Dear Today… I hate you.
For some one who strives to be optimistic. Today sucks.
I know this leaves me sounding depressed or as if something may not be going just right in my life. Which is totally not the case. Today just sucks. It sucked last year, and it will suck again next year. I hate today.
Mother’s Day.
I am a Mother. A proud one. And nothing brings me more joy and happiness then the two round faces that look so much like my own face (prior to 30 years of fun and well… life) The little cards and poems in their own words and writing makes me feel more alive then even the most potent of energy drinks. It’s days like this one that makes me want to hold them closer.. because I know that one day…. they will hate today too.
Because I will be gone. And they will be left with the reminder every May.. that I am.
I have some very fond memories of Mother’s Day. I remember one year very clearly. After church on this particular one I had asked my Dad for some money to buy my Mom a present. I knew she would be busying herself with laundry or something or other during the afternoon, so I could sneak away to the drug store up the street to buy her something. I think I was about 10 years old. And I came across the most amazing gift. A porcelin jewellery stand that had a tray for bracelets and necklaces and a tray for rings. It had the famous Precious Moments children on it and it said I am “SEW” in love with you. It may have been something to do with sewing… but to me, it was a perfect jewellery stand for my Mom. My Mother wore many rings. Each one with it’s own story. Her engagement ring… her wedding band, The Family ring, the anniversary rings. One for marriage and one for her work. She was the type who liked to take them off at the end of every day. And rest them in the same spot. This beautiful gift was just what she needed. And she thought so too. Every day from that moment on.. she used that gift. It was the best gift I ever gave. To anyone. I remember coming across it while going through some of her things after she was gone. In that moment realizing that the tiniest little things in life turn out to really be the biggest. It now sits on my nightstand. It’s a part of My Everyday now…
Another Mother’s Day memory for me. The day I watched my Mother fight to just make it to that day. Sunday May 10th 2009. She had been sick for just coming up on a year. Living in the hospital close to a month and in pallative care… a few weeks. With a quoted, “Days to short weeks”.. (whatever the hell that is).. to live. If I take anything with me… I pray it’s her spirit. Her perserverance. Her strength. When she was admitted to pallative care she knew what that meant. But with Mother’s day just a few weeks away she made it a goal to make it to that day. She fought hard. Some days were better then others. And on that day, she sat victoriously in her chair eating her favorite lunch surrounded by her adoring family. The sun shining. She knew that even if she didn’t see the next day, her life was complete. She did what she said she was going to do.
I held her so close that afternoon. Breathing her in. Knowing that if this woman could push through a disease like cancer just to be with her family on Mother’s day. Then she was something. More then something. A miracle.
She was never the same after that day. Things just seemed to go downhill after that. And just 10 short days later. She was gone. After meeting her next “surviving” goal of her last Grandson’s 1st birthday.
It’s funny how life can take you so swiftly from celebration to sorrow. And round and round again.
Today I look in the face of my children and feel so much love.No one will ever ever ever love them like I do.
Then the pang of knowing that this is how much she loved me.
Google Yourself
Being a entrepenuer and someone who’s business and livelihood revolves around getting noticed and building a brand, online tools such as Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter are essential. But for most, there is such a big learning curve. Scratch that…. Not for most. For all.
I pride myself on being on top of these types of things and being a bit of an expert ( a BIT of an expert). I am of course, self taught on all of these things and am positive there is alot that I don’t know. I spend a good chunk of my time learning how to use these tools to the best of my ability and how to get noticed. It does take a lot.. but boy does it pay off.
Nothing is more fulfilling then “Googling” the most common search terms for my field “London Ontario Real Estate” for example and ME.. YES ME.. appears on the PAGE ONE! Two times no less.
Why is that so fulfilling you ask? Well think of it from the general publics perspective:
Joe Public is looking for a Realtor in London Ontario, or even a property for sale. The first place he is going to look is online. He “Googles” London Ontario Real Estate. Literally millions upon millions of pages appear. Because Google is searching online for any and every page that has those four magic words inserted into them. It’s not likely that Joe Public will go much passed page 4 in his search results. He will more then likely find what he is looking for in the first few.
And who is going to be there?? ME OF COURSE!! I am there.. I did it! This is so exciting. Not only for me as a Realtor, or for my brand… but for my clients who’s homes are listed for sale. Because when I clicked on the link in Google it took me directly to all of my listings of properties for sale. Now that’s top of the line real estate marketing don’t you think??
