April 21, 2020

Tuesday was not really memorable. Just an ordinary day. I have been sitting down too long – attending webinar and conference calls – my back was sore.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the right chair for my home office. I’m just using a regular dining chair. I’m hardly ever home pre-CoVid that I didn’t have a need for a better chair until now. Something to take a note of when this pandemic settles a little bit.

The weather started getting better towards the end of my day so hubby and I went out for a walk. It’s been fairly quiet. Most everyone out were wearing masks and pretty much people outside are following social distancing rules.

I missed my weekly Zoom call with my golf buddies but I’ve been in the house all day, I just needed to stretch, walk and have a breath of fresh air. It was good for my back and my soul.

One of the things that I’m enjoying a bit of while sheltered-in-place is preparing some of the dishes I bookmarked from New York Times’ Cooking Section. I made lemony asparagus salad for dinner and the simple lemony dressing was a wonderful revelation! The combo is perfect! I love asparagus and this will be a staple dish from now on.

April 22, 2020

Woke up at 7 am and did my usual schedule of meditation, HIIT exercise and stretching before my 9 am conference call.

Today is also Earth Day, and more importantly, I’m making a very important virtual presentation to the Executive Team in my company. Unfortunately, my schedule with them was at 3 pm so I had to suffer the anxiety all day until my moment to present.

Prior to that, my boss had been asking – perhaps, he’s nervous for me – if I’m ready. As ready as I could be. For those of you who are at the point in their career to have the opportunity to present to the main decision-makers in your company, I have this pointers:

• KNOW YOUR SUBJECT. Be prepared and anticipate any possible questions that may arise but not be too rehearsed.
• BE YOURSELF. You cannot pretend to be another person otherwise you will sound insincere. Know your comfort level and stick to it.
• BE CONCISE & PRECISE. Most of your Executive Leadership don’t want every single detail but typically want to be presented the facts and the bottomline. When they ask you a question, simply answer Yes or No and provide reason but don’t tell a story before giving your yea or nay. This is not the forum and you will lose your audience that way.
• LET YOUR PASSION SHINE! If you know your subject and you believe in the course of action you’re proposing to take, you’ll be naturally passionate about it and it will show. You’ll be more convincing and, guaranteed, you’ll get the audience in your court and you will more than likely get approval for your proposal.
• MANAGE THE TIME. Respect your leadership’s time. If you’re allotted 30 minutes or an hour, stick to it. If you can give back some time, even better.

Need I say that I did a good job and moved the needle in my court in a big way today? Selfie pat on the back!

At least I get to accomplish something positive!

HAPPY 😃 Earth Day!