Hasta La Gadget!

This time of year, it’s easy to hole up, reassess everything a little TOO much, and generally be a drag to everyone — even your kids’ hamsters. I mean really, when you are snuggling a hamster and telling it how well it understands you, it’s time to do a little check-in.

(Um… Is this just me?)

You probably just came off a fall FULL of stuff. Then you spent too much time with in-laws over the holidays who ask what they think are benign questions but really the CIA would be impressed with such tactics. And now, you’re looking at a looming winter ahead: cold, dark, and possibly not sure if you’re really doing what you want.

You ain’t alone, kid.

What seems like a good time to reassess can also bring us to a screeching halt energy wise. First of all, if you feel you have to or want to do New Year’s resolutions, read this book: The Year I Will, by MJ Ryan. I work with MJ and she is brilliant and has done her homework about the studies on keeping resolutions and making changes. Don’t do resolutions ever again without reading this. They don’t work the way you think they do. Check it out. You’ll succeed this time.

Next, if you are assessing EVERYthing too much (if you’re not sure, just ask your spouse or best friend who will happily tell you if you are!), you might find you are only ruminating and getting nowhere fast. A better way to get a grip on whether your life is heading in the right direction is to try a few of these exercises:

1. GET LOST. Allow yourself to BE lost… but only for a very set period of time. I recommend an hour or less in a book store perusing the racks without telling yourself what is okay or normal for you. Browse something like Pinterest, or cookbooks or look at a list of documentaries available on-line — but make sure that you don’t judge or analyze what you pick. This is the most important part. Just let your eye wander, pick something and then experience it. It might be something you’ve never even thought interested you. Or something you think shouldn’t interest you based on how you perceive yourself. Just experience it and then you can analyze or think about it afterwards. But BE LOST IN IT. It’s hard to allow yourself to grow if you confine yourself to only things you’ve done before. This is the space to do that. But whatever you pick, set a time limit. You’re not actually trying to encourage feelings of sadness or confusion. This should be enlivening and fun. This is exploratory, with a goal of information-gathering, not a dastardly slink downward into the “yawning black hole of meaningless existence” …as my comedy song “My Mid-Life Crisis Song” says.

2. NEWNESS! Wake up your creative spirit. Or just wake up ANY part of you. You might want to spend a day at a retreat center or school type thing, or with a group doing something you’ve never done before: yoga, surfing, drawing, web design, learning a new skill. Shake it up, babe! Or just grab a friend and ogle cute dudes and babes at the gym. If your friend questions it, say your life coach told you you had to. For your health.

3. FIND COMMUNITY! Maybe try a women’s group. It doesn’t have to be a book club or mommy group or, heck, even really women. But community is one of the most important parts of mental health and of getting a grip. Coffee, lunch, an exercise group, or something no one’s ever done before. I particularly recommend this last one and I am writing a book about it (shhhh, it’s under wraps but I promise to come back and share a chapter later). Not only does creating a group that’s never existed help create community, but it’s also CREATIVE. You’ll get energy back by doing the creating and exploring. You might come up with the idea on your own, or with a gang, but either way, part of the process of coming up with it will rejuvenate you. Just a note to pick the participants carefully. Find energetic fun friends first to set the stage. Remember that this is for YOU. You’re helping YOU get your groove back, not rescuing others. You can always invite those you want to inspire later once the activity and posse is established. I’d give you some ideas but then I’d have to kill you. Sorry. My publisher’s rule. Plus then it would take away the whole point!

4. SCHEDULE IN FUN. This time of year, you need things to look forward to if your day to day is feeling humdrum or even if you’re a bit depressed. Dinners with friends, tix to a play or musical, you name it. Things you know you like and things you have always wanted to try. Again, I recommend making plans with other people. Their energy will lift yours. Rarely are you going to have a dinner date with three other people that doesn’t perk you up. Even if they are three totally drained people – chances are you’ll give each other energy.

5. SEEK OUT COMEDY! My personal fave. And full disclaimer: This is my job! We’ve all ready the studies. COMEDY MAKES YOU HAPPIER. We’re talking chemically happier. And, um, by that I mean the legal self-made kind of chemicals. Like in your brain.

