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Bidding Farewell to a Fellow Maker

It always sad losing someone you know, sadder still when you didn’t get to know someone as well as you’d have liked.

Our artisan community lost a special member yesterday. Denise was a rare talent and a master soapmaker. (She had the certificate to prove it and everything!) She loved blending fragrances to create unique scents and had an exceptional eye for color.

Denise’s history in cake decorating served her well in soap design. Her bars were masterpieces with delicious swirls, lucious frothy-looking tops, and charming little embeds set on top to make soaps that were visual delights.

Denise also rocked body care products. As makers are wont to do, when we sell unneeded supplies for whatever reason, we also have to include some sample goodies, too. We absolutely love it when other makers try our products, and we love trying other makers’ products, too. Denise was helping me master cream soap and using that base for scrubs. She’d sent me a sample of one of her cream soap-based scrubs along with a small pot of this amazing scented body butter. I was touched in a way only a maker can be and I fell in love with that body butter. It truly was Zen. (We won’t talk about what happened to the scrub when my younger daughter discovered it. The little bit I got to use was nice, at least.)

Besides being an exceptional artisan, Denise was a kind soul, too. We got to know each other in the early days of her business as I helped her with new phases and approaches she wanted to try. She had a bright light that perfectly reflected her fun, whimsical soaps and her flair for the dramatically artistic. Simply put, she was a joy to know.

I have only one regret: We never met outside of Facebook. We messaged, were Facebook friends, and were in a few groups together. There’s no great excuse. We only lived about two hours apart. Often, when I’d go to that part of the state to do things – shows, visit people, field trips with my daughters – I’d stay with my parents. I am always reticent about using Mom and Dad’s as “base” merely for the sake of going off and visiting friends who live up there. It seems selfish and ungrateful.

My take-away is this: Make time to get to know people. Friendships are valuable and need to be nourished so they grow. I thought I’d have another “later” to arrange to meet Denise, and now all the laters are gone.

Six Tips for Showing Some Skin Love

Summer is rapidly approaching, and with warmer temperatures, we’re showing more skin. Our skin is our largest organ, and like our other organs, it, too, has its care needs so that it can do its job. I’ve come up with five not-terribly-original ways to care for your skin.

(1) Sweat it out. When we sweat, our pores open up, allowing the sweat to flow out, taking with it dirt, oil, and other blemish-causing culprits. Sweat also removes toxins from the body, making it an incredible, completely natural detox method.

English: Drops of sweat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

(2) Water in, water out. No news here – we’re approximately 70% water. In order for sweat (and urine, for that matter) to do its best job removing toxins and impurities from our bodies, it has to have something to work with. Drinking plenty of water (half your body weight in ounces is recommended, but at least shoot for 6-8 cups) each day gives your body what it needs to function, as well as providing the conduit for sweat to work. Being well hydrated is like moisturizing your skin from the inside.

(3) Kiss the caffeine good-bye. Do you live your life a cup of coffee or a can of soda at a time, just to get through your day? While moderate amounts of caffeine can’t hurt – some studies suggest they’re quite beneficial – there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Caffeine acts as a diuretic, and while your body might be eliminating water, if your entire drink consumption is primarily caffeinated drinks, there isn’t a grand amount of water going back in. As a result, you’ll end up terribly dehydrated. This results in dry skin that lacks elasticity.

(4) Bid those smokes a farewell while you’re at it. It is often easy to determine the smokers in the crowd before you even smell them. They have fine lines around their mouths and they look older than their years. That cigarette smoke is chemical-laced dry heat in the face constantly.

(5) Slather on the sunscreen. Oft-repeated, seldom followed, and I’m admitting now that I’m not the best about this, though I am getting better. There is no undoing the damage from sun over-exposure or smoking without lots of medical intervention – maybe. I always wear sunscreen at the beach with frequent reapplication, and I am doing better about remembering to put it on on soccer days. I still, however, don’t put it on every time I go out, nor do I wear it when I’m taking walks or rides (usually later in the day when the UV index is low).

(6) Use soap and moisturizer. Soap keeps the skin clean (obviously). When we wash with soap, the soap bonds with the dirt and germs on our skin; then, when we rinse, all of it washes down the drain. Our skin’s acid mantle restores itself in 2-3 hours, bringing balance back to its pH. By washing, we get rid of germs that could enter even the most microscopic of cuts. When we follow with moisturizer, we keep the skin soft and supple, which makes it heal faster and more easily. I discovered when I was in graduate school that small sores such as paper cuts took much longer to heal during the dry winter months than they did in the moister summer months. Applying lotion to my hands sped up the healing time.

