Missives & Ramblings . . .

You might have heard Abigail Steidley talk about her Slacker Vision board method - aka a whiteboard where we write our visions and dreams and then forget about them. It's incredibly effective! I definitely USE that method on the whiteboard in my office AND I also use a slight variation.

I have had the SAME vision board since I started my business back in 2010.

This morning it fell off the wall above the aforementioned whiteboard where it normally hangs forgotten. I looked at it and realized it was time for a refresh.

Yep. I have had the SAME vision board. How? What I do now is NOTHING like what I did or thought I wanted to do back then.

Every time I look at it I am surprised how many of the desires have remained the same. And...

The landscape of social media has changed dramatically over the last few years. Gone are the days when you could post a meme with a catchy line, and that was all that was needed to build a thriving audience. 

Now, we need to connect on a deeper level with our audience (our potential future customers). We need to connect emotionally and to form a relationship with them. 

One of the best ways to do that is through the power of storytelling. 

Yes, some people have an innate gift for telling a fantastic story and others have to work at it. 

The good news is that we can all learn how to hone our storytelling skills. 

Here are a few resources that I have found and love! 

1.  Buffer Podcast - Episode 85: 6 Rules...

I spent nine days at The School for the Work with Byron Katie.

I went because I was on the marketing staff for Byron Katie, International.

I went expecting to learn more about the company, more about the people we serve, and more about the methods Katie uses. 

I expected to learn more about myself. 

What I didn't expect was for it to impact every area of my business and life. 

You know you should meditate, everyone is saying it. But when was the last time you spent more than an hour in reflection?  

I won't lie it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Yes, even harder than delivering a baby. Nine days of looking inward into the dark corners of one's mind and at the motivations behind feelings is...

The news from Social Media Marketing World is that Facebook Organic Reach is dead. A year ago you could post an image and get instantaneous traffic; you now have to pay to reach those very same followers. There is no denying it, by that definition organic reach is dead. But then, so is search engine optimization (SEO).

Facebook algorithms. Google’s search engine algorithms. Dark Magic.

Businessmen and women search for the magic potion that will rocket their blog, their product, their service to the top of the list. What do they need to do to be seen by all the right people? Is it paid advertising on Facebook and Google? Is it using the exact right keyword? Is it posting at just the right time?

The secret.

There is no magic...

A single feather standing upright in the grass. The image takes me back in a flash to one of the best, and worst periods of my life. 

A week before I took this picture I woke up excited to buy my airline ticket to meet with my husband in Washington, DC. It had been longer than I cared to admit since we had been together, distance had taken its toll while he was finishing his military career.

I checked my phone, as I always do, first thing in the morning to see a notice from the bank for insufficient funds. How can that be? We had five figures in the bank. I knew we did because I had paid the bills the day before.

With a sick feeling in my stomach, I quickly checked our bank balance.

$0

I looked, and it said...