Here’s a question for you – Have you ever thought about what the perfect life would entail?

The reason I ask this is due to a conversation I had recently.  I came across an old high school classmate on Facebook.  It has to be about 20 + years since I had been in touch with this person, so I thought I would connect with him.   Of course I asked how he was and what he’s been up to and I got the response – “Great to hear from you, things are wonderful, life is perfect!”   Really?   Life is perfect…hmmm.

What exactly does that mean, to have a perfect life?   I mean, I have a good life; I wake up looking forward to my day, I have a supportive husband, two great kids, my bills are paid.  But would I say it’s perfect?  I don’t know about that!   I wish I could have responded back and said “Hey me too, my life is completely perfect” but I’m not sure that would be entirely truthful.

So I started taking inventory of my life:

House – Border on bathroom wall still not ripped down, kitchen counter still has that awful burn mark where hubby placed the hot frying pan, little stain on the carpet that just won’t come out, and of course the rip that is starting to appear on the couch. – Okay – nope no perfection here.

Family – Hubby is great, but sometimes I have to repeat myself, okay I am constantly repeating myself. My 17 year old son who has a big heart, needs to remember Mama doesn’t have a big wallet and yes, you actually have to work for money.  My loving 4 year old daughter may look like an angel with her blue eyes and curly blonde hair, but sometimes, I swear I’ve seen her head spin around 360 degrees when she doesn’t get another chocolate Popsicle.  Munckin, my cute as a button Jack Russell is adorable to anyone with two legs – add two more and she’s a vicious bitch ready to pluck their eyes out.  No kidding. –so, well I love them all, not perfect.

Myself – I could lose about 20 lbs, my hair definitely needs a dye job, I sometimes lose my cool when I have to repeat myself, I’m a recluse which is often mistaken as snobby or not social, I am intensely protective which my son especially has issues with.  I’m a good wife, but not perfect.  I’m a good mother, but again I wouldn’t say I’m perfect. I’m a good friend…but definitely not perfect.  – So again, no perfection here, in fact I would be the first to say –far from it.

For me, a perfect life seems to be impossible to reach…or is it? Let me think about this…sure, my house isn’t a palace, my family is not the brady bunch and I definitely need a little work myself, but really would I have it any other way? No, I wouldn’t. “AHA.”  So I guess in essence that means I do have a perfect life after all —at least perfect in my eyes!

So….really… I could have responded “Yah, same here, life is pretty darn perfect for ME, too!”

Maybe a perfect life isn’t that impossible

WordPress is so intuitive, it’s simple to use yet, very robust.  Did you know that you could use WordPress to create a full, functioning website?  Yes, you can, there are some awesome premium themes that you can use to create a very cool looking site that has all the functions and features of a HTML website (without having to figure out all that code).   In fact, I will be very shortly creating a website using WordPress for the launch of my new book which is due to hit the masses in June.  I can’t wait to show it to you when it’s complete.  

When I made the decision to create my site with WordPress I was pleasantly surprised with all of the resources available. I found some great tutorials and sites that offer premium themes (at a minimal cost), provide great customization ability and simply look amazing.   Again the key word here is simplicity.  With a simple upload of a theme and a few tweaks here and there, you could easily have a website in half the time (even ¼ of the time) it would take you to create an HTML site.  Trust me, you’ll be amazed.

So, if you are in the market for a new site, I want to encourage you to have a look at WordPress.  Here are a few resources to get you started:

WordPress “How to’s”

http://codex.wordpress.org/WordPress_Lessons

Premium Themes

http://www.ithemes.com

http://www.themeforest.com

Enjoy!!!

I think working from home often prolongs the feeling of winter.  The fact is when the weather isn’t the greatest, I don’t venture out much.  This of course only attributes to the feeling of being somewhat isolated from the rest of world.  

I really have to make an effort to ensure the isolation factor doesn’t creep in.  When it does, there are some simple strategies I use to combat it.  Maybe they might be useful to you as well during this time of the year.

•  Listen to your favourite music radio station during the workday so that you know what is going on in the world and feel connected to what is happening in your own community.

• Join online networking groups and associations that pertain to your profession. Most of these groups offer opportunities to meet regularly by phone or web conference. You will still get the social interaction you need without having to leave your office.  I have had some wonderful experiences with online groups and have made long term lasting friendships without meeting face to face.

• Change your scenery. Go to a coffee house or library and work. Even if there is limited social interaction, just being around other’s can help with the isolation factor.

• Share your wisdom and knowledge by offering to speak as a professional to groups who are looking for guest presenters for their meetings. I have conducted many seminars for unemployment and job find centers. It allows you to share your expertise, while connecting with others. 

• If you are feeling disconnected from people, use the telephone instead of email to contact them. This feels more personal and allows you to build a better relationship with your client.

• Schedule in time for family and friends. For example establish a standing lunch date once a week with good friends that you know you will look forward to meeting all week.

And if all else fails, give me a call….I’ll be around until this white stuff disappears.

So what do you do?   Well I can share with you what I do when this happens to me. 

I simply walk away.  The only time I write is when I am actually in the mood to do so…when I am inspired to write.  I get up, leave the page blank and come back when I have something to put on that page.   This works well when it’s my own writing, however sometimes we do not have the luxury of simply walking away, sometimes the writing must get done, especially when it’s for someone else.

So if this is the case for you, here are three tips to help you get started:

1)      Where you write is as important as what you write.  Sometimes a change of scenery will inspire those words to flow more freely. 

2)      Write your words as if you were speaking them. This is something I do often, I simply write the words that come spewing out of mouth then put them on paper.  Once they are on paper I then go back and make the necessary edits.  Because anyone who knows me, knows that what comes spewing out of my mouth sometimes, is just not always appropriate in print.

3)      Bigger is not always better.  Often we get caught up on the size of the writing project. We search for bigger words and longer sentences, and sometime short words, short sentences and shorter paragraphs are all that’s needed.

And, again if you can, walk away until the time is right to get the words on paper.  Writing for me is an evolutionary process and cannot be forced.  Words flow much easier when we are in the right mood, and are in that creative mindset.

Good luck with the blank page!  May the words flow briskly and easily!

Having said that, this “bang” has caused me to get a little frazzled!  The word more appropriately defining my frame of mind right now is “Stressed Out!”  Yes, you know that word, you are not alone. 

Stress affects each and every one of us at some point in our life.  Some of us it happens more frequently, and in most cases cannot be avoided…however we can find ways to manage our stress.

Here’s a few tips to help you through those “frazzled” days:

1)      Say No – Taking too much on, because we don’t want to disappoint others or we’re afraid of their reaction is not only going to affect our work life, but our health as well.  Know it’s okay to say No.

2)     Set Realistic Deadlines – Be realistic when setting deadlines to ensure that you have all the resources, information and time needed to start and complete the project within a stress free time line.

3)     Get Plenty of Sleep – Sleep allows your body to rejuvenate. Without enough sleep your mind and body will begin to get agitated much quicker and which inevitably will lead to stress.

4)     Ask for Help – We can’t be everything to everybody, that’s why it’s important to know our limitations and ask for help.

5)     Most Importantly – SMILE – Pretty simple isn’t it? Having a good outlook and being positive can really make a difference when coping with stress. 

Wishing you a stress-free week!