I talked about this this morning in my branded Facebook group. Are you a member? We’d love to have you join us! Just click that link (“branded Facebook group”) and submit your request to join. And in the meantime, get some water into you and sweat some water out. Your skin will thank you for it!

Pushing Through

I didn’t want to do it. Despite knowing I must get some much-needed exercise today, it was a struggle getting out there. My legs were still feeling remnants of the abuse from earlier in the week, it’s less-than-warm outside, and I have some business-related computer-based matters that need my attention in addition to planning tomorrow evening’s soccer practice. Yeah, I put it off. Even after my older daughter “helped” me out by grabbing my sneakers and workout clothes for me (without my asking her to), I still found another ten minutes’ worth of reasons not to strike out.

But finally, I could put it off no more. Though the sun was out and the sky was a vibrant, cloudless blue, the wind stabbed through my top like knives and stung my cheeks. The muscles in my legs were still a bit tight. I was cold. All I wanted was to be inside in my warm, fleecy bumwear in front of my computer with a mug of hot chocolate getting work done. For about fifteen seconds, I gave serious consideration to turning around and going back home. But sheer determination and nothing short of stubbornness kept me going.

I did it. I did it for 47 minutes and almost 3 miles. I did it despite the bitter wind and my desire to be warm inside. I warmed up and kicked my heart rate up to my perfect target rate. Best yet, I had that time for my brain to be free of distractions, which gave it room to plan my soccer practice, formulate a new direction in my business, and mentally draft this blog post.

Business requires us to push through sometimes, too. I’m facing hours of website work this weekend, which is my absolute least favorite thing to do for my business. It has to get done, though. Other business owners may love that type of stuff but hate dealing with the public (my favorite). Regardless of what your least favorite task is or how much you may not be feeling one of your more enjoyable ones, as business owners, we have to push through and get things done.

The past month has stymied my drive and creativity, and in the evolution of my business, especially over against changing technologies, I have to push through yet again with a new angle and a new way of connecting with my customers. I love my customers, talking to them and hearing their stories, but that is one thing I really miss about not doing as many events – I just don’t get to connect with them like I used to. Sure, blog posts and emails are great, but it all too often feels like a one-sided conversation.

To that end, I am going to be launching a brand new Facebook group just for Coastal Carolina Soap Company’s customers, whether you have bought from us or you just love our brand story and want to stay connected. The link will be going out very soon, so be on the lookout for that. Maybe my blog posts come right to your inbox, or perhaps you see them on Facebook, Twitter, or some other social media outlet. You can find out about this incredible new group by subscribing to this blog or also by signing up to receive our emails (one of which handily contains links to each blog post for the month).

We hope you will join us, and we look forward to connecting with you in new and exciting ways beginning next week!

Keeping the Right Business Mindset: QIQO

Last Thursday, my husband and I attended a business seminar for small business owners on the “Mindsets, Habits, and Actions of Successful Business Owners.” There were a bunch of delicious nuggets I took out of the seminar – I had five pages full of notes! – and I’ll be sharing some of them with you in the weeks ahead. These aren’t in any particular order.

The first thing that comes to mind as I reflect on this seminar is the idea of “quality in, quality out.” If you’re a bit older, you might remember in the early days of computer programming the acronym GIGO – garbage in, garbage out. Both concepts are similar – you will put out what you take in. The seminar leader said he never listens to nor watches the news; he gets daily papers and can pick and choose what he reads. He replaces the constant news flow with listening to podcasts about business.

This is something I have to think about every day with intention. I don’t listen to the news nor do I watch it. There is no news that will be important to my life in six months, so how much less important is it now. There are other temptations on our time, though, aren’t there? Social media is a big one! That time on Facebook catching up with friends and trends is time that’s not going to my business. On top of that, it can easily suck the joy out of a morning before my day has even had a chance to start.

So with what do I replace this time and brain drain? I check email, which helps me begin to put together my agenda for the next day. I cruise through a set of problems at brilliant.org and exercise my math and physics skills. Also, I read business blogs and articles. If I want to be successful in business, then I must make it a point to read what successful people do and emulate those disciplines for myself.

