I’m good at what I do

I have a day job. It’s not an industry that I ever thought I’d get into, but I like it. I’m good at what I do– sales with a lot of customer service. I talk on the phone all day, and I connect with people.

Yes. I connect with people. Which is something I enjoy doing.

And I’m very good at it.

That’s not to say that I’m the best, the highest performing or what ever. But I like my customers, and care about them. Not just what they need. I know that it comes through in the way I deal with them.

I have customers dealing with cancer, and it breaks my heart. I have one who just had a new baby and she is the cutest thing ever. Others I chit chat with, catch up on the news about both our kids, and enjoy talking and working with them. I’m good at it— in a weird way it’s being a friend. I’ve never met them, but I care about them. And it has little to do with money.

I’m really good at what I do. Not everyone can appreciate it, or accept it. My last boss didn’t. My current boss does. Which is wonderful, because even if I started writing and selling full time, I don’t think I could just stay at home and write. I’m not that type of writer.

I’m not that type of worker either. I started out working at home– and while there were parts that I loved, for the most part it just isn’t for me. I enjoy the hustle of the office: phones ringing, orders going in and out. Interaction with my co-workers and customers.

I really like what I do during the day. If you have a day job, I hope you’re blessed with a great job too.

 

Hey you

Hey you. Yes, you. I see you there. I know you’re scared, and I don’t want to tell you not to be afraid…

And yet…

Here I am. Telling you it’s OK to be scared, but you still have to go on. Maybe it’s something you’ve wanted for a long time, something positive even, but it’s such a huge change that you’re scared to death. 

It’s OK. Let’s breath through it. We will make it to the other side, and you might even wonder after all is said and done why you were so scared. You might even feel a bit silly, but that’s OK too. I’ve been there.  You’ve been there too, so remember to just breath. And maybe giggle a little. 

It releases tension.

Truly. 

And even if it’s not ok, I’ll sit with you on the darkest night and light a candle for you. Call me and I’ll just breath on the other end letting you know I’m there. Maybe it won’t be ok again today, or tomorrow….

But things will be ok again. And after they’re ok again, you’ll be able to search for the good days. The awesome days. 

You’re not quite ready to believe in them, but they’re out there. So I will hold the dream for the both of us.

Mentorship

Most writers are great about paying it forward. We gather together, read each others work, give tips and tricks and help when we can. We give (hopefully) each other presents at the same time— a darn good read. I have worked with some really great authors who have both helped me, and whom I’ve been able to help just a wee bit.

There have also been those other ones, and you know who they are. They’re the ones the rest of us slide away from, regardless of their success.

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about mentorship. The Partylite group has a great set up for new consultants. And I’ve been to 2 meetings since signing up a little more than a week ago. It’s great to have someone there to walk you through it, to show you what’s going on and darn it, it’s WONDERFUL to have others literally cheer and clap for you.

It’s pretty awesome.

So is being able to watch someone who has rose high in the ranks as she led part of a party. You can’t pay for that kind of mentorship, and quite frankly I’m feeling kind of blessed to have landed where I have.

But it’s made me think hard. Wouldn’t it be great if we could pop into other author’s heads and see just how they tweaked that little sentence so it rang throughout the text? We already do so much mentoring within our ranks, but it isn’t organized. We can find Webinars, either by digging through YouTube, or Facebook videos, or ending up paying for them…

There’s also the perks. The adds to your kit. Can you imagine what they’d be for a Writer? Sold your Story? Here’s an add…. well, I can’t even imagine what that add would be. Can You?

What would you have as a writers perk?

 

It’s 6 am

It’s six am and there’s just a few things…

My son is sleeping after a late night playing with his friends on the xbox. He’ll go back to his dad’s later, but for now I’m enjoying his presence in the house.

It wasn’t originally in the plan, but I’m loosening up on that.

Originally, I wasn’t going to have him. Then, I was going to pick him up and drop him off yesterday. But the princeling wanted to come home for the night. He filled the space up with his stories and my heart filled with his laughter.

This week is supposed to be hot. As in over 105 most of the week, starting today. I’m debating precooking. Cook up stuff this morning, maybe later today, so I don’t have to worry about it during the week. Dad is on his way home, and I’m sad that I may have to give up my thermostat settings. 75 rocks.