So next time my husband tells me to rest and stop burning the midnight oil researching and posting things online… I am going to tell him to go Google himself. Then he will see how my efforts are worthwhile!!
A great day in business today!
40 Days and 40 Nights – Our Lent Adventure
“Lent (Latin: Quadragesima, “fortieth”[1]) is the Christian observance of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.
The traditional purpose of Lent is the penitential preparation of the believer—through prayer, penance, repentance, almsgiving, and self-denial. Its institutional purpose is heightened in the annual commemoration of Holy Week, marking the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events of the Passion of Christ on Good Friday, which then culminates in the celebration on Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
This is the WIKEPEDIA description of Lent.
Although it is described as the Christian observance many more then just those practice this tradition.
As the dawn of Lent approaches again many of us think of what we can steer clear of for 40 days in observance.
Some obvious choices:
1. Red Meat
2. Alcohol
3. Swearing
4. All food after a certain time of day
and so on.
The purpose is to deny yourself of something you know will challenge you.
So this year, my daughter and I have decided to “deny” ourselves of any and all junk food for lent. 40 days… and 40 nights. Not so bad….. right?????
We’ll see. I think this challenge will be a little more challenging for my daughter then for me. She is 7. What 7 year old can steer clear of anything junk food (list below) for 40 whole days?? But I certainly am proud of her for taking on the challenge.
We have printed off our calender and our list of NO YOU CAN’TS and placed them on the fridge. We stuffed ourselves of everything on the “unholy” list while we still could and tossed the rest in the trash!
Should Daddy and/or Brother wish to indulge in such treats they must fend for themselves. And certainly keep them out of our sites if they know what is good for them.
Fitting… I have a daily dose of happiness peel away calendar on my desk and today it reads as follows:
“Deny yourself something – An important factor in happiness is adaptability. Because we adapt quickly to any improvement, we soon take it for granted, and a luxury ceases to be a luxury when we experience it often. One unenjoyable cure for this ‘hedonic treadmill’ is deprivation. Deny yourself something for a while- your usual midafternoon cookie, watching TV- and you’ll enjoy it much more when you experience it again”
I don’t think I will be peeling away the daily page for… I don’t know.. about a month or so….
Stay tuned…..
I CAN Do THIS! Chronicles of the aging population
When I lay my head down to sleep I will say good bye to a significant part of my life (and history) and wake up tomorrow morning officially a grown up.
The 20′s are over doll face…. man was that fun.
Alot of people tell me that 30 is not something to be afraid of. I should be excited and honoured to be reaching this milestone in my life. I am not however. To me, having the 3 in front of the other digits in my name means something else…. I am officially not a young’un anymore!!! I am actually, truly and officially an adult in every sense of the word.
Not that I haven’t been living like one for the majority of my 20′s… but it was never matter of fact. I could get away with being a goofball every once in a while.. because HEY… I’m still in my 20′s.
Reaching this age has really made me come to realize how fast time does fly. Because in my heart… I am still 12 years old. The little girl with hopes, dreams and aspirations… just waiting for the moment that it would all come true.
I am of course still that little girl inside… with different hopes and dreams… and some newly found wrinkles to go along with them.
I suppose I should take my Father’s advice and look on the bright side of things. I accomplished a HECK of alot in the last 10 years. More in my 20′s then some can squeeze in up to their 40′s… so my 30′s…. MAN LOOK OUT! (Dad’s words… not mine)
But who can top those wonderful things… let’s re-cap.
1. I became a Mother (tough to beat)
2. Married the love of my life. My best friend.
3. Found my dream career and made a great success out of it
4. While having a hell of a lot of fun at the same time
5. Became a Mother for the second time
6. Faced the toughest challenge I believe any one faces in life. Losing a parent. A best friend, and soul mate. (all one person)
7. Surviving it (still ongoing)
8. Learned to forgive, mend and move forward in many relationships
9. Became a teacher of a subject I am passionate about
10. Built another business doing so
And I have made many many friends along the way.
Huh…
Ok.. So I guess looking back at the last 10 years… things have been pretty fun. And I guess if I were to die tomorrow… I would be happy that my life was full and fulfilling. No regrets… not really any, “ I wish I would have’s.”
But it still seems so funny to me.. that I am entering the life stage all of the “adults” used to talk about. I remember people being younger then I am today and thinking they were O-L-D.