Embed from Getty Images

When I put quality input into my brain, then my day gets off to a jazzed up, high quality start. Solving math problems gives me a sense of achievement to begin my day (especially considering math is far from my strongest subject), and reading business blogs inspires me, giving me food for thought as I take care of that day’s tasks. By contrast, scrolling through Facebook first thing often leaves me feeling disgusted or inundated by negative energy – just too much fearmongering, intolerance, and hate. It’s like having the choice between a filling, healthy breakfast or a doughnut. The calorie count might be the same, but only one of those will leave me feeling good about what I took in and nourish my body well.

What’s it going to be for you today? With what will you fill your mind as your day begins, as you get ready to roll up your sleeves and tackle the little-and-growing empire that is all yours? Will you fill it with high quality things so that your output will reflect quality, or are you going for the junk? Choose wisely, for we only get one “today.”

Better Living Through Technology?

I love my tech, as I’m sure you do, too. And I use it all the time, every day, for something or other. I rely on my computers for work, and we’re currently using YouTube for our study of World War II. I print worksheets for my younger off homeschooling sites online, and all that is just my computers. My phone enables me to keep up with social media, including posting pictures to Instagram and instantly shooting pictures to customers.

Last Wednesday morning, I followed my usual morning ritual – drinking two cups of water while checking email and my social media feeds. It wasn’t long at all before I realized my text messages on my phone weren’t going through. Then I noticed that none of my sites were coming up on my computer. Brief analysis – no internet. I went outside to find a second bar of reception and to call my provider. Joy. An area-wide outage had taken out our internet and crews were “working hard to restore service.”

Thursday morning rolls around, and at 9 a.m., my phone rings. It’s our internet provider informing me that the outage had been cleared up. Woohoo! I zip downstairs and had internet coverage for… two minutes. Another call to our provider informed me that half our neighborhood was still affected and our internet should be restored later that afternoon or by noon the next day at the latest. Yea! Hope!

Thursday night… No internet. Friday morning… No internet. Friday noon… No internet. The great service techs helped me go through all the possible steps to reboot our modem, but in the end, there was no recourse left but to wait for the cable guys on Saturday. Saturday our service was winking in and out, but the fellas came, got me back online, then discovered that there was an issue with the box by the road.

Things flowed smoothly from there. In fact, things were better, because our internet was faster. I had my website access, my social media outlets, my email, YouTube for school, math worksheets for the Wee One, everything I’d been missing.

Let me take a break from the narrative here to say, I decided last week that I needed to take some time away from Facebook, because the hatemongering; injustice-in-the-name-of-Jesus; and horrid, fearmongered comments about a segment of the population were having a very negative effect on my psyche. Truly, the comments were hurting my heart. However, with my internet down, I couldn’t log off completely as I wanted. Alright. Back to the story.

Monday morning, I followed my usual routine, but this time with a twist. I dropped a post on Facebook to let people know I was taking a break, why, and how to reach me. Then I logged off and closed down the tab. To prevent further temptation, I uninstalled the Facebook app from my phone. Yet, my phone was still saying I had low memory, even after uninstalling that and deleting a bunch of pictures. Sometimes, my phone requires a hard boot to register that I’ve freed up memory. So, I disassembled my phone, let it meditate, put it back together, then pushed the power button. No. Power. I tried again. And again. Then I called T-Mobile. Shout out to them for getting me a phone to me the next day!

In the last seven days, technology has hardly been my friend. Well, it’s been perfectly friendly when it’s been working, but when it isn’t, my life nearly comes to a halt. These days have certainly tried my patience! Joy of joy, though, I have a newer model S5 that has cool, new features that weren’t on my two-year-old one, and I don’t have to go phone shopping any time soon, thank goodness!

How to Get Me to Vend Your Event

You have a spectacular event. It’s well-planned, scheduled at just the right time of year, and you are expecting some crazy-good crowds, You have tripped over my website or heard of me through the show grapevine, and you send me an application in the mail. What will make me say, “Oh my gosh, I will simply perish if I can’t vend this event” and part with a chunk of my hard-earned money? Well, barring a scheduling conflict, here are some things I look for before I sign my name on the line and mail in my booth fee.

One, how long has this event been going on? I’m more likely to toss my hat in the ring for an established event that already has a following. I might consider a first-time event.

Two, What sort of advertising are you doing? If you’re so committed to your event to invest in billboards, TV ads, and radio spots, then I know this is a huge big deal to you. Your striving for success tells me I have a chance to be successful, too.

Three, What other vendors do you have? If you’re an artisan-only show, then I expect vendors to be well-juried to weed out multi-level marketing companies. I promise you, those sellers/representatives are not artisans selling artisan products. If you’re allowing commercial vendors, then what’s your ratio? As an artisan, I personally have no desire to compete against a commercial vendor selling inferior soaps made in some overseas sweatshop in upscale packaging for $3.00 a bar.

