Food For Thought

We have all heard the saying money doesn’t buy happiness, but how true is that?  I know money can’t buy love and meaningful relationships, but it can make your life a lot less stressful.  When you have to make rent in 2 days and your $200 short, I know for me already having my rent paid would make me very happy.  Or when you really want to go on a vacation because you’re so exhausted from working, but can’t afford it?  I don’t think simply having money will make you a happy person, but not having to stress about things like food, bills, mortgage, school loans, debt, etc will you make you a lot less stressed which in turn will make you a little bit happier.  So I think the difference is money will not make you just suddenly happy.  That comes from the relationships you have and the outlook you have on your life. The only thing you gain from money is security.  So while financial success is important I don’t think you should spend all your time focused on that because in the end that’s not what will bring you happiness.

Ahhhh summer...

As summer approaches us, there will be many outdoor/fun things to do with friends and family.  The festivals, beach trips, hikes, etc will take over our life and it will be great.  So I thought I’d share a few ideas for things to do this summer. 

1. Dollywood- I mean who doesn’t love rollercoasters? AND you can go with 1 person or like 8 and still have fun!

2. Hangout Fest- This is the perfect summer trip because it combines the awesomeness of music festivals with the beauty of the beach.  It’s in Gulf Shores, AL May 15-17 and I highly recommend attending.

3. Camping- While camping is not really my thing, I would definitely go with friends and I know it would be a blast.  Anytime you combine friends with smores and a bonfire, it will be a good time.

4. Iams Nature Center- I recently discovered this place and I love it so much.  It is so beautiful and there are many hikes you can take.  The views are gorgeous and so peaceful. Definitely would be a nice relaxing day.

#AlexGoldschmidt

I had the pleasure of hearing Alex Goldschmidt speak last week during UTK Social Media Week and it was honestly one of the best presentations I’ve been to.  He is this amazing guy who works for the social media team at the NBC show, The Voice ( I love that show).  And he also is a social media force to be reckoned with.  He has some serious selfie skills. And his networking and social media talents landed him a spot in Taylor Swift’s video for Shake It Off (ya know, that ole song) after he fangirled after meeting her backstage and then she saw how funny he was on Twitter.  She even tweets him back!  He gave some pretty good tips on how to manage your social media and how important it is to delete old stuff that you wouldn’t necessarily want your future self or boss to see (which I couldn’t agree more with). But most importantly he showed us how big things can happen through social media.  The game has changed.  Everyone has the power to do anything they want or be anyone they want through social media and you better take advantage of it.

WHY IS KIM KARDASHIAN SO EFFING FAMOUS?

I will start this post off by saying I do watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians and I am not proud of it, but I still don’t fully understand how she became 

t h e  m o s t  f a m o u s  p e r s o n  i n  t h e  w o r l d  

from a reality show? But maybe it wasn’t just the reailty show (or the cough tape). Maybe she is literally the best person in the world at marketing herself. I mean she has everything from a nail polish line to a video game.  When you have that wide of a market spread, an unfathomable amount of followers on social media, and every entertainment source out there is obsessed with you, you probably would pretty famous.  It also doesn’t hurt that she has a very unique look and a slew of family members with their own drama.  People like to say she has no talent and while I agree she doesn’t have your typical dance/sing/act/athlete going on, she CLEARLY has serious marketing skills.  The woman knows people love her and she uses it to her advantage like no other.  She is always out and looking AMAZING FROM HEAD TO TOE.  Is it also a coincidence that she married a very influential/controversial celebrity who photographers are also obsessed with?  She is ALWAYS promoting her latest product all over social media.  Say what you will, but the woman has figured out how to make millions and millions from…being herself.

DINING OUT 101

Okay, I work as a host at a pretty popular restaurant in my area and I have seen ALL kinds of people come in there.  I mean from all over the world with all different backgrounds and its amazing to me how everyone has different takes on what the restaurant experience is suppose to be like.  SO I am going to give you all a little advice on how to have a more pleasant dining experience for you and the staff.

1. Do NOT be upset when you come into a popular restaurant (without a reservation) on a Saturday night at 7:00 and there is an hour and a half wait.  ALWAYS expect to wait an hour to two hours on the weekends at MOST restaurants. I PROMISE there are not secret empty tables that they are just letting sit there just to piss you off.

2. If you are going to a restaurant for “drinks” or “dessert”, SIT IN THE BAR. 

3. UNLESS it is obviously a slow night, don’t be that person that complains about a server because being a server is honestly one of the hardest jobs to do especially on nights when you have 7 tables that all get sat at the same time and all want bread and drinks right then and there because they’re in a hurry...it will be a miracle if you don’t mess someone’s order up.

4. If your server is laughing at all your jokes and engaging in conversation with you, they are a GOOD server because I guarantee you all they are thinking about is how much longer table 434’s food is going to take before they get pissed.

5. When you go to restaurant, and pay the bill, YOU ARE PAYING FOR THE FOOD. That’s it. The food. You are NOT paying for the service. You tip your server to pay for that.  And yes they serviced you.  You could have ordered it togo or cooked at home, but no you wanted to be served and waited on hand and foot and if that’s what you got, tip them. End of story.

#ROI

I recently read a pretty interesting book called, ROI: Return On Influence by Mark Schaefer. I took a lot away from it, but what stuck with me is the idea that people on the Internet like reciprocity. The old idea of “You do me a favor, I’ll do you a favor.” We do this in real life all the time.  I mean we even feel uncomfortable or off-balance with ourselves if someone does something nice for us and we haven’t returned the favor.  So it’s only natural that we would do this online right?  I mean you have to wonder, “Did Sally really like that picture or does she just like everyone’s pictures to get more likes on her own?”  We all know those people that like everything you post even though you barely know them.  Don’t get me wrong, getting likes is always nice and you can’t help but feel loved, but does it make you rude now to not like someone’s post/picture back?  Is it the equivalent of not buying someone lunch after they bought yours last week?  The answer is yes.  Whatever their reason, they are choosing to “like” your picture/post, and it only helps you when someone does that. So if they are doing that more than rarely and you don’t reciprocate, don’t be surprised if they stop doing you the “favor” of “like”-ing your stuff.