And I guess the day will come when I look back and think that today, I am just a spring chicken.
Se La Vie…
And life sure does go on… doesn’t it. Faster then any of your 20 year old’s out there even know!!!
Happy big 3-0 to me.
I Can Do This
True Facts, Children and Everyday Life as we know it
What are some simple facts that come to your mind in every day life?
1. Wear a hat when it’s cold outside because you lose a most of your body heat through your head.
2. Eat a big and healthy breakfast because you will learn more and be in a better mood all day
3. Don’t eat yellow snow.
So where did you learn these simple every day truth’s? Did you read them in a book? Did you hear about them in the news? No. Are they just simply common knowledge? Yes.
4. Your tongue WILL freeze to the lampost (or bus stop, or park bench etc)
5. Treat people as you wish to be treated
But where did this common knowledge come from? It came from those every day dinner table conversations. The walk in the park chats. The bath time questionaires with Mom and Dad when we were little tots. Well these facts range from tots to teens and beyond I suppose.
6. Baby’s come from a place where two people love each other very much
I myself am just beginning to realize in the hustle and bustle of my everyday Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Professional, Friend, Female, Person, Human, Raving Lunatic at times, life that things can really be this simple. I remember being a small child and hearing the most simplest of facts and everyday answers thinking how interesting they were… while really they were shaping who I am today.
7. Asking questions make’s you smarter
8. Listen first, talk second
9. My parents only want the best for me.
10. True Friends are forever
Then I forget them. Until one of those regular conversations come up over craft time or after a bedtime story. And I share these true facts with my two children and realize another simple and inevitable truth.
11. You sound exactly like your Mother.
The Battle From Within – My life lesson
I have to laugh at myself. Because every new year I take a moment to reflect on who I am as a person, a wife, a mother. How do I live my life? What am I doing that I shouldn’t be doing… and so on. I know that all of you do this as well. That’s why there is the wonderful invention of New Year’s Resolutions.
This year, (or last year now I guess..) I began thinking of my 2012 changes a little early. The one thing that I am sure drives most people close to me insane is my controlling nature.
I have to have a say in everything. And if things (especially in my own personal world) don’t go my way… well… that just doesn’t work.
I am not bossy… I just like things a certain way. Ok.. so I just repeated the Webster’s dictionary version of “Control Freak”. But I am aware of it. And that’s a good thing.
In a first attempt to get better at this… when I came home a month ago and my husband was rearranging my home office. I didn’t say anything. NOTHING!! Not one word. I had to walk away to keep from giving funny looks. So I did, and repeated to myself… “It’s ok.. let him have his fun. Then change it back in the morning.” But in the morning when I sat down at my desk, to my own astonishment. I LIKED IT!!! Well wouldn’t ya know!! In a normal situation of mine I wouldn’t have even let him continue. I would have stopped him in his tracks and did what I thought would be best. And letting go worked out… didn’t it. Not only did I like it, I appreciated something he did for me. WIN WIN. He was so shocked too. So I got a double prize. to see the sheer astonishment in his face.
Maybe I can actually do this!! Could I be more easy going and relaxed??? We’ll see!!
Example number two came only a few days later.
Again this example refers to my husband… but I swear!! I don’t torture him! There are several other areas of my life that I have these traits. Ask ANYONE who knows me personally. It just so happens that the first two scenario’s where I learned to keep my trap shut involved him. I think it is because I spend most of my time with him. Yes.. we will go with that.
So most of the cooking in the house is my duty. OK.. all of the cooking in the house is my duty. Not really sure why… because I am not the greatest at it. Not horrible.. but not the greatest. On this particular day my husband took it upon himself to make chicken wings. And “create” a special sauce for them. The word “create” and “sauce” just shouldn’t go together in my house. Two deep breaths later I left him there to “create.” Sure that I would not be trying this secret recipe for myself. But when it was complete, I knew that it was unfair of me not to try something that he worked on. He eats whatever I plop in front of him. If I am a new woman. I must try it. Dammit. It was good. Do you see a pattern forming here?? I do.
My controling and perfectionist nature is good in a lot of ways. I can catch every detail and will work my a** off to make things perfect. I am organized, tactful and specific.