Along with that, how many other artisan soap vendors will be joining me? Some competition is great, and I enjoy meeting other soapers. Plus, we might sell different products that appeal to different customer bases, which is cool. However, four soapmakers out of around a hundred vendors, all selling about the same type of product, is a bit much, don’t you think? Yes, that has happened.

Four, what sort of crowds are you expecting? You could be planning a small, cozy event with maybe 200 attendees who will spend lots, or a humongous event with a projected 40,000 attendees who may or may not spend much at all. I have a good reason for asking. My first show was a 4-day event, 44 hours across those 4 days. The event coordinator said that on one day, there could be 20,000 coming through in a few hours’ time period. The “surge” I was expecting was a mere trickle. A veteran vendor said at the end of the night, “I estimate we had 10,000 all day.”

Five, How can I get more information about your event? I would look for things like a Facebook page, reviews of past events by other vendors who’ve done it, or a website. A current Twitter or Instagram feed shows me you tend to be active about keeping your followers up-to-date and are likely to post right before and during the event to draw interest and generate excitement.

Six, Is your booth fee realistic for the duration of the event? Two separate events, same month. One is essentially a one-day event; the other, 3-day weekend. The booth fee for the weekend is just $20 more than the booth fee for the one-day event. Considering other expenses, it’s important for me to determine if your event is cost-effective for my business. Some argue, “But it’s contact. It’s exposure.” Sure it is, but if nothing comes of that exposure, then I’ve wasted a good deal of time and money. I’d rather invest that same amount of time in building and strengthening relationships with my customers.

I love events, speaking to customers face-to-face, seeing their expressions when they smell particular soaps (a little Perfect Man, anyone?), and teaching them about the amazing benefits of artisan soaps. As my business has grown and I’ve matured as its owner, I have learned to be more picky about the events I do. No more selling myself short or cheap chasing after the almighty dollar.

What things do you look for in events you would do?

The Joy of Saying No, pt. 1

The Joy of Saying No, pt. 2

Email as a Productivity Suck

Think Different Wordle (Photo credit: Ian Aberle)

Email. Love it or hate it, most of us rely on it as a speedy, efficient way to communicate. I use it for everything from general shared things (links and pictures), to grocery lists, to business matters. It’s faster than old-fashioned “snail mail” but less invasive than a phone call. I’m in the habit of checking my primary two email accounts daily, and I used to check them both every morning while sipping my pre-breakfast water. But an article I read which one of my fellow Indies posted changed that. (That link is well worth the read.)

As I read this list, even in the midst of our absolutely insane last month, two things resonated with me the most: #2 – “Don’t check your email first thing in the morning,” and #6 – “Define your goals the night before.” Wow. With two events and three large orders, how easy it would be to implement at least those two goals in order to be more productive. So, the next morning, I denied myself the obsessive urge to check my business email. I skimmed my Facebook feed, tidied up my Gmail a bit (that’s my social email address), then ate breakfast and read for a few, completely oblivious to what might be in my business inbox. After breakfast, I showered, then focused on some of the items I needed to get done for my events and customers. In fact, it wasn’t until early afternoon before I ever got to my email, and nothing needed my attention. That night before going to bed, I wrote my to-do list out on the dry-erase board and slept soundly, knowing there wasn’t anything that I was forgetting.

The article points out that reading email first thing in the morning makes a person more reactive than proactive. The day before, my time was my own, focused on my goals and my agenda. There was nothing I had to deal with that had cropped up, leaving me free to work as I wished. The second day, I got cocky and checked email in the morning as was my habit. In amidst the usual notifications and alerts, there was an email from one of my wholesale stockists. Yes, I read it. While I didn’t respond to it then, it stayed in the back of my mind until I did deal with it, distracting me from giving my tasks 100% of my focus and attention. That alone was enough to encourage me to stick with waiting before checking my business email.

It’s been ridiculously easy to liberate myself from looking at my business email first thing in the morning, though I have had to become even more intentional about that since fixing the email app on my phone. It all comes down to boundaries. During the day, my time belongs to my girls, my business and myself. While my customers are certainly the lifeblood of my business, there are many times when my business itself needs to be my focus, when I’ve got to be OK with putting off emails and phone calls until that batch of soap has been put to bed, or while that batch of lip balm is setting up. There are other days, though, when my lovely customers come at the top of my day, and I can push other things to afterwards.

