information.
Thanks for your response - I think and hope we are reaching a point of agreement
Contentment is the key to a life well lived. Learning to master your frustrations, learning to live and enjoy each moment and learning to cherish your successes are, in my mind, milestones on the road to contentment.
Fact: Responsible use of credit is a myth sold to us by creditors. Debt is Dumb…PERIOD! Explore a Debt Free Lifestyle in this New Year!
The greatest advantage of cash only living is going to bed each night knowing you don't owe a PENNY to anyone else... PRICELESS.
I once made a Cajun style pizza with shrimp sautéed in Tony's seasoning (real New Orleans spice) and fried green tomatoes. For the sauce I used some leftover homemade rémoulade (don't remember where I found the recipe though).
The thing with this is how to convey to someone you are looking for a job without putting pressure on the other side during an informational interview?
Second thing would be, is how to know what the other person's needs are during an informational interview?
Thanks
Good article, Nora! But I wish you'd spent some time discussing one of the biggest time-eaters in most of my days -- the manufactured crisis or sudden shift of priorities that makes a mockery out of most to-do lists and scheduled plans. I think these are somewhat easier to deal with when you're (essentially) your own boss, but how do you handle them in organizations and businesses?
Hi, Vince,
Well, you should start by understanding how unemployment works. You DO collect it through your state government. Employers pay the government through unemployment insurance rates; the government, in turn, pays unemployment benefits to people who qualify. Here's a little primer for you: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unemployment_benefits
People that are fired are increasingly unable to receive unemployment benefits, especially if fired for misconduct (some employers are trying to prevent people who were laid off from receiving benefits by claiming that they were fired for misconduct, even if they weren't - that's sort of the point of the article).
Please go ahead and check out this website: http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/unemployment-compensation-benefit....
I'll paste a little bit of it below to help you out:
"Fired employees can claim unemployment benefits if they were terminated because of financial cutbacks or because they were not a good fit for the job for which they were hired. They can also receive benefits if the employer had a good reason to fire the person but the infractions were relatively minor, unintentional, or isolated.
In most states, however, a fired employee will not be able to receive unemployment benefits if he or she was fired for "misconduct." The trick lies in figuring out which reasons to fire are serious enough to qualify as misconduct and justify denying benefits.
Common actions that often result in firing but do not constitute misconduct are poor performance because of lack of skills, good faith errors in judgment, off-work conduct that does not have an impact on the employer's interests, and poor relations with coworkers."
Does that help you understand it a bit better?
Also see:
http://jobsearch.about.com/od/unemployment/f/unemployfired.htm
http://ctlawhelp.org/unemployment-compensation-if-you-are-fired-from-you...
I realize that you have an unemployment-related web site that you want to promote through blog-commenting, but I'd recommend boning up a little on your reading.
Ye I have given up now as I had to have a couple of fillings due to cavities
Hi, Ian! Actually, I'd much rather eat "daisy" products, especially their sour cream. (See why I had this cholesterol issue in the first place?) Ha. Thanks, seriously, for catching the typo. (And thanks for fixing it, Meg.)
Thanks for catching the typo! It's been fixed.
Can't emphasis enough to find a good mechanic and have the car thoroughly inspected. This is where most used car buyers make their biggest mistake.
Ben,
Doesn't FeeFights working on a commission model dictate that the merchant is paying more than absolutely necessary?
Assuming the merchant processor is trying to keep its margins as thin as possible, the pricing they offer to a Fee Fighters customer has to have been padded to provide FeeFighters their cut.
Is this not correct? Just wondering how FeeFighters can claim to offer its users the lowest costs possible, when by playing a middle man they have to add cost?
Am interested if there is something I am missing.
I totally hear ya, for some reason I'm specifically addicted to the taste of Wendy's fountain Coke!?!?!? It's just like a drug for me and I'm well aware that literaLLY NOTHING GOOD COMES FROM IT!!! The one caveat is that I'm totally ADD and I think that specific brain chemistry problem has a lot to do with said addiction. My other vice are the Mocha frapp drinks from Starbucks and the like. I basically trade it and soda back and forth trying to get a caffeine high which of course gets harder and harder to get as the tolerance builds!?!?!? And the amount of money wasted is getting ridiculous!!! Think I need an AA type support group lol...
I'm ready for a fresh start. I'm determined to make this a better year. Last year was a very sad year for me.
I think it's important to come to the realization that you don't have to be a "master" at everything. I fell into the trap of trying to be the best at everything and wound up being good at nothing. When you spread yourself too thin, no one gets what they need.
In addition to watching my infant son reach his milestones, I'm looking forward to growing my art business. My goal is to be a stay-at-home mommy, but also a freelance illustrator/crater, etc. Let's hope 2012 is a good one! :)
I don't drink much soda, and agree with many of the reasons here! I will not stop drinking it entirely and I still enjoy it every now and then, but I drink tea and coffee on a more regular basis.
I'm not sure where you got your information from. It it's all wrong. A buyers agent would try to get you the lowest price possible. And the listing agent would still get the 6 % even if there was a dual agency unless there was a special deal between the seller and the listing agent. But usually the dual agent if they sell the property they (and rightfully so) they recieve both commissions. They do all the work. Al's last but certainly not least your are way off on representation. A dual agent represent the seller. He/must be honest with the buyer but they work for the seller. Make no bones about that. It always always pays a buyer (especially since you don't pay for it) to just get a good agent who works and represents only you. Who has your best interest at heart. Who knows the business. Please next time you post something know what you speak of. I've been in this. Usi was for 35 years and it my profession and I take it seriously.
