Procrastination cogitation

Ever feel like you just can't find the oomph to do something new? Or to take the next step on a project that's been hanging over your head for weeks or months? Writer's block is like that. You know perfectly well there are a million things you want to say, and yet when you think about going to your blog, you decide there are 50 other things you have to do that are more urgent.

Make a deposit, update your records, wash the bed sheets and change the bed,
take out the garbage, pack up and take out the recyclables, make a pot of soup, pet your dog/cat/rabbit, go to the grocery store, return books to the library, get the car washed, count the loose change in your purse and do something with it, record your receipts, pick up the clothes in the bathroom, and...well, you get the idea.

Some folks say if you just start writing--don't think about what you're going to say--you can get the juices flowing that way. Last week my sister, a professional paralegal, agreed to come over and help me get rolling to complete the application to the IRS for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status for the SWWAN Foundation--a project that's been sitting there for months in varying states of forward movement. We made good progress 'til our brother arrived and it was time to have a glass of wine and cook supper. Guess what? Still got a few sections to go.

Ah, well. Just think. There are days when I might have been going through personal email all morning instead of doing all those chores I got accomplished today (well, almost all of them). So it seems that, in fact, one day's procrastination is often another day's attainment.

It's all in how you look at it.

How to use social media - for whatever you want

Image by luc legay via Flickr

I talked with Chris King, of www.creativekeys.net, about her session at the SWWAN conference. I asked her what kind of people would benefit most from attending her class, "Using social media for marketing and profit." Here's what she said:

Chris: Anyone who wants to reach out to others will benefit by participating. You don't have to be in business, but if you are, social media is a powerful tool for building your business and even increasing your profits.

Barbara: Okay, if I'm not in business, why else might I want to attend your class?

Chris: Your reason for reaching out might be a cause (poverty, breast cancer, and so on), a hobby (knitting, old films, cuckoo clocks), a passion (kids, green living, being single, etc.) or whatever. If you aren't already an expert with social media, you'll learn simple ways to use Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to find others who care about what you care about. It's not like having to stand around at huge events praying you'll find someone who has similar interests. It's much easier.

Barbara: What if I feel like I don't have time for all this twittering (tweeting?) and so on?

Chris: That's the rub. We are all overwhelmed with responsibilities and tasks. But the question you have to ask is, how effective are all the things you're doing to reach your goals and get your message out? Of course, like everything else that works, an effective social media takes time and effort in the beginning. It's a case of understanding the power of these tools--and then realizing the value of replacing certain other activities with targeted, effective use of social media.

Barbara: Wow, that's interesting to hear. I know sometimes I wonder if I'm just running in circles and not getting any closer to what I want to accomplish. In my case, as a self-employed older single woman, all my passions must contribute something to earning a living.

Chris: And that's why it's important to learn what these social media tools can REALLY do for you. And how to start building towards a money-making process over time.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to Chris's class. Only 2 days left to get your earlybird price of $18. "Using social media for marketing and profit"

P.S. Oh, yeah. Don't miss out on the rest of the powerful topics at the "Secrets You Wish Your Mom Told You" SWWAN conference.

What if you could have an expert advisor for everyday issues?

I've been thinking about the wonderful expertise our presenters will be sharing with you online at our conference this year. I don't think there's a single one of these sessions that doesn't have something to offer me--a middle-aged (well, maybe a little more than that), long-time single divorced mom/grandmom in her own business. But you don't need to be single OR in business for yourself to get real help. We decided to call the conference "Secrets You Wish Your Mom Told You"--because most likely your mom had no clue about these things.

Even though I'm at the top of the proverbial hill (I refuse to be seen going over it), I really need to learn a secret for using networking to gain personal power. I'm terrible at networking. How about you? And as bold as I am sometimes, I would love to learn a new way to turn off my fears. I'm excited at the very idea of learning how to easily package my own existing skills and talents to make money online--even just a little. Could you use some extra money for what you already do? These are the kinds of learning you can get from these presenters.

