When I Grow Up......

If you were ever a child – and who among us was not? – you were probably asked by someone, perhaps a teacher or a family member, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” I know I was asked this question, and I know I probably asked my own children this question too.   Do you remember your answer(s)?  What did you want to do when you grew up?  And how close was your answer back then to the person you’ve become?

Did you notice the shift there? The question morphed from “What do you want to do?” to “Who do you want to become?”  Regardless of your day job these days - firefighter, nurse, airplane pilot, parent, white-collar manager, table-waiter, teacher, cowboy, surgeon, actor/actress, cashier, antique dealer, engineer, etc. – WHO you ARE has probably become more important to you than WHAT you DO.  That’s a sign of maturity, so if you’re not there yet, hopefully you’re heading that direction.

So, today, as you “sit a spell”, you might want to ponder who you have become as you’ve grown up. You might not be able to make any change in what you DO, but if you’re not satisfied with who you ARE, you can start any time. Trying to make major changes overnight is probably unrealistic and impractical, a set-up for failure. Start with a few small goals and gradually work from there.  Enlist the help of a friend, perhaps a friend who wants to make a few positive changes too. A friend can help you monitor whether your transformation appears to be constructive and sincere. A really good friend will be honest enough to “call you out” if your modifications seem phony or contrived. And a really, really good friend will affirm and reinforce the growth and progress toward your goals in a way that will encourage you and keep you on track.  If you’re successful, chances are you’ll end up enjoying BEING the person you’ve become, even if that person is still DOING the same day job.

~ Linda Wood Astala (9-27-2017)

Sitting at Your Best Desk

Many of us spend a lot of our day sitting at a desk. If that's true for you, or maybe has been true for you in the past, I wonder what you were doing while you were sitting? Were you writing? Were you gazing at a computer monitor? Were you "getting organized?" Were you talking on the phone? Were you daydreaming?

Whatever you were doing when you were sitting, it was probably more enjoyable and more productive if you were comfortable.  Your mind is able to function optimally when you're sitting at a functional desk. The proper working height, whether you're sitting or standing, is vital. The amount of storage/drawer space is important. The work surface area, with proper size, cable-wire-management, and correct L-configuration should be both logical and personal.

Ace Office Furniture Houston has a wide selection of used high-end executive office furniture, as well as new traditional and contemporary office desks. We can help you find YOUR best desk, the one that's right for you, so the time you spend sitting at your desk is time well spent. 

Linda Wood Astala (8-13-17)

The Storm Continues ...

"How did you do in the storm?" That question has been asked by us and of us with each and every customer who has walked into Ace Office Furniture.  Only a few - mainly because who has time to shop for office furniture when you've had three feet of water in your business - have said, "We took a real hit. I don't know if we'll ever recover."    Most of the answers have varied from "Oh, we did just great!" to "Well, we had a little water but nothing compared to so many."  At Ace Office Furniture, and in our homes, we were fortunate. We lost no furniture and had only a patch of wet carpet.   We were very fortunate.

The thing we all have in common, regardless of our answer to the question, "How did you do in the storm?" is that most of us are asking, "Why me?"   Ten percent of people in the Houston area may be asking why their property was destroyed, but another ninety percent is asking, "Why was I so lucky to be spared?", experiencing a type of survivor guilt. And regardless of the amount of water we had or didn't have in our homes and business, we ALL have experienced PTSS - Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome /Post Tropical Storm Stress.  We may find ourselves sleeping fitfully or sleeping much more than usual. We may feel kind of paralyzed or, the opposite, feel almost hypervigilant. We may catch ourselves watching the weather reports, particularly now that the East Coast is dealing with Hurricane Irma, with heightened anxiety, empathy for the Floridians that wait to return to their homes and sympathy for those who may have no home to return to.  If we had to evacuate during Harvey, we may freeze each time we hear a siren or helicopter.  If we had to boil your water, we may have difficulty drinking tap water even though it's been declared safe. 

We may wonder if things will ever be normal again in Texas - and in our own lives. So, we need to go easy on ourselves and give ourselves time to heal from the losses we and all of we have experienced, personally or vicariously. We will be normal again, but it will be a NEW normal and we will have learned, if we are fortunate,  some very important things about what's really important.  And I hope we'll continue to ask that question of each other, regardless of the situation:  "How did you do in the storm?"

~ Linda Wood Astala   (9-08-17)