Opportunities Missed...and Taken

The cup of the Day:

You may have seen my stack of favorite coffee cups.  I am going to begin each post with whatever cup I am using.  I choose my cup depending on my mood, so take from that what you will.




This is my garden cup, or my Madi cup. I created it at Color Me Mine one day with my daughters and granddaughter.  It was inspired by the many happy days we have spent in the garden.

Opportunities Missed:
Yesterday was about missed opportunities, nothing serious. It just made me think.  I was having my morning coffee with my laptap in my lap, of course, and the dogs began whinning at the window.  Now, this is really nothing new and happens all too often.  However, this was really stressed out whinning with the whole body involved.  So, I took a look to see what it was all about.  There was a chipmunk on the front sidewalk in front of the window.  After laughing at my silly dogs, I went for my camera and when I got back this cute little guy was standing on his hind legs nose to nose with a little squirrel garden statue I have on the front step.  I went to line up the shot and my movement startled him and he took off.  Missed a great shot!

Chipmunk is probably hiding in the garden laughing at me!

It's funny how something so trivial can start us thinking. I started thinking about other opportunities missed, in life, and how it happens.  Without going into unnecessary detail, the part that counts is learning how NOT to miss opportunities in life.  Of course, sometimes it just happens and is out of our control. At those times al we can do is let it go and move forward with open eyes for other opportunities. 

You can fill in whatever 'opportunities' you like- time with friends, loved ones, business opportunities, a chance to watch the sun rise, or just to sit and smell the coffee.

Opportunities Taken:
My granddaughter spent the night last night.  This doesn't happen often enough so she and I sat down and looked at my calendar last night and marked Friday nights that it could work. At the moment, she is playing WII Fit and doing yoga.  I am sitting right beside her and doing this.  Multitasking I know. But we are together, sharing the experience of a relaxing Saturday morning. 

Soon I will be going to visit my parents.  They live about an hour away.  Dad had a stroke several months ago and is in a nursing home.  Currently, he is back in the hospital.  Mom has had her share of health struggles, too.  They are in their eighties and, well, time is precious. Almost every day that I am not at work, I go there.  It is no big deal.  I welcome the opportunity to spend time with them while I can. I have 3 brothers and a sister that are sort of in the area. We all spend time there weekly. My oldest brother lives in the same town and is the one who is there daily, sometimes ALL day and night.

As for business, I have taken the time to work on my online classes and do some more reading about blogs.  I have thought about which pictures I might use for my stationary,etc. I keep working and moving forward toward that goal a little, or a lot, each day.

It is my loved ones and friends that offer the greatest opportunities in life, the greatest reward.

?Question?
From where, who, what do you receive your greatest opportunity and reward?

And don't forget to take the coffee poll!

COFFEE POLL

This is just a quickie post as I am going out to visit friends tonight that I haven't seen for some time.  I have decided it is time for a little R & R.
                                
              pix to some soon-imagine me sitting with friends sipping coffee)

I think there has been enough serious stuff here, too.  So I am playing with my blog tonight and adding a COFFEE POLL.  Watch next week for which answer gets the most votes.                                        
                     (and a checkmark in a box here-next to a coffee mug)

Now, I know I may not have your exact preferred choice listed.  Please pick from what there is. 

Personally, in the morning I like straight up black coffee, thank you very much. However, if I am out in the afternoon visiting with my friends, I prefer a mocha.  Or, if it is winter, I might prefer a Chai Tea.  So, for now, let's go with what is your favorite for that first cup of coffee in the morning. 

                                (and a beautiful sunrise here)

If you'd like to expand on your choice, feel free to leave a comment, too. 

Until next time, enjoy your coffee! I know I will!

Multitasking

How many things can one person do at the same time and still make any of them worthwhile? I intend to find out.

Well, that was fast.  Apparently I can not watch TV, visit with family, and blog at the same time.  Go figure.  I miss key points in the show-even a mindless one-I only half hear what someone sitting next to me says and I loose my train of thought while writing. TV watching, family time, and blog writing all become unsatisfying.

I do believe however, right or wrong, that this is a necessary skill that I must learn to master.  I don't mean specifically watching TV and blogging at the same time, but serious multiasking at home. I have recently added enough things to my daily 'to do' list that I would be up late into the night to get it all done.  I prefer sleep.  So, tonight I watch and write. The person sitting with me has already left the room.  :-(

Wait!  What just happened on TV?!