But mostly, I’m thinking of my stories, and going in and firing up the laptop and writing. I’ll let the priceling sleep a little more. And defrost some meat. 

And hit the keyboard, dreaming of cooler weather.

Plans go awry

I have the house to myself.  The Princeling is with his father, and my father is off on a road trip. This almost never happens. I don’t think I’ve been alone in the house for this long of an extended period in…. well. Since becoming a mom.

I had plans. 

Grand plans.

Writing and crafting and this ingredients and thating.

Instead, I’ve been binge watching Say Yes to the Dress on Hulu (nope, no plans to ever get married lol). And sleeping. I fell asleep at 7pm last night. I wake up at 4pm, so that’s not as bad as it sounds.

But I haven’t been writing. I’ve been perking and idea, and I’ll have to start it soon. I have an essay or 2 that I want to write, and a market I want to submit Sins of the Mother to. 

Part of it all is just getting back to it. I know I do better, mental health wise, when I’m busier. I’m OK right now, but I’m trying to keep the darkness at bay. I had a Scentsy party and thought to myself I can do that. But I prefer Partylite Candles. The reasons are a whole other post worth, but they are important to me.

Thankfully, I know a Partylite consultant who has a team (hi Christie!). She is the mother of one of the Princeling’s very best friends. So I’m gonna get myself busy with a product I love, meeting new people and also getting over my fear of public speaking. She tried to get me to sign up right after the holidays, but I was in the middle of my rough patch. It would have helped, but I was too far in to see that.

Yes. I am a walking contradiction. The busier I am, the more I write. With the Princeling going with his father more often… I need something to keep myself busy so my brain will wake up. If I can get a product I love, meet new people and get a little travel money to boot?

Yah. We’re going to try this. 

 

Stupid is as stupid does

When did people get so STUPID? I’m talking specifically about 1 thing, but my gosh it goes across everything.

Parking lot safety. I was taught as a child to wait if a car was backing up. I taught my son the same. He’s 10 going on 11. Are people so self involved that they really think there’s a magic bubble around them to keep them SAFE?

I’ve had women with infants push that baby right behind my car as I was backing out. Whole families, kids holding hands with the adults stroll out of the stores and walk blithely unaware behind cars moving backwards. 

One of them made my son so mad, he rolled down the window and yelled at the woman “my momma would whoop my a** for that!” Cussing aside, he wasn’t wrong.

Are people so used to looking down at their phones that they no longer know how to read real life? Or are they so self involved that they can’t fathom what a blind spot is and the fact that they just walked through it? 

Look twice before crossing. Parking lot or street. Whether your 1, 10, or 100 or any where between…. it goes for you. 

Drowning

I go to the river often to center myself. It works amazingly well when I can’t make it to the ocean. Recently, I was going through some stuff. I hit a rough patch, and was trying to find my way out. I sat on a bench and prayed: Please God, show me the path you want me to be on, help me get on it. Show me the way.

The water was running rapidly in the distance. Maybe not white water rafting rough, but rough enough. The river is higher than I’ve ever seen it, thanks to the wet winter we finally had.

And here I am praying. Not knowing what to do. Light starts burning through my eyelids and I opened my eyes…. to see the picture above. My first thought was “Not that path, Lord, I can’t swim.”

No, I did not get into the water. I was too scared. And pretty sure that wasn’t my path. In the morning, I was telling the story to Dad, thinking it was just a cute story. He had another answer. “It’s not the water, Wyndie, it’s the light. You’re meant to bring the light to people.”

I wasn’t expecting that. Especially since it makes so much sense. When I write my cards, I call it “sending out my ray’s of sunshine.” People seem to like them as much as I enjoy sending them out.

But the whole situation made me start to wonder: how many times have I felt like I was drowning, with no help in sight…. only to learn later it had been there all along? Sometimes its a matter of interpretation, sometimes we just need a little time.

It was comforting to sit on the river’s edge and talk to God. Even when I thought his answer was something I wasn’t sure I could do. Just sitting and talking with Him helped me sort myself out.

Keep on keeping on, my lovelies.

I’m trying to be back on a more consistent basis. We shall see how it goes 🙂