The to-do list has been a harder discipline, not because I don’t know what to put on one, but because I keep adding to it all day. During our academic year, I would identify 2-3 key goals for that day, and if I just met those goals for my business, then I could keep things going just fine. This time of year, that list expands to 6-7 items just for my business, nevermind the plethora of household tasks that demand my attention. However, my nights are more peaceful and my days more productive when I take 2-3 minutes to create a list before going to bed.

What tips do you have for improving your productivity each day? Feel free to share for everyone’s benefit!

Unplug Yourself

About three weeks ago, my mom, daughters, and I struck out on our Epic Spring Break trip. We told my daughters for over a year about this “beach trip” we were taking for our Spring Break this year and how much awesome fun it’d be. I knew what the treat would be – a 3-day Disney cruise on board the largest cruise ship in the Disney fleet, followed by 3 days at Walt Disney World.

I left my laptop in the car, and while I took my mobile phone with me on the ship to snap some pictures to text to friends, I turned it off and stowed it in my purse before we left the port. I could have paid for satellite access for my devices, but instead I opted to take advantage of the opportunity to completely unplug for the duration of our cruise.

This was such a great choice, because it forced me to focus entirely on Mom, my daughters, and the many fascinating things there were to see and do on the ship. I got along splendidly without text, email, and Facebook for a few days. Those who needed to find me in an emergency could, and everything else could survive just fine without me.

When we arrived back in Florida, I turned my phone back on to face the bombardment of messages, particularly as my husband was heading to Orlando to meet us (another surprise for the girls). I didn’t bother with emails or FB, though. Even when we settled at our Disney resort, I got online just to check my personal email, because some soccer-related things had come up that needed my attention as coach.

For an additional three days, I avoided social media completely, save for the occasional picture posted from my phone. In the meantime, I made some incredible memories with my family, my mom, and my friend Marci. This was the first cruise for my daughters and me, and this was my younger daughter’s first trip to Disney World, and it was more important to watch the magic come alive for her than it was to check in on my social media accounts.

This video perfectly encapsulates the value of putting down the phone and paying attention to the people around us.

I put this into practice yesterday as I spent time with my friend April talking about everything under the sun. My phone vibrated in my pocket off and on for five hours, and I studiously ignored it. When one of my friends asked where I was, honestly believing that “meeting for coffee” would only last an hour or so, I asked him, “When you go out and are looking around, how many people are buried in their phones?” He replied, “Way more than I like to see.” I was determined not to be one of those people, and it left me able to enjoy the face-to-face time. After all, chick time without kids is rare, but I can check my phone any time.

How do you unplug? Can you unplug to spend time with loved ones?

Eschewing the ‘Poo, One Month Later

It’s been a month since the girls and I have used shampoo to wash our hair, and this has been a great step in our less-processed lifestyle. You can read all about how our journey began here. Going “No Poo” has been a very positive experience for us. Here are some of my thoughts and observations:

It took me a couple of weeks to get through the “transition period” as my hair got used to maintaining its own natural level of sebum. The first week I used conditioner to wash styling product out of my hair (that’s called “co poo,” using conditioner to wash), and my hair felt super greasy. I won’t be doing that again!

I read about using aloe vera gel as a styling product and aloe vera juice for detangling spray/leave-in conditioner/light styling gel. I whipped up some aloe vera juice thickened with xanthan gum to use to help hold my curls naturally. It worked! My curls held through some gusty winter winds and a lot of activity.

If you’ll remember, my younger daughter started this journey with pretty dry baby hair. Her hair is growing out nicely from her last trim, and it’s so soft and manageable! With it being so dry, it was very tangly, and brushing her hair was a misery for us both because of that.

My older daughter has long, thick hair which tangles easily. She complained that the baking soda/apple cider vinegar combo wasn’t getting her tangles out, so it was very difficult to brush. I grabbed my bottle of thickened aloe vera juice, sprayed her hair and set her loose with her brush. She came back ten minutes later exclaiming, “Oh Momma! This stuff is a miracle! Look at my hair!” Her hair was smooth and shiny with no tangles; she said the spray had gotten all the tangles out. I also made up a batch of beer conditioner for her hair to help give it a little extra moisture.

