Following the speed limit
March 13, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
I want, should, intended to have more accomplished. A contract job interview went nowhere when the pay and location turned out to be impractical. Technical difficulties eliminated the first of the web advertisers I signed up with after I’d gone through the effort of writing and setting up the ads. Immediately followed by three days (and counting) in bed with the kind of head cold that deserves a much more exotic name. I’d have to look back to last Sunday when I got my frame order in to see progress towards a goal. And I haven’t even picked the photographs to go in the frames once they’ve arrived.
But the sun still came up, the cat got fed, and nothing dire has happened so maybe, just maybe this was a week that was supposed to go as slowly as driving 20mph through a school zone without a kid in sight. Inexplicable but necessary.
Putting myself out there
March 5, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
My comfort zone is definitely in the planning and building stages of any project – the parts where failures can be kept private and things done completely on my own schedule. This week marks the beginning of the transition from that phase to the one of public input and reception for my two blogging projects (this site and www.nurdle.net) This week I started posting links to these two sites on the various social networks and next week I’ll start advertising (using my free credits that came with the web host account.) And from this point on I’ve committed to myself to post on a fairly regular schedule so that any new visitors have a reason to return. (No pressure!)
Now public opinion will start impacting my goals. I could still write, publish, do whatever at no additional cost and on my own schedule, but my goal is to make enough money through affiliates, advertising, and other products to provide sufficient income to fund the time to continue at full speed. And that requires a willing public. Not only can’t I control that, but I can’t predict it either!
Time to trust in myself and my instincts and quite frankly the people I’m trying to attract to my sites. It may take a little time, but if there’s real value here, they’ll find their way. The real risk is that I’ll stop myself just short of that goal; that famous one inch away from the vein of gold. I’m determined not to stop there.
What does ‘a sign’ really look like anyway?
February 27, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
It’s just been one of those weeks. No major catastrophes, but plenty of frustrating distractions – starting with the squirrel setting up housekeeping in the attic and a minor case of bronchitis or something similar that is making me feel like I imagine pack-a-day smokers feel when facing a StairMaster, further derailing my stab at a fitness plan. And yet the latter encouraged me to take a mid-afternoon nap in the winter sunshine, and the squirrel is reminding me that diligence and obsession really are two different things.
And somewhere in there I’ve managed to get enough website stuff done to be ready next week to start telling the world that they’re here (this site and www.nurdle.net) . And along with all that, a little bright point of happiness; an email inviting me to display three photographs in a hospital’s changing exhibit. A small but great step towards getting more visibility as a photographer. The funny part is that I had visualized this very hospital and event in context with meeting ‘the guy’ a psychic predicted two years ago. I’ll have to wait until April to find out that part, but I’ll let you know if it happens.
Some would say there were no signs here and this is just life as usual. They could be right, but I’m more inclined to see intent and tailored lessons on flow, patience, and not obsessing. I’m trying very hard to pay attention.
Moving forward, crab-style
February 20, 2009 by Juliet Chase
Filed under Juliet's Journal
This week has been all about figuring out which of the 10,000 things on the list would bring the most value. After the basics like paying bills were done there was nothing really critical or more time-sensitive than the others. So of course, I read, researched, and used all my other stock procrastinating skills. Until I finished the online course, the books, and checked 80% of the links that I’d saved off for further review. And yet there are still three blogs that need posts, two that need advertising and one (this one) that still says Hello, World because I haven’t been brave enough to just dive in and start making my mark.
But moving forward in these situations can be more like crabs walking than humans, where moving one foot does tend to carry you in a particular direction. Crabs though, have a few more legs to contend with and sometimes it’s just the middle leg that moves, preparing for forward momentum but not actually carrying the body forward until a front leg takes a step. But it’s still necessary movement and certainly not wasted in the overall effort. It would probably be a good idea for me to remember that crabs move sideways too!
