Monday, February 13, 2012
blogspot RIP
when i ventured out into blog land it was with the hope of incorporating ideas about my organizing business. i had many questions...the content (organizing tips or how to start a business), audience (who is my reader, my ability to write.
writing does not come naturally to me so i was paralyzed. but i knew two things. one, i knew in order to get this off the ground i would need any easy topic that would give me focus. two, the key to learning to do something requires doing it over and over again. i think thing i have accomplished both. but i have not achieved my original goal which was to write about my business. the time has come for me to make the change.
what does this mean? well according to my blog advisor i need to in his words "kill your blog. start fresh. get off blogspot". he has also told me to lose my hotmail account but let's not get crazy.
and with that i am moving to a new location...supposedly wordpress is where it's at. don't worry i will leave a forwarding address. i hope you follow me on this continued journey.
writing does not come naturally to me so i was paralyzed. but i knew two things. one, i knew in order to get this off the ground i would need any easy topic that would give me focus. two, the key to learning to do something requires doing it over and over again. i think thing i have accomplished both. but i have not achieved my original goal which was to write about my business. the time has come for me to make the change.
what does this mean? well according to my blog advisor i need to in his words "kill your blog. start fresh. get off blogspot". he has also told me to lose my hotmail account but let's not get crazy.
and with that i am moving to a new location...supposedly wordpress is where it's at. don't worry i will leave a forwarding address. i hope you follow me on this continued journey.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
secret
want to know a secret about me? it is not big but it is still a secret. typically during the weekend i start plan out my week on my android calendar. I like to have a set agenda and feel the need to be accountable for my responsibilities. being my own boss i am only accountable to myself. that is the toughest boss. one of the daily resposibilites is to blog. one of the items that is on my calendar daily is the word blog. being the type a person that i am, i feel the pressure daily to have something to write. so now...yes, i blog a day early. i like knowing my goals are accomplished early. isn't that funny? rather than just posting a second blog for the day, i hold it until the next day. rediculous. thankfully neurosies have their payoffs. every once in a while there might be a writer's block, or a "just don't feel like writing day", and voila...i have a blog in the bank. the behavior may seem strange but i'm ok with that. there you have it. that's my little secret.
by the way i wrote this satuday at 9:27!
by the way i wrote this satuday at 9:27!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
aha
oprah has some kind of saying that god/universe first whispers to you, then talks to you and then screams to you whatever is the message that you need to know/do in life. for me, it has always been that i am at my best when i am out and about meeting people. and from that i will be living my authentic life and will reap the benefits from it. the past two days have proved that for me.
each day i try to get out and take out. i start out from my house with no set plan and see where i end up. on wednesday i found myself walking by my friends' home. they recently had a baby girl and i was wondering how they were. as the baby is literally weeks old i normally would just walk by and think good thoughts for their new family. on wednesday i was imagining running into them and sure enough not a minute later the two moms and baby were right in front of me. exactly what i saw in my mind was presented to me live. amazing.
then yesterday i decided to head out and find a place where i can write on my computer and see my friends at the local peets coffee. along the way i ran into one my favorite dogs and with that started chatting with the owner. before i knew it he told me that he has been talking about me to a couple of friends who need a professional organizer! this is such a reminder to me on those days when i am unsure what path to go down to find new business. i just need to keep being myself and going out into the community talking to people. sure there are many just light conversations with people curious about what i do but from anyone of those there is a potential to meet a new client.
i knew it. thank you universe for the reminder.
each day i try to get out and take out. i start out from my house with no set plan and see where i end up. on wednesday i found myself walking by my friends' home. they recently had a baby girl and i was wondering how they were. as the baby is literally weeks old i normally would just walk by and think good thoughts for their new family. on wednesday i was imagining running into them and sure enough not a minute later the two moms and baby were right in front of me. exactly what i saw in my mind was presented to me live. amazing.
then yesterday i decided to head out and find a place where i can write on my computer and see my friends at the local peets coffee. along the way i ran into one my favorite dogs and with that started chatting with the owner. before i knew it he told me that he has been talking about me to a couple of friends who need a professional organizer! this is such a reminder to me on those days when i am unsure what path to go down to find new business. i just need to keep being myself and going out into the community talking to people. sure there are many just light conversations with people curious about what i do but from anyone of those there is a potential to meet a new client.
i knew it. thank you universe for the reminder.
