I thought it might be useful for some to hear my story about studying for the PMP or the CAPM exam. I did not do the classroom route or the bootcamp expense. I studied alone but I didn't go it alone as I had a support network of mentors. I was also audited. I also failed my first attempt. So here's some studying tips!

1. Immerse yourself in it
• Whether that is a bootcamp for 40 hours straight, a routine study group once a week, designated study time every night, you need constant interaction with the content. Even if you're a PM at your regular job, the fundamentals that are being tested are very cut and dry; you need to study for the exam like you would a psychology exam. I highly recommend Carl and LeRoy on the PMP Exam Prep CDs. I'd listen for an hour a day on the way to work and back.
2. Practice answers
• Anywhere has test questions, but what you really need to do is go over the answers of the ones you got right and wrong. Many questions don't have one right answer, there are 3 good answers and 1 better answer and you could easily talk yourself into any of them. Rita in the PMP Exam has great explanations. Read the thought process to train yourself to do the same.
3. The project life cycle
• I struggled with these questions the most. Does this action happen in planning or monitoring and controlling? Memorizing orders isn't enough; you have to carefully watch the verb used in the question to get it right. Are they creating project members? Identifying them? Or assigning tasks to them? It seems simple, but since the books and materials typically train by section, these questions sneak up on you.

Does the PMP prepare you for a job as a Project Manager? I think it does emphasize the tools and processes needed to be good at it. Experience and networking will help you become a great one, which the PMI community emphasizes as well. I think it's a great group to be a part of!

Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead
by Brené Brown

I loved this book which doesn't surprise me as I loved hearing Brené speak three years ago at a Denver Conference held by the Leadership Investment. Brené is a strong writer that draws conclusions from her research and then tests the theories in her own life and you can connect with her struggles, realizations, and emotions. I let myself take a lot of breaks reading/listening to this to think and apply her ideas to my own life and I must say that she challenged me indirectly. Here are my top three take-aways.

1. Overcoming the fear of disconnection
• If you know me in real life, I'm not afraid to ask questions, even in a room full of experts. In the first weeks at my new job, the product team of 30+ reviewed new features and I just raised my hand and asked a what if straight to the developer. That's me daring greatly, but I don't do that all the time and there are definitely times I worry about what other's think of me. Brené offers tips to stay real and accept our wholehearted selves.
2. Learning shame resilience
• Emotional hurt can be as painful as physical hurt and so we try to protect ourselves by putting up barriers. The problem is that these barriers keep us from the good things too. I looked at my instinctive reactions when someone is rude, combative, or upset and learned that I usually try to deflect. Maybe your vulnerability armor is different than mine, but learning to identify it is the first step to avoid putting up boundaries and instead embrace the opportunity to be vulnerable.
3. Being Wholeheartedness
• "Vulnerability is the last thing I want you to see in me, but the first thing I look for in you." I worry about having kids of my own or managing a team of my own but I have no doubt that both of those things will happen someday. I learned that I should say what I'm feeling more often. Saying it out loud is my challenge to being more honest with others. I think engineers have trouble admitting these so I use a very direct approach "You make me feel _____ right now." but it is better than nothing.

It's No Shave November! Okay, I'm a lady so unless we're talking about my armpits (and ew) it doesn't apply. But there are many things that we would rather not do on a regular basis that this month is dedicated to "allow" us to pass on for a while. Well, here's what I think about it: the opposite!

No Shave November? I'm not sure that's what it's all about.

1. How about then?
• We tell ourselves a lot that "I'll do it in 5 minutes" but that excuse constantly gets pushed out 5 minutes at a time. Look at time past instead and ask, the last 5 minutes, should I have just gotten up and done it then? It might make you feel a little guilty and get you to get up now so that in 5 minutes, you can look back and say, ya, that was okay.
2. Going slow is better than not going at all
• I like this mantra for exercise but it can be applied to anything. Like that email you meant to reply to, or that documentation you kept putting off. Maybe you never felt inspired or felt ready to tackle a problem. News flash, you may never feel ready; so just get up and do it and take as long as it takes.
3. Set personal reminders
• It is soooo easy to set reminders these days. Outlook calendar, smartphone apps, post-it notes. They can popup incessantly and it's too easy to dismiss or delay them. Try having a real person be that reminder. They are a lot harder to get rid of. :-)

1. Leave them and try to ignore the mess
• Perfection is not always necessary. I mean, they're freaking leaves! Aren't more going to fall down if you waited a few days anyways? For a project that literally never ends, you need to let it go and not worry about what "finished" means in the backyard.
2. Painstakingly pick them up
• Honestly, sometimes a job isn't done until it's all done and that means every last little piece. A little leaf pile is still a leaf pile. The effort to get all the equipment out again is more of a pain than making sure it's all as gone as it can be. Finish it now and you can maybe talk yourself out of picking up the rake again until next season.
3. Spread them around and call it mulch
• Well, leaves actually do have natural properties that are good for ground cover. Of course you can't make it look like you didn't finish, so spread the love out. In business, you can get a 60 minute job done faster if you give everyone a 6 minute job, right?