After a couple of weeks of going no poo, I was distressed to notice flakes in my hair. LOTS of flakes! Ew yuck! And my scalp was beginning to itch, too. Oh dear. We simply cannot have that! In addition to that, my older daughter had flakes along her part. Back to the Facebook No Poo group and a whole bunch of handy links to determine how to take care of flakes when you’re no poo’ing. Ah-ha! Our old trusty aloe vera comes through again. A mixture of aloe vera gel and honey (2 parts aloe vera gel to 1 part honey) really hydrates the scalp. So I whipped up some really quickly and ahhh!!! My scalp felt heavenly again.

Over against all this, I have to admit that I just can’t let go of my styling mousse and hairspray, and I’d just bought a brand-spankin’ new can of hairspray before going no poo. I was prepared to use some of my artisan made liquid soap to wash the product out of my hair. After all, while soap isn’t ideal for daily use without a vinegar rinse weekly, it should be OK once in a while, right? So, imagine my excitement to discover that the aloe vera and honey combo breaks down all that styling gunk while it hydrates. Score!!! I get to use my products and have clean hair without having to use soap. Triple win!!!

I’d learned in the FB group I’m in that you can use any acid (within reason) for the rinse, not just vinegar. Coffee and tea are both acids. I didn’t know that. I really wanted to try a coffee rinse with some leftover coffee… Wait. “Leftover coffee”? What’s that? Most of my friends, colleagues and family have no concept of “leftover coffee”; they drink every last drop. Anyway, I discovered about 4 ounces of leftover coffee, so it went up to the shower with me on Tuesday. Best. Rinse. Ever! I did smell a little bit like coffee, but no one here minded.

I’ve learned what “plopping” is. When my mom and I go on our next trip together, she’s going to be looking at me sooo strangely!

20140213_094144 — This is my hair after a month of no poo. That is NOT a silver streak in the back; it’s where the sun came in. Just had to clarify that.

That’s my hair after a month of no poo. These are my experiences of it:

My hair has grown faster than usual.
I commented to my husband that my hair was curlier and softer than it’d been, and I mentioned the aloe/honey mixture. He said, “No wonder your hair’s been looking happier lately.” I have happy hair! Woohoo!
My hair is curlier than it usually is this time of year. It’s generally fairly straight during the dry winter months.
After my last trim, my hair was lank and straight, much like my Grandma’s had been, which was not the look I wanted, especially not at this age. Now it has new bounce and body.
Of course, I use artisan soap every time I bathe, and this time of year, I expect my skin to be a little drier because of it. (Real soap contains glycerin, which draws moisture to itself. When it’s humid, it draws it from the air; when it’s dry, it takes it from my skin.) The sulfates which are in commercial shampoos dry hair out. I’ve noticed that, as I’ve gone without those sulfates in my hair care regimen, my skin isn’t nearly as dry as it usually is. That makes me wonder if the shampoo was drying my skin as I rinsed?
My hair has so much bounce and body that it’s been looking cute and styled even when I don’t do anything with it. Another win!

It’s times like this, I think I’m a hippy in the making, but I absolutely refuse to give up my razors! Does going No Poo sound like something you’d dare to try?

Learning and Geekgasms

I’m currently reading The Cost of Discipleship by DIetrich Bonhoeffer, and as soon as I’m done reading this book, I’ll be studying it with a good friend of mine. As I read the book, I kept thinking, I really need to learn biblical Greek. That’ll be fun. I’ve been told I have a very strange idea of “fun.” This will be learning Greek for the sake of learning it; other than increasing my knowledge, this won’t benefit me significantly.

Yeah, I really love learning new things, be they academic, theological, soapy or technological. Part of the learning is also a way for me to keep my brain active. I firmly believe in the old axiom, “Use it or lose it.” By learning new things, especially at my age, I’m forcing my brain to work in different ways. Today has been a day of learning, and it has been so exciting to me! The fact you’re reading this blog HERE at my website shows you one of the things I learned today. After over a year of wanting to move my business blog from Blogger to WordPress, all while harboring a secret desire to be like “the big kids” and have my blog directly on my website, it finally happened today, pretty much all in one swell move. One colleague suggested one thing, everything clicked into place, and then it was purely a matter of putting it together. I called it a Geekgasm! It was awesome!!!

I’m also learning my way around Google+. I participated in a phone conference about leveraging G+ for my business, and that was so incredibly informative! I learned things about G+ that convince me it’s far better for my needs than Facebook, and the things I can do with Hangouts…! Oh. My. Gosh! Those are going to be a whole ‘nother blog post. I’m so excited about the possibilities for my business, and being able to share these with you!

What great and wondrous things have you learned lately?

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