Friday, February 10, 2012
problem solver...solution finder
when i first became a professional organizer i would think to myself what is that one product that everyone needs. you know, what would be that one thing that instantly everyone would be able to keep their stuff together with little effort? basically in a nut shell, i am learning to be a problem solver. in my last yoga teaching gig, i wasn't able to utilize this quality in myself. in fact it was dettered. for instance, the area behind the check in desk was a total nightmare. besides being dirty, it just looked like a mess. now the so called reasoning behind that was to deter anyone from theft and/or getting in the owner's personal business. after mych thought, i realize that was just a deterrent becuase she was just a disorganized mess in so many senses of the word. but i am not going down that road. instead am bringing this back to what i am interested in...that is identifying a problem and then coming up with a solution. i love that.
for instance the peets coffee that i like to frequent doesn't have the best set ups for their condiments bar. it is awkward for people using it as well as those waiting to get coffee. now today when i went in to purchase more coffee beans (i am home brweing now.) the condiments bar was moved up against the wall. my coffee friends shared with me that this was a sign of a new manager. every time someone new is hired to manage the store, the first thing they do is move the bar. yes, they are identifying there is a problem...like any good new manager would however their solution is incorrect. you see this particular peets is not very large so their is only so many places it can go. so anytime someone new now comes in they move it to a place where it has been before...just a few managers before. the soltion is the bar itself. so for the last ten minutes i drew up a design for the perfect solution. hmmm..think i should send it to peet's. maybe that is my calling. creating not just one item to fit all but instead identifying on problem and then identifying the solution. hmmmm....that feels right.
for instance the peets coffee that i like to frequent doesn't have the best set ups for their condiments bar. it is awkward for people using it as well as those waiting to get coffee. now today when i went in to purchase more coffee beans (i am home brweing now.) the condiments bar was moved up against the wall. my coffee friends shared with me that this was a sign of a new manager. every time someone new is hired to manage the store, the first thing they do is move the bar. yes, they are identifying there is a problem...like any good new manager would however their solution is incorrect. you see this particular peets is not very large so their is only so many places it can go. so anytime someone new now comes in they move it to a place where it has been before...just a few managers before. the soltion is the bar itself. so for the last ten minutes i drew up a design for the perfect solution. hmmm..think i should send it to peet's. maybe that is my calling. creating not just one item to fit all but instead identifying on problem and then identifying the solution. hmmmm....that feels right.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
is it a day off?
the most challenging part of having your own business are the workdays when i don't have "work". by that i mean, the days i am not working for a client. i have this feeling of not knowing exactly what to do with myself. i re post to craigslist. i contact my current clients to motivate them to schedule a new appointment. i think the hardest part is being at home. there is something about being here that puts me into some kind of freeze. yes, i should be working on my business plan as well as my book but the freeze sets in. i think i need to figure out a place i can go to that will give me a work feeling to set up my computer and work. i would like it to be a place where i don't have to buy coffee or food. i gotta think about that.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
the yoga
i think i have had a similar post to this but hey i am 46 going on 47 so i am bound to repeat myself.
so much has come to because of practicing yoga. here goes.
i started practicing this yoga right after my amazing husband and i got married in 1999. at the time, i was working for mass mutual as the business manager and was overcome by piercing back pain. i went to the doctor and was told i had herniated discs in lower spine l4, l5, s1.
i went down many roads to heal my spine. first stop was talking to a doctor who suggested surgery - 50 percent success rate,
physical therapy - told i was a slouch, pain management - needles of narcotics that made me high as a kite.
chiropractor - instant relief in the adjustments but not long term, frozen pees to numb the pain before sleeping. and then someone said go try this yoga...
bikram yoga...good for the spine. i checked it out. hated it. it worked. healing my spine is just the first thing that happened. here are some of the other things in no particular order.