I urge you to take a look at these classes. Read the program descriptions. Read the presenter bios--these women are top professionals, but they're also real-live women like you and me. They face some of the same junk we do everyday. But they've got powerful ideas for getting past or around or through the muck. Read, think and come get inspired--we've extended the earlybird pricing until July 27, so don't wait.

Chicago events - Wine and poetry

Who could pass up an evening of trying nice wines? And if you get a lovely woman reading lovely poetry at the same time, you've just about reached nirvana. Check this out from SWWAN founding member, Jacquee Thomas - Wine & Poetry. Get more details here.

Thursday, August 6th, 6 p.m. at
The House of Glunz in Chicago

Friday, August 7th, 6:30 p.m. at
WineStyles in Naperville

Movie review: Rabbit-Proof Fence -- and commentary on racial fear

The 1930s, the time of Hitler's rise, was a time when racial fears were common.

"Rabbit-Proof Fence" is an amazing true story. Follows the 1,500-mile trek of 3 little girls who escape on foot, without food or water, from an abusive orphanage. It's set in the 1930s in Australia, where England ruled back then. Astonishingly, the girls succeed not only in evading for months the urgent and persistent efforts of their captors to find them and bring them back but also in surviving this horrendously tough crossing of the desert to find their homes again. They showed pictures of old women who were actually two of these girls.

Here's another astonishing part. The English government was very upset that white English workers who'd gone to jobs in Australia were intermarrying with Aboriginal people. It decided that it must remedy this situation at all costs. It decided to set up a magistrate as sole judge and jury to locate half-caste children, steal them from their families, and put them in controlled settings where they would teach them "how to be white." The idea was that they would teach them to follow white culture and then to marry white men (they all seemed to be girls in the movie) and thus breed the "blackness" out of them after a couple of generations.
This pure racial purging occurred years before Hitler rose to power and began his reign of horror to create the perfect Aryan (white) race. Wonder if he got some ideas from the English? But as my daughter said when I told her about it, I guess because they weren't killing the children, it didn't seem so bad to the world. The Aboriginal people refer to the children of that time as The Stolen Generation.

Almost as amazing--I was in luck because my DVD player is screwy and I can't control what it does very well--I accidentally found myself first watching the documentary section of the DVD, "following the making of Rabbit-Proof Fence." The director made a film of how he went among the Australian people to find the right three girls to play these difficult roles. He couldn't find them in the big cities and had to go out into the regions where the Aboriginal people still live. A grueling process of finding the girls with the right qualities, the courage to undertake the touch job, and the stamina to see it through. Imagine--finding a 7-year-old to play a part like this. If you see this movie, do not fail to watch the documentary. In fact, I recommend watching it first. It made the whole movie seem even more poignant and intense.

And it would be nice to think our world is finished with racial discrimination and hatred and murders, but since we all know that's not yet the case, let us hope we will still be alive when the end is in sight.

Inspiring truths about being single

Got this great quote from HeartMath today. It might make a perfect battle cry for single working women everywhere!

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."
- Winston Churchill

"If the flag falls, who will carry it?"...asks the courageous captain in the movie, Glory, when the first Negro army regiment

   prepares to be the first battalion to sacrifice its members in taking some battle-point in the U.S. Civil War.

The single woman knows she will be both captain and soldier in her life. And she thanks God for dear family and friends.

 

Chicago fashion lovers - register today!

Women of the World is a great organization that puts on cool events to benefit women. Check this one out and register TODAY:

"Fashion Face Forward" - featuring local Chicago designers & fashionistas:
Yana German...Lauren Lein...and Kathryn McKechnie
Special Guest: Dr. Sandy Goldberg NBC/5
A portion of the proceeds donated to A Silver Lining Foundation

Women of the World's mission is to provide local & global opportunities to professional women through collaboration, education and networking. By sharing collective thought leadership, resources and passion, women can acquire the skills to forge strategic relationships across the world.

Date/Time: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Cost: $40 Includes Luncheon & Special Gifts
Register here