It’s important to TAKE steps toward fighting the January blues. It’s a real thing. And in colder climates it’s fairly universal. By DOING something about it, you are by definition taking your life into your hands and making yourself feel like your life is more under your control. This in itself helps you feel more energetic and hopeful. Be sure to also schedule in a little rest time, but if too much down time just adds to the blues, pull back. A coffee with a friend, a massage, (a massage with a friend…), going to bed early, (going to bed early with a friend!) – these are probably better bets.

And comedy. Did I mention watching some comedy?!?!

If you’d like a free copy of my book or free tickets to an upcoming show of my satirical songs in New York City, (it’s comedy people! It’s on the list!), I’ll be giving out three copies of the book and two pairs of tix to five of the people who sign up for my newsletter now. Or send me your email to info@katiegoodman.com. And I’d love to hear what you chose and how it went!

In the midst of every winter, I eagerly anticipate the excitement and hype that comes from two major sporting events. One, perhaps not surprisingly, is the Super Bowl — in all its splendid, commercialized and global glory — and the other, perhaps less celebrated by the general public, is the Australian Open Tennis Championship — one of the four Grand Slams that takes place each year and it’s in the middle of January.

In the past week, however, the excitement of the Super Bowl has been quickly “deflated” with talk of the Patriot’s latest “cheating” scandal involving their handling of “deflated” footballs allegedly used to help them secure their victory over the Indianapolis Colts at the AFC Championship game.

Such disappointment naturally leads one to ponder the evermore-disappointing state of professional sports and, more specifically, the behavior and conduct of professional athletes. Indeed, it may be difficult to maintain hope in the “business” of sports and in the possibility of there ever existing true “sports heroes” for the young to aspire to.

Yet, “cheating” or “immoral conduct” in sports is certainly not new. A quick look back at the 1904 Olympics and the 1919 Chicago White Sox (explained here) confirms that, even before the modern day obsession with sports, not all athletes have been interested in winning by honest means.

The difference today, however, seems to be in the frequency of such incidents — incidents which can be partially explained by the higher stakes, fiercely competitive atmosphere and globalization of the sports industry. Indeed, between the Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Donald Sterling and Luis Suarez scandals, 2014 proved to be quite the year for the professional sports industry.

But, be that as it may, sportsmanship in its most pure form — defined as “fair play, respect for opponents and polite behaviors by someone who is competing in a sport or other competition” — can still be found. Perhaps not on the 2015 Super Bowl field, but over on a tennis court in Australia where Roger Federer, despite his recent third-round loss, continued his reputation as a “picture of class and composure.”

Considered “one of the greatest players of all time” — surpassing Pete Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam titles with 17 — it is not just his statistics, titles and records that have earned him this status. It’s the way he conducts himself — both on and off the court — that supporters, commentators and even opponents agree make him truly “great.”

Humble, classy and dominant, he truly is an all-around class act with poise and grace, in both victory and defeat.

In fact, after losing to Rafael Nadal in the final match at the French Open in 2008, he commented with professional poise:

“I was hoping for a better outcome, no doubt, but Rafa played well today… He made it hard for me and… was better, so it was a tough loss, but I tried, and I hoped and it wasn’t enough.”

As for Federer’s conduct “off court”, Andy Roddick (a long time rival of Federer’s) says it best: “He’s a real person. He’s not an enigma. Off the court he’s not trying to be somebody. If you met him at McDonald’s and you didn’t know who he was, you would have no idea that he’s one of the best athletes in the world.”

Perhaps, like the recent proposals for mandatory ethics training for our Congressmen, the NFL would be wise to do the same for their coaches and players. And who better to “teach” sportsmanship and model respectable athletic conduct than Roger Federer? Maybe that can be his next career.

Now wouldn’t that be a grand slam!

This post originally appeared on Katharine’s blog All Things Good. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

Alan Ball (“True Blood”) and Elton John are teaming up with HBO to make a pilot for “an hourlong period drama set against the complex and volatile backdrop of 18th century Vienna,” writes The Hollywood Reporter.

