Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Showing Appreciation for Hard Work

In the building where I live, we have a guy who does most of the cleaning around the building each day. He does the vacuuming, mopping, windows, garbage etc. He also clean up the parking lot outside which is something I really appreciate as I like to live in an environment that is clean. Over the years I have gotten to know him and he is a good guy. I let him know whenever there are any issues and he always takes care of them.

The building we live in is very large so maintaining it is a full time job. I started to notice each day after work he would walk out to his car dressed in another work uniform. I realized he must have a 2nd job that he goes to after this one. I thought to myself, that is a lot of work! He is doing a full day of hard work here and then going right to another job for who knows how long.

He has a daughter around college age so I figured he is probably working a 2nd job to help cover college expenses. I decided I wanted to do something nice for him to show my appreciation for everything he does around the building. We have a grocery store across the street so I planned to get him a $20 gift card for the store.

Now I don't earn much money myself and I live very frugally so the idea of just spending $20 on a gift card for someone else is not something I normally do. I remember the first time I went into the store and stood in front of the gift cards, I actually didn't get it because I felt like I was not really in position to spend money like that. But the next time I went in, I decided to do it so I bought the card.

On the card, I wrote a little note about how I appreciate all his hard work and everything he does around the building. The next time I saw a good opportunity I gave him the card. It was not a holiday time or anything so he probably was not expecting something like this. When I gave it to him, he even said I didn't have to do it because he enjoys his work, but I insisted that he keep it. He said thank you and was very appreciative.

It feels good to do something nice for someone especially when it is out of the blue and unexpected. He works a job where he probably does not get a lot of recognition. A gesture like this lets him know he is doing a good job and people are thankful for the work he does.

If there is someone in your life like this that you appreciate, make sure to let them know. Even just going out of your way to say thank you can mean a lot to someone.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Every Man Jack Body Wash Review – Sandalwood Scent

I was in the market for a new body wash so I started doing a little research online to help narrow down the options. One kind that caught my interest was this one called Every Man Jack. At about $6 for a 16.9 oz bottle, it was more expensive than what I am used to paying for a similar size body wash but I decided to splurge and check it out.

I went to the store and compared it with some of the other body washes. It has an interesting design for the bottle with which is a flask shape and has a wood grain pattern label. I liked the scent of the Sandalwood so I decided to go with that scent.

The appearance of the body wash itself is clear and has a gel like consistency. I found it was able to lather up pretty well with about a quarter size amount. It washes off easily and does not leave any residue. The scent while using is pleasant and I would describe it as a cologne-like scent. It is not too overpowering but enough to stay with you even after you are out of the shower.

Overall I am pleased with the body wash and would recommend it if you want a good smelling body wash at this price point. 

For more reviews on shampoos, body washes, and  face washes, check out this article here.

Thursday, March 7, 2019

Make Things Better, Not Worse

These days it seems like there is so much negativity in the world. We see it in the news and the media every day. We see it online and even in real life.

When you think about it, it really comes down to people and how they choose to behave. People have the ability to be positive or negative. They have the ability to do good things or bad things.

I think most people would agree that good is better than bad. We want to live in a world where good things happen and life is good. So why do people continue to perpetuate negativity?

There can be a lot of reasons behind it. One is that negativity, like positivity is contagious. For example if someone is having a bad day and they are in a bad mood, they are more likely to spread that mood to others. For example they might put somebody down or say a mean comment, not because they would normally do that, but because they are just in a bad mood.

On the contrary, if someone is having a good day and they are in a good mood, they are more likely to spread this feeling to others.

While it can be hard to be positive when you are feeling down, we need to keep this thought in mind and remember that we have the ability to control what we do and say. It is inevitable that bad things will happen every once in a while, but we have the choice to perpetuate that feeling or stop it in its tracks and choose to be positive despite feeling bad.

A little quote I came up with is “Make things better, not worse”. This means try to make the world a better place, not a worse place. It refers to everything we do or say no matter how little it may be. We as humans have so much influence on the world around us. We can choose to be positive and make things better, or we can choose to be negative and make things worse. If we want to live in a world that is good, it is easy to decide which one to choose.

There are a lot of other reasons why people may decide to be negative. For example maybe they are unhappy with themselves and because of this, they are always in a bad mood which affects their everyday life. Another reason could be jealousy. For example maybe someone sees another person and they are jealous of who they are or what they have and because of this, they feel the need to bring them down.

Some people have the misfortune of being raised in a poor environment. Someone who is raised in a bad neighborhood with crime may be influenced by this type of behavior. Someone who grows up without responsible parental or guardian figures may not learn the basics of how to be a decent human being.

In situations like this, it is not their fault. There is no easy solution to fix situations like this especially when there are hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in these situations.

Guidance and education at an early age can help but people have to continue to make the effort to be positive and stay away from negativity. If more people make the conscious decision to make things better and not worse, the world should slowly shift in that direction. The message is simple and if we can stick to it, we can make the world a better place.