So far, mulitasking at home this evening has included feeding the dogs, letting them out, etc. while beginning to read a book, Problogger, and writing and visiting while watching TV.  I still need to get some time in with one of my online classes and I think it is only fair to get some downtime in, too. Isn't it?  Fair, I mean.

I have this dream, this goal, that keeps me moving. And multitaskaing isn't really as bad as all that, is it? (I just edited this the next day because my writing here was fragmented, maybe I should take a second look at serious multitasking)  After the dogs were taken care of and played with, after the dinner dishes were cleaned, after the dogs were taken care of, again, I was able to sit for 30 minutes to read my book undisturbed.  And what is on TV this evening is not really anything that needs much attention. And as soon as I finish this post, I will go and visit again.

Stella and Marley

In reality, I am not a big supporter of serious multitasking in life.  I think we all do it on a regular basis to some degree as a normal part of our life.  But I mean serious multitasking on a regular, long term, ongoing basis.  Some people may thrive on it, I do not. Nor do I want to.  However, there are times when I also believe that it is necessary.  This is one of those times and I actually welcome the challenge because of the passion I have for the end goal.  I also welcome the challenge to ensure that I do not loose touch with other important and essential parts (people) of my life.

I am not sure how long I can, or should, sustain a serious level of multitasking in the weeks or months to come. I know there will be a lot of it.  I also know from experience in other endeavors that I will, in time, work into a pattern of activity which will allow me to do less serious multitasking.  I welcome that time.  Until then, I am grateful for the understanding and support of my family.

Now, go back to my question at the beginning of this post.  What are some ways you multitask? When is it too much? How do you keep your multitasking from being too much?  I welcome your comments. 

Time to go visit.
Lyn

Progress Is Good

Do something every day.

This is what I keep telling myself if my business of the heart, and learning how to be an awesome blogger, is to succeed.  It doesn't matter right now if it is big or little, takes all day or only moments. What matters is that I keep the momentum going.  I feel the pull of that momentum, the passion for the task, the excitement that keeps me moving forward. 

However, I know from past experience that with so many other aspects of life tugging at me for my energy, once the ball stops rolling, the energy stops with it. My dreams and heart are put on hold, by choice, to attend to other things I also hold in high value. Now, I am also choosing to make room and time to give voice to my dreams, my heart. So I do something every day to keep the energy moving forward.

So, what have I been doing since I last wrote? In no particular order (because I don't think I could remember), I have;

1. registered, downloaded and begun two online classes about Internet writing and using my photoshop elements.
2. jotted down many notes, resources, and websites-ordered a few new books (I love books!)
3. continued to try and figure out affiliates
4. researched and read other blogs and businesses similar to my vision of what I plan to create
5.thought, what seems to be 24/7, about various aspects of my business and how it should harmonize with the rest of my life.This is probably the deepest stuff for me. 
6. tried to come up with some sort of financial plan for the transition from full time to hopeful new business
7. decided on my next blog, I think, though I am still not ready to begin it until I have work through some other things-like html codes and customizing pages and affiliates.


Of course, each of those things leads to more things. One of the biggest things I feel I need to do right now is organize and get all this into some sort of working order. I would like to be able to come home from work at my FT job, transition for 30 minutes, make dinner etc, then sometime each evening sit in "my space" and dig into where my passion lies.  Currently, I have been fitting it in here and there and it feels disjointed.

So I think before I proceed with anything new, it is time to recap where I am and establish a working order that gives value to my dream.  This is a hands-on, offline, sort of task.  I'll let you know how it goes.

As always, any ideas and thoughts are welcome.  I would be interested, in particular, on ideas related to successful blogging and home office organization.

I need a coffee refill.  How about you?

Quote for Today

"Your life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away."

Sunset-8/12/10  

OK, I'm listening.  


I have heard this quote twice today from two randomly different sources.  I am not sure who to give credit to because I have seen it credited to at least two different people and anonymous. 