my diet. this has been a big one. i drank soda regularly. i drank alcohol on a more frequent basis and of course that went hand in hand with smoking. i ate whenever i felt like it and had no thought about what it was that i consumed. i often ate out. that has all change. i eat a vegetarian diet. i plan my meals and most of them are eaten at home. i drink alcohol on occasion but rarely. i still like to have a drag of a cigarette when that happens but i never feel good after it. i rarely drink soda. i did add coffee to the mix. hey, we can't be perfect.
my fashion style. i think i had a habit of being influenced by my friends wardrobe. now i have a better sense of who i am, what i like and what works for me. all of the clothes i have fit me and reflect who i am.
my career choices. first thing...quit job, go to yoga school and became a teacher. then added my current business as a professional organizer. prior to becoming a yoga teacher, i think i followed the path of one job leading into the next. i am lucky to have the ability to pick up skills to do a variety of jobs but that didn't necessarily mean it was something i wanted to do. now i am clearer about what it is that that motivates me and what i am passionate about.
my relationship. i am so clear about who is important to me. first and foremost is my husband. we are each others family. and in my friendships, i used to have so many relationships that i worked to keep going, regardless of whether or not that person seemed invested into it. now i am connected to the people that matter to me and i matter to them. it is that second part of the statement that i used to not take notice of...that i am important to them. some may think it is harsh but if you i am the only participating in the relationship there is a point that it just doesn't work.
my free time. i think i had a habit of doing what everybody else wanted so i was never clear about what worked for me. i like to take walks, practice yoga, hang out with friends, go to the movies, take dance class, travel. i do all these things.
there are so many more things but i think is a pretty good summary.
when i look at this, i think there is a common thread in all of it...i have learned who i am, what i want and was important to me. and i do it.
thank you yoga.
so much has come to because of practicing yoga. here goes.
i started practicing this yoga right after my amazing husband and i got married in 1999. at the time, i was working for mass mutual as the business manager and was overcome by piercing back pain. i went to the doctor and was told i had herniated discs in lower spine l4, l5, s1.
i went down many roads to heal my spine. first stop was talking to a doctor who suggested surgery - 50 percent success rate,
physical therapy - told i was a slouch, pain management - needles of narcotics that made me high as a kite.
chiropractor - instant relief in the adjustments but not long term, frozen pees to numb the pain before sleeping. and then someone said go try this yoga...
bikram yoga...good for the spine. i checked it out. hated it. it worked. healing my spine is just the first thing that happened. here are some of the other things in no particular order.
my diet. this has been a big one. i drank soda regularly. i drank alcohol on a more frequent basis and of course that went hand in hand with smoking. i ate whenever i felt like it and had no thought about what it was that i consumed. i often ate out. that has all change. i eat a vegetarian diet. i plan my meals and most of them are eaten at home. i drink alcohol on occasion but rarely. i still like to have a drag of a cigarette when that happens but i never feel good after it. i rarely drink soda. i did add coffee to the mix. hey, we can't be perfect.
my fashion style. i think i had a habit of being influenced by my friends wardrobe. now i have a better sense of who i am, what i like and what works for me. all of the clothes i have fit me and reflect who i am.
my career choices. first thing...quit job, go to yoga school and became a teacher. then added my current business as a professional organizer. prior to becoming a yoga teacher, i think i followed the path of one job leading into the next. i am lucky to have the ability to pick up skills to do a variety of jobs but that didn't necessarily mean it was something i wanted to do. now i am clearer about what it is that that motivates me and what i am passionate about.
my relationship. i am so clear about who is important to me. first and foremost is my husband. we are each others family. and in my friendships, i used to have so many relationships that i worked to keep going, regardless of whether or not that person seemed invested into it. now i am connected to the people that matter to me and i matter to them. it is that second part of the statement that i used to not take notice of...that i am important to them. some may think it is harsh but if you i am the only participating in the relationship there is a point that it just doesn't work.
my free time. i think i had a habit of doing what everybody else wanted so i was never clear about what worked for me. i like to take walks, practice yoga, hang out with friends, go to the movies, take dance class, travel. i do all these things.
there are so many more things but i think is a pretty good summary.
when i look at this, i think there is a common thread in all of it...i have learned who i am, what i want and was important to me. and i do it.
thank you yoga.
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