Great article. This is exactly how I have been feeling. I have so many ideas and things I want to do and love to do, but not enough time to do it. Then at the end of the day I feel that I never accomplished what I wanted because I was just doing a little but of this and that and the feeling exhausted by the end of it all. This is a good reminder to appreciate the ride and appreciate yourself with everything you do. Thanks!
if receiving an unsolicited debit card with ur name on it offends u so much, its ur own fault that u received it. netspend can't GET your information unless YOU GAVE IT OUT URSELF to one of its affiliates such as u applied for something on junk mail like publishers clearing house, or u filled out one of those "WIN THIS CAR SWEEPSTAKES!" cards at the grocery store or you bought something or got something for free online and didn't read the fine print that ur information would be given out or sold to its affiliates. that's how netspend got your information so don't blame them; that's how they market just like any other company would. all they have is your name and no account unless you activate it.
netspend is a legitimate company and its NOT ONLY for underbanked people. its also good for people who have had nightmares with conventional banks as i have. i have a regular checking and savings accounts at HSBC bank however i only use those accounts to pay bills and accrue savings. it made me real uncomfortable to use my checking account for both bills and leisure spending so i opened another checking account through HSBC. however one day i bought a netflix subscription which was supposed to be free for a 30 day trial but they charged me for the first month by mistake so it withdrew more than what i had in my checking account. HSBC charged me $35 insufficient funds fee. i called the bank up and i told them it was suppose to be a free trial but i also told them i didn't put overdraft protection intentionally on this account so if charges try to come through without me knowing and there's nothing in the account, it couldn't overdraw it. well, to my surprise, HSBC told me that ONLY is applicable to face-to-face, swiped, purchases, not anything you buy online or bill payments. so having no overdraft protection will serve me no good because i hardly ever buy anything in a store unless its groceries; i'm a pure online shopper. Netflix refunded me the accidental charge and luckily HSBC refunded me the NSF fee as a one-time courtesy but that made me really paranoid. the bad thing about HSBC is that although they have online banking, they do not have account status texting nor when i view my account online, i cannot see any pending purchases, only purchases that have posted to my account. so HSBC pretty much sucks when it comes to real time banking. when i buy things i dont see them on my account until 2-3 business days later which is a huge problem because i have to keep a check register old-timey style so i dont lose track of purchases. god forbid if i forget to document a transaction.
i had never heard of a pre-paid debit card prior (other than unreloadable disposable gift cards that i got every year for christmas), i thought debit cards were only issued from banks, so i would use my checking account debit card very very carefully (more like "paranoidly") after the whole netflix fiasco. i found out about netspend through a co-worker of mine because she said she gets her paycheck 3 days earlier than i was getting through my bank. i asked her how was that? and she told me through her netspend card. so i looked into it and thought this is the answer to my prayers and signed up for one online.
i've now had netspend 2.5 months with a portion of my direct deposit going into it every month and i love it. i now use it for my leisure spending without feeling paranoid. since i do alot of online shopping, i was elated to find that i can even create a "virtual" card number that i can use so if someone happens to steal my card number, i can deactivate the virtual card number without having to terminate my whole account. it keeps my true card number safe from hackers as long as i dont give out my real card number, which i dont.
while there is a monthly fee of $5 for the kind of netspend account i signed up for, u do get cash back on purchases which is paid monthly as well. so if u can get $5 in cash back to offset the monthly fee, then ur essentially paying nothing for the card. in addition, they have an extremely high yield savings account of 5% APY, which is also FDIC insured, that i've turned to using over my HSBC online savings account which has .8%; there is no minimum or maximum balance that u can save on the savings account so the sky's the limit and the 5% APY has been that amount for about 5 years now; its not promotional. even if u have no desire to use the card because of the monthly fees, u can still just only use it for the savings and pay nothing.
i use netspend to protect my official bank account with HSBC so i dont have to worry about hackers gaining access to my life's spending or funds being accidently withdrawn from my account like my netflix ordeal. i'm also not so paranoid about spending because with netspend i have text alerts and can see my real time transactions unlike with my bank. i've never had any problems with deposits to the card and even though u do have to pay to call, i've had no reason to call them yet so i use their web site exclusively and usually get an answer within 24 - 48 hours. one time i sent an email i got an answer in only a few hours and on two occasions, i sent emails and THEY called me back themselves.
there's lots of perks with having the netspend card, and its certainly NOT only for the underbanked, so don't knock it before u try it. maybe you might not use it, but dont go around telling people to run away, claiming its some kind of scam when its not. if receiving a card with ur name on it freaks u out, then how about not giving our your personal info in the first place because thats clearly what u/your husband did, or netspend wouldn't have even known of your existence.
I am actively involved in the SEO for my site. Thanks for the tips, I could always use them :)
Yep, I've got my list; but here's what I really look forward to...being mindful and practising correct behaviour in every area of my life. Best to you all.
Spending time with my friends and my new boyfriend. :)