Let it Unfold...continued

I may not be writing in my blog everyday, but I am doing something every day.  I have been sitting with my ideas and stirring things around.  Each time I stir, I find a new scenario to sit with and feel  what life with that particular scenario might be like.  I am asking some tough questions to guide my way.  Two of my favorite questions I ask myself when I am trying to make big decisions that will effect my life, and those I love are;

1. When all is said and done and I am at the end of my life, who will I want around me? What memories and values will I hope to leave with those I love? What regrets of things done/not done might I have?  What would I hope people say about me? What stories would they share? (this is really one BIG question).
2. If money and time were no object, what would I be doing?

I don't want to get so caught up in things that I lose track of who, and what, is most important in my life. I would like my greatest successes in life to be my relationships with my family and friends. If I listen carefully to my heart, and head, I believe my business can have that level of success as well, and add to my personal relationships. And if I walk my business path with integrity and have passion for what I do, I believe that some degree of financial success with also follow.

The first question helps to keep me from getting lost, the second helps me to prioritize.  There are things in my plan that are included as ways to support the rest, or to bring in a little more income, hopefully.  I am not sure I would do these things if I didn't have to.  Although, I believe these things I hold in question have value, I also believe they are secondary and supportive.   Then there are the things I really want to do which should take the majority of my time and focus.  I realize this is vague to the reader.  I am not sure the detail is as necessary for me to share as the process.  It is a work in progress and there is still some stirring to be done.

Now that I am closer to knowing where to put my greater energies, I have another question I am stirring around.  Do I quit my full time job and pray for the best.  Or, do I stay as long as I can while my business gets started.  The obvious benefit of staying with the job is the full time pay.  The downside is that I work nights, weekends, weekdays.  My hours are quite flexible and all have to fit into a 40 hour work week.  Then I have home and family time and all that entails.  And I am spending time each week with my parents who live in another town. I also hope to have a little downtime here and there.  So my time to invest in this business is quite fragmented to say the least.  I do know I have many options and I am confident I will know what to do when the time comes.

I have registered for two more online classes that I hope will move me closer to my goal, both personally and professionally.

So, there you have it for today, doing something everyday and letting it all unfold.  I am not in a hurry, yet have my eyes on the calendar.

Let It Unfold

First, I have to say how much I love what I do for a living.

Last night I got to sit outside and introduce people to the Perseid's Meteor Showers.  Granted it was hot and muggy and the mosquitoes were the worst I have seen them in years.  However, when given the opportunity, nobody wanted to leave. My program only went from 9-10pm so it, the mosquito swarm, was tolerable. A couple smart people even wore their own mosquito netting for their heads.  VERY smart.  And, I live in a fairly populated area so we deal with a fair amount of light pollution. Still, with the weather, mosquitoes, short time frame and light pollution, it was wonderful.  I can not explain the childlike excitement and joy I felt when I saw my first two meteors flashing across the sky, one right after the other.  By the time the sky was dark enough, we probably saw about ten in all in the hour we were there. Not bad. 

Sometimes it's hard getting out there at work with all the props and set up,etc.  And sometimes it's not an easy situation with weather, or mosquitoes. However, like many things in life, you just have to make the effort. Once you do, WOW!  The reward is shooting stars! An added bonus, and an important one for me, is sharing the joy with someone; like introducing the excitement of the Perseid's to someone who has never seen them before and simply enjoying the magnitude and beauty of the night sky together.

I am hoping for shooting stars with my business of the heart.  And, I am hoping to create a joyful and meaningful experience for people in all aspects of my business. And just like I had to wait awhile last night and it wasn't shooting stars all the time, I know this business won't be either. Now that I have most of it down on paper, it is time to sort of sit with it and stir it around to see how it looks.  Maybe add a little of this or take out some of that.  I am not sure if I mentioned that I have a goal of having things fully in place by May 2011.  I am anxious to begin, yet not in a hurry.  Sometimes things of value take time. Between now and then, I plan to grow slowly until I am where I think I want to be.

I am also still thinking about this living in balance vs. living off balance-on purpose.  I still believe the second option is the way to go for me. I think that trying to keep everything in balance has been way too stressful.  However, I am thinking of the idea of harmony in my life.  Balance or Harmony.  I choose Harmony.  Now with Harmony as my backdrop, I will see how this proposed business fits in with the rest of my proposed life path for 55 and beyond.

What does Harmony look like/feel like to you?