At International CES, a conference lined with prestigious keynote speakers, The Ipsos Girls’ Lounge was honored to partner with AOL’s MAKERS and have the woman leading technological advancement in the White House bring candor, insight and inspiration to our intimate space. Megan Smith, the Chief Technology Officer of the United States, who is an infectious whirlwind, shared so much inspiration that I literally sat speechless (a rarity), absorbing every word.

In a room filled with over 150 women, Smith drew us in, sharing stories from her childhood in Buffalo, NY in the ’70s, Silicon Valley in the ’90’s and her early days at Google — all which led her to the White House in 2014. As acting CTO in the Office of Science and Technology, her colleagues include scientists, brain and space researchers and an incredible team of techies across government and the world. Her role advises the President and his team on technology policy — net neutrality, big data, regulations, precision health and protecting the privacy of American citizens.

She referenced the “TQ” Technology Quotient, that is a necessary skill set for her team. So, how do you get more people with “TQ” to work for the government instead of a hot startup? Smith said, “When you get the right culture… this kind of work will pull people. You’re saving the lives of veterans… and families. Once you start to work on these problems… it brings out the service orientation within all of us.”

Smith has worked to bring more women into the engineering and technology fields. At Google, she was actively involved in recruiting for the Women Techmakers program, stating, “Those of us who love science and math should also do service through innovation and invention to make the world a better place…and use technology to do that.”

Women have always done these jobs — even if they’ve been written out of the story. She referenced the Steve Jobs movie where there’s no appearance by a character representing Joanna Hoffman, who was on the product team for the original Apple Macintosh. “We lose our history all the time, and it’s really debilitating to young girls.”

She went on to share a super powerful nugget for paying it forward — “If you’re teaching in this field — start with impact! And then get to the math. Kids need to have hands-on experiences with this stuff and understand how not to just be consumers of technology, but how to be Makers.”

This is why Dyllan McGee, the Founder and Executive Producer of MAKERS, has compiled the largest collection of women’s inspiring stories from around the world on modern achievements and advancement, including the story of Megan Smith and Katherine Johnson. Many people don’t know that it was Johnson, an African American woman, who successfully calculated the flight trajectory for Apollo 11’s flight to the moon in 1969.

MAKERS also worked with Verizon on the “Inspire Her Mind,” commercial to help raise awareness of gender stereotypes. In this specific commercial a young girl working on an elaborate science project is discouraged from muddying up her dress and from handling a power tool in lieu of her brother. It leaves viewers with an important question to process: “Isn’t it time we told her she’s pretty brilliant, too?”

This message became crystal clear when YULA High School girls from The Genesis Helping Hand Project stepped forward and presented a 3D printed prosthetic hand that was created over the course of CES in The Girls’ Lounge. The 3D printed hand will be given with love to a young girl who has lost her own. These amazing young women hope to donate over 1,000 prosthetic hands to young people in need during 2015. Their selflessness and vision is an example of how a few small steps can start a movement.

I agree that to truly activate change we must inspire the next generation and we must inspire each other. As a group, we have evolved together. Beyond networking, The Girls’ Lounge has become an incubator for thought leadership and activation. Remember, if we could have done it alone, we would have by now. Stick together and lead the charge in revolutionizing the workforce and technology. Keep thriving and #ActivateChange.

Lumoid is an online store that rents and sells consumer electronics, from prosumer cameras to the Google Glass. Recently the store opened up a new kind of service that’s solely for wearable devices. Lumoid can ship you up to five fitness or sleep trackers so you can try them out for a week. If you like any of them, buy them from Lumoid and your trial is free. Otherwise you’ll pay a $20 (USD) fee for the rental.

Lumoid has a good sampling of fitness and sleep tracking devices, including ones from Nike, Jawbone and Fitbit. Head to the store’s website if you’d like to avail of the trial. You should also check out Fast Company’s hands-on impression of the service.

[via UrbanDaddy]