I decided that I would make the Worth Reading posts into a weekly series as a way to share some of my favorite articles with you all. Watch out, this week’s list includes a lot of wordy pieces, but I think they tackle very real issues, so they are of course worth your time to read!
Remember, just click on the title to read the full article and click on the pictures for photo sources.
7 Ways to Earn More Respect and Influence as a Young Professional Woman
Working for an engineering company, I’m sure you can imagine that my workplace is a mostly male dominated environment. I’ve given a lot of thought as to how to present myself to my coworkers in a way that showed I was friendly with a sense of humor, but that I was also to be taken seriously. Holland (love that name!) offered up her tips on how to earn respect from your colleagues in a manner that lets them know you are neither a sex symbol nor a man eater. I’ve seen a lot women in the office bring in drama through gossip or catty attitudes. This sort of behavior only plays up to a stereotype of women. Don’t do it!
Kaity wrote a guest post over at Healthy Tipping Point earlier this week about how she was impacted by her mother’s own self-image issues. Sometimes a person may think that their own negative talk may not affect anyone else since they’re only talking about themselves; however, a negative attitude has an awful habit of rubbing off on others around them, especially susceptible children. I know I looked toward my mother while growing up for guidance on how I should feel about food and my own body. So for any parents out there reading, or older brothers and sisters, think about the impression you’re leaving on someone before putting yourself down!
NASA – The Frontier is Everywhere
Alright, so this isn’t an article, but it’s still worth your time! I was a bit of a nerd growing up and had my own telescope and read sci-fi books (the Animorphs series, if anyone was curious). It was my dorkiness love for all things space related that drove me towards choosing an engineering major in college. This video perfectly captures my hopes and dreams for space exploration. We humans are capable of greatness. And if this doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will!
8 Ways to Practice and Improve Your Public Speaking Skills
Did I ever tell you that I was Salutatorian in high school and had to give a speech to over a thousand people? I was the very first person to get up and speak and my voice was so shaky and I lost my place at one point and had no choice but to look into the crowd with the frightened and lost look of a deer in the headlights. I really wish my very last memory of high school wasn’t such an embarrassing one! Public speaking is still something that I struggle with, but I’m working on it and I definitely plan on using the tips that Jenny offered up. My favorite tip that she shared is to pretend that you are talking to a non-native English speaker or five year old. I know I definitely tend to rush my words when talking in public and could probably stand to slow down a bit so that people actually have a chance of understanding me!
You guys know how I love a good muffin, and these are no exception. I have a hard time eating blackberries on their own, but baking them into a sweet muffin sounds absolutely divine! Again Jenna, I’m putting the offer out there to be your taste tester for free!
One Mom’s Extreme Search for Healthy Living
This is a very moving piece about the lifestyle changes Amanda was driven to make for her and her family after being diagnosed with cancer. I love how she gives very real examples of trying to remove the Fraken-food from her family’s diet, but ends with the wisdom that you can only do the best you can do. It’s impossible to avoid food made out of unknown substances all together in today’s society, so don’t hold yourself to unattainable standards. This article is definitely worth reading, if for no other reason than to learn some fun facts such as the average American consumes 160 pounds of sugar each year compared to a century ago when the average was only four pounds!
Another article written by Amanda about the changes she’s making with the products inside her family’s home. This really made me stop to think about how I’m exposed to so many chemicals throughout the day in products I would assume were safe. I must confess, I also love this article for the term “crunchy people”. My college roomie used to refer to the all-natural hippies as “crunchy granola people” and it always made me laugh!
And to end on a sweet note…
Brownie Batter Chocolate Chip Cookies
Seriously Heather, you’re killing me with these sweets! There’s nothing that I enjoy more than a soft chewy cookie that still has a little texture to it. I can absolutely imagine myself eating the whole batch of these within a week (you guys know I’m capable of it). Good thing Heather says that the batch counts as one serving! 
Check back next week for more reading material and of course give a shout out in the comments section to any of your favorite posts/articles/bloggers!
