Close up , colorful pushpins on calendar
Several years ago I was reflecting, and I had an overall tinge of regret, sensing that I spent too much time reclining in the sidelines and not enough time balls-to-the wall embracing my life.
Sidelined by kids’ schedules, work schedules, the limits of one car for a household of three drivers ,and the limits of my own mind.
This made me uncomfortable. I resolved to do something else. Or eat something else. Or shop for something else. Continue reading
Don’t be deceived into thinking that you owe anyone an explanation for anything you choose to do or not do. Not even yourself.
You don’t have to give anyone a reason for anything you do. I don’t care who they are.
Most of the time it seems like I make decision based on facts, logic or circumstances that point towards a local choice. Other times I don’t know why but I just feel that I should do something. I say just as if the feeling itself isn’t enough. When I’m at my best I go with that feeling. Continue reading
The best part of having survived a shitty childhood is that it makes for a grateful adult. Of course the downside is that you also have a tendency to be anxious ’cause you know what kinds of serious shit can hit the fan. The stuff of movies. The stuff you don’t even see in movies.
So when I heard Brene Brown talk about fear at the World Domination Summit last summer, I got it. Yes, I’m the spouse who said to her partner, what if…? Buzz kill. Continue reading
Anyone care to guess why I might be feeling a wee bit overwhelmed today?
Yes, my monitor sits on an old Webster’s Dictionary.
While I was blissfully chatting up like-minded people and crafting a nonconventional life for myself at World Domination Summit last weekend, artifacts, most representing to-do’s, have steadily accumulated on my desk, visual cues that I’ve got a crap-ton of piddly-ass shit to do. It’s not that everything is important; in fact very few things are meaningful “big rocks.” But I’m a girl who craves sparse minimalism and needs space, so this kind of visual clutter is overwhelming.
My post-conference modus operandi is to take the day after off to follow up with people I’ve met, review my notes and set action items for myself. And, of course, the desk gets cleared. This system works for me and is one of the methods I use to prevent overwhelm after attending events.
Enter the monkey wrench. Continue reading
My hatred for being photographed is inordinate. I dread photo sessions like most people dread root canals. Remarkable, award-winning photographers have taken hundreds of photos that yielded only a few satisfactory shots.
One thing I’ve learned over the past year is the importance of knowing what you’re good at and working in that sweet spot. Think about it. What do you do exceptionally well?
Me? I am a connector and a community builder. I understand audiences and clients. I know their pain points. I get them. An editor for most of my career, I also love, love, LOVE content and the art of good story telling. And I know what kinds of content targeted audiences want. These are areas where I am completely kick-off-my-heels comfortable. Continue reading
The infamous white dress pants
I didn’t wear white pants for years. Years. And it’s not, as you might imagine, that I didn’t like white pants. On the contrary. I gazed enviously at women who wore them, longing for a pair of my own.
I dog-eared pages in Real Simple and Vogue, examples, I thought, of white pants worn well. I repeatedly presented them to my besties who never failed to remind me, “You know you can’t wear white pants.” Of course not. No size 12 woman should ever wear white pants. Their unwritten rule became mine.
Until one day I snapped. Continue reading