The Monthly Dose of Testing Land - January 2024
Here is your Monthly Dose of Testing Land, a list of what I’m exploring, mulling, and experiencing each month.
Book I read and stood with me
In the past few months, I decided to take a break from reading self-improvement books and instead dove into fiction, thrillers, crimes, and mystery novels.
However, while browsing online, I noticed a lot of buzz surrounding Roxie Nafousi's books about manifesting. Eventually, I stumbled upon her book, "Manifest" while browsing in a library and decided to purchase it. I was pleasantly surprised by what I read. Although it's a short book, Nafousi presents ideas that most of us have already heard about before. Still, the way she articulates the power of positive thinking and manifesting positive outcomes during difficult situations is refreshing. I enjoyed the book so much that I plan on keeping it nearby to read it again.
Overall, I highly recommend "Manifest" by Roxie Nafousi.
This book kinda reminded me of some thoughts I had about visualization which if you were to ask me, visualization and manifestation for me are pretty similar. You can read my thoughts about visualization in this article - Fake It 'Til You Make It, No Thanks. Visualization, Yes Please.
Kitchen tool I discovered
I decided to upgrade from my old waffle maker and bought a brand-new one. The old waffle maker was purchased from a local store in Cluj at a very low price, with high hopes that it's going to do great waffles. Although it did its job of making waffles, they didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. My ideal waffles are crispy on the outside and somewhat moist on the inside.
So, after doing a bit of research I got to Breville Duraceramic waffle maker, a similar version of this one, but way cheaper and I have to be honest with you, it's the best investment I made in January❤️ I can finally enjoy the waffles of my dreams, haha. My favorite ones are covered with strawberry jam, or the ones with salted cheese. Tough decisions😂
Podcast episode that I liked
How to Lead and Retain High Performers by Leading Women in Tech Podcast.
Our dream as managers is to have a team full of high-performing individuals. However, the challenge lies in retaining them and keeping them motivated. To achieve this, we need to create an engaging work environment where they can thrive. It is also important to know when it is time to let them go.
The series I'm watching
Yellowstone. Yellowstone kept appearing in my Netflix suggestions for a while, but I thought it was a docu-series so I kept ignoring it. But last week I started watching it, oh Lord, I couldn't stop. It fascinates me how each character has their own deep story to tell and the cast seems perfect on how they all give incredible performances.