A Little Late...

Forgive me, I was up at the beautiful Ness Creek site for my annual volunteer contribution to The Northern Lights Bluegrass and Old Time Music Camp and Festival and was out of range for the necessary internet access to submit this months blog.

That may have been for the best however, as I seem to be going through a phase in which I am killing off mechanical things in my general area. So far, in the last couple of weeks, I have killed my portable dvd player as it wont turn on anymore, my massage gun will no longer charge, I blew a tire on my way home from the forest and just the other day lost the nut off my lawn mower that holds the blade in place. I don't know what I have done to anger the gods of mechanical things but I beg forgiveness for any unintended offence I may have given.

In more positive news, the October retreat is now accepting registrations and there are only 7 seats left for our inaugural workshop series focusing on change mechanics and management. It will be a diverse group, some working on personal changes while others will be working for more professional development opportunities. I am excited to share the knowledge I have gathered over the years to help others find their best path to exploring the direction they want to take their life in. My task list for the next month is creating the modules and workbooks we will be using for the retreat, arranging for the catering and coordinating with Discover Ness Creek and the Jack Millikin Center for the accommodations and workshop space. It is all very exciting and encouraging to have such a positive response to something I have created and I look forward to sharing it with everyone who registers for the program.

30 days later...

Well, here is something I didn't know when I started this adventure but websites require maintenance and input on a regular basis! Whoops!! So after throwing the site up on the internet I brushed the dirt off my hands and gave myself a pat on the back and told myself job well done. Yeah, no....

I had thought that all I would need to do moving forward would be to update the courses, retreats and plans pages as more details are locked in. I am learning that I still need to do SEO updates, page links and other tasks that I am not sure what they do but the platform is encouraging me to get these things accomplished in order to make the website better, more accessible, etc. So here we go!!

Honestly, as much as I grumble and potentially don't quite understand some of the tasks assigned to me, I am secretly enjoying learning new things and although I may not fully understand the language, it feels a bit empowering each time I make positive change on the website that will allow me to reach the people who want to find me. I have already had 2 new people reach out through the website in the last 30 days and that makes any of the frustrations of this techno-phobe just fade away into the background.

So while I am developing the materials for the October 25-26th retreat, I will also be doing my maintenance of the site and committing to at least a once a month blog post. I promise I will stop grumbling about the website though, I am starting to get on my own nerves with the whining about it!

Can you believe it?

I am shocked, stunned and amazed that I now have a website!!!

The most surprising thing of all is that I did it myself! Anybody who knows me knows what a techno-phobe I have been over the years, and that I have stubbornly refused to embrace technology in my business due to being intimidated by my lack of understanding and knowledge of the subject matter.

I prefer the personal touch, one on one communications, there is only so much time, etc., etc. All just excuses of course, but it gave me just enough of the validation that I needed to continue not working on this side of my business for fear of failure and a slight perfectionism streak hinderance. I finally capitulated because how was I supposed to be able to coach others if I couldn't get past my own mental obstacles?

I found myself at an impasse, like me, my skills and services have been evolving over the years and I was approaching things in a somewhat patchwork formula without a clear structure for delivery. How do I get across to all my clients and potential clients everything I have to offer in helping you find more satisfaction in your life? Imagine my horror when I realized the only option left to me was shudder a website!

So I talked to my favorite techie to see if he would make me one and to his credit he said no and directed me to a website building program that even I could wrap my brain around. Don't get me wrong, it has probably taken me ten times as long to get it set up as it would the average person and there is probably a lot more tweaking to do, but to be honest I am feeling pretty proud of myself for moving past a self imposed limitation.

Yay me, to living up to one of my life mottos:

work with it, work through it or work around it

Good grief! What's next!? Social media!?