Today’s Topics: WFH Yes/No Light | New Yealink Model | All about our Thermostats | To Err is Human…To Grow is Winning | News to Start Your Day
Happy Wednesday!
January 20th this year is Inauguration Day. BUT…it is also National Cheese Lover’s Day and National Penguin Day. Celebrate in whatever way seems right to you!
Yesterday I wrote about smart home devices and home automation. Today, I’m giving a {very official} award for most creative use of a smart device, a WFH yes/no light! The award goes to one of our team members, Cris.
Cris has young kids at home just like Craig and I do. As is common now days, the kids (and dogs, cats, wives, husbands and other familial wildlife) occasionally make an appearance on video calls. My little blond haired munchkin showed up in a chat recently, and Cris shared this pro-parenting tip: he bought a color-changing LED smart light and set it up outside his home office door. Red means do not knock or enter unless you’re bleeding and no one else can help, and green means I’m working but you can knock or say hello. I thought this was a pretty creative use of a smart home device, also very apropos to our current WFH culture.
Now If you try this hack and it doesn’t work, or if you simply must fight with your family, specifically your spouse, maybe you can do it “Fighting with Compliments” style. (I’ve watched this multiple times for the laughs!)
Hope you guys have a great Hump Day!
Christin
Product Spotlights & Updates:
We’ve been talking a lot about Yealink phones since we just added them to our product catalog and today I wanted to highlight another amazing Yealink model, the SIP-T54W! This phone was designed for busy executives and professionals. It is an easy-to-use Prime Business Phone which features an adjustable 4.3” color LCD screen that can be adjusted for just the right viewing angle, Bluetooth 4.2, and built-in dual band 2.4G/5G Wi-Fi! It also has a built-in USB 2.0 port to allow for USB recording. Did I mention that it features HD audio and allows for super efficient installation and provisioning?! This phone really has it all!
Have you checked out our Premium Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer yet?! This handy device is on sale for only $18! Use this thermometer to safely and accurately get a temperature reading in 1 second or less! This easy to use thermometer takes a temperature reading with the pressing of one button! It also features an orange and blue backlight to make it easy to read your temperature regardless of lighting!
To Err Is Human, To Grow Is … WINNING! – John G Miller, Author, QBQ.com
I’m convinced that those who practice accountable thinking process mistakes in a healthy manner. Sure, we all say “to err is human” — but do we truly allow ourselves to slip up?
I mean, even the, ahem, “pros” blow it.
Pros Who Err
Some observations:
An NFL quarterback running to his right throws the football across his chest to his left (a classic high school mistake) right into the arms of an opposing player who scores the winning TD.
An MLB centerfielder reaches for a routine fly ball only to watch it land in his glove, bounce out, and fall to the ground as the batter reaches second base.
Longtime, experienced sports broadcasters are caught speaking embarrassing words into a hot mic; comments the public was not to hear.
An experienced political candidate is caught on camera staring at his watch during a debate giving an out-of-touch “I’m bored” impression. A bad look for any politician.
In summary, I’ll state here what we all already know:
EVERY PERSON BLUNDERS.
What Not To Say
The bottom line is experts in every arena make mistakes — All. The. Time.
So, should we beat ourselves up with that classic negative self-talk? Should we bash ourselves to ourselves? Nope.
Those who control their thoughts resist this thinking:
I never do anything right!
Why am I so stupid?
I’ll always be a failure.
Other people now think less of me.
This is the most embarrassing moment in my life!
I just can’t learn anything new. I’ll never change.
Thoughts like these are not the thoughts of people who win in life.
What To Do
Let’s stop being so hard on ourselves. Emotionally healthy people are disciplined people. By controlling our thoughts — by pausing to ask a QBQ (tutorial here) such as, “How can I grow from this experience?” — we are able to engage in the right activities and actions after making that dreaded mistake. In other words, we win when we …
Learn.
Laugh.
Apologize.
Make amends.
Let go, move on.
Forgive ourselves.
Take responsibility.
Put it all in perspective.
Brainstorm a better way.
Breathe, regroup, try again.
— Check out this article and more at QBQ.com.
Today’s News to Start Your Day:
- As of this morning, in the US, there are 9,610,928 active COVID cases, 14,788,517 have recovered and there have been 411,534 deaths.
- Joe Biden is set to become the nation’s 46th president today. He is slated to take the oath of office around noon, which is when Donald Trump’s term as president ends. Set against a backdrop of a locked-down Washington, and a socially distanced ceremony, Biden, in his inaugural address, is expected to plead for national unity as political, economic, and health care crises grip the nation. Kamala Harris will make history as the country’s first African American / Jamaican / South Asian, Female vice president.
- In a somber ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday night that was his first stop in Washington, President-elect Joe Biden memorialized the US Covid victims and signaled that honoring that grief and the terrible toll of the last year would be at the very heart of his administration.
- In the latest round of measures, which was discussed with the National Basketball Players Association this week, the NBA is instructing players to restrict all nonessential activities during home stands and to remain in their hotels while on road trips. Players will be expected to avoid public settings other than playing games and attending practices, and they will no longer be allowed to eat at approved restaurants or host personal guests at their hotel rooms, as they had been under the league’s initial health protocols. The new rules require players to wear masks on the bench and in the locker room, while coaches and other team staffers must wear their masks “at all times during games.”
- U.S. Capitol, Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Anthony Brown (D-Md.) have introduced a bill that could penalize lawmakers for choosing to not wear a mask. The legislation introduced Tuesday would impose a $1,000 fine on members who refuse to wear masks while in the Capitol complex. The legislation would amend House rules to add that lawmakers are required to wear masks while in the Capitol. Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine found to be effective against Covid variant discovered in UK.
- President-elect Joe Biden has tapped Dr. Anthony Fauci to lead a U.S. delegation at the World Health Organization’s annual meetings this week, reversing outgoing President Donald Trump’s plan to withdraw from the international aid group. The new administration plans to work with the WHO on an international Covid-19 response plan as one of Biden’s first major policy changes planned for his first day in office, the transition team announced hours before his inauguration Wednesday.