But where it can hurt me is in the small stuff. Well what I used to think was small stuff. Letting go of things that won’t necessarily kill me if I am not involved in some way. Or didn’t get to put my two cents in to. And the anxiety I get from dwelling on it. Sheesh… wasted energy. I could use it organizing or controlling something else.
So in short (well sorta short).. I learned alot moving in to the year 2012. And I am excited to move forward with these and other exciting changes in my personal and professional life.
How about you?
Happy New Year. Happy New Day.
Did I just make a plan for my plan?
I did… didn’t I?
As the year winds down, us entrepenuers and work for self individuals start thinking about next year and how great it is going to be. “My business is going to be the most successful it has ever been. I vow to be supremely organized and follow my plan to the the T!”
Here I am, in that mindset. Planning for the year ahead… but first.. I must PLAN how I will PLAN my year.
This is not as crazy as it sounds though. Because a good plan can only be executed by good planning.. so if you plan to plan well… then you will plan well.
First I look at the past year. Of course, everything is nicely laid out for me, because I have been doing this a while. So I know now that keeping good records is ESSENTIAL to help plan a successful business. If your past year isn’t nicely laid out for you, then you should start to PLAN how it will be for next year. Decide what is most important. What plays the biggest factor in your successful business. As an example, I am a Realtor. So in order to plan how to be successful in this field for the next year, I must evaluate how my business did the year before so I know what worked and what didn’t. So I can either do it again, or scrap it. So I track deals I have done, where they came from and so on. This helps me plan my next year. Because I know what I should and shouldn’t be doing. Make sense?
OK then..
So the first on your planning plan your must review and revise. Decide what worked, and what didn’t. (plan to do more of what worked and less of what didn’t.)
Second, plan to get caught up. Don’t go into the new year and the new business plan with left over work. Miss out on sleep if you have to. Just get it done. If there is too much to do.. then here is when you may want to consider planning for an assistant. Provided you are not caught up because you were so busy.. not because you were procrastinating.
Which brings me to my next point…
Plan on NOT procratinating next year. This is why you are making a plan. So you can follow it and stay on top of things.
And finally… plan to re-plan every quarter.
No, your business plan is not set in stone. Well.. your goals should be. But things change in business all the time. You may need to change your actions in order to reach these goals at certain points of the year. Review and revise quarterly.. to ensure you are on track.
So you have a plan to plan. So now you plan for your new year in business.
Business plans have many shapes and forms and work differently for each individual. Even those in the same fields. So I won’t be giving you the plan to just plug your plan into. You should customize your business plan to your own needs, wants, goals, desires and of course lifestyle.
But when considering your business plan. Keep it as simple as possible. There is really no need for elaborate equations and a novel sized essay as to why and how you are going to do it. It should be something that you can commit to memory rather quickly. There for, it should really fit on a regular sized piece of paper.
Ask yourself these questions:
What do I want to do? (how much money do I want to make? how many accounts to I want to gain? etc)
How much do I have to do based on last year’s results? ( if you earned a set amount of money last year with a set amount of actions, how many of those actions must you take this year to get your new results?)
How will this happen? (What are you going to do to make this happen?)
When will this happen? (When are you going to do this? Will you have time off? etc)
Figure out those answers, write ‘em down. And there is your perfectly planned out business plan.
Now put it into action! And go get ‘em Tiger!
Happy New Year!
Hey Cheapskate!! –The Importance Of A Website For Your Business
Just one more thing on your check list to get your business up and rolling.
When all you are thinking about is keeping costs low you are faced with all of these necessities that cost big bucks.But trust me… this is one expense that you don’t want to put on the back burner.
Yes, the powers of social media have given us entrepenuer’s the benefits of a website with the facebook business page. Yes, they do have similar features and functionality… but both would be better!
With the whole world shifting online, your paper ads are getting closer and closer to extinction. When your buyers or sellers, clients and customers are searching for products or services online you want them to see that you have a strong online presense… and they want to get to know you before they decide if it’s you they want.
Yes, facebook can do this. But only to a limit. Using a website to also promote your business will only cement your chances of being found. On a standard website you have the ability to put tons of information and key words that will boost you higher and higher on the search engines.
You know all of this… I know that you do. So why aren’t you doing it?
Like a mentor of mine, Richard Robbins says, “When you know what you know… why do you do what you do?”
Well as an entrepenuer myself, I know that cost plays a big role in it. As highly addicted to learning and finding news ways to do things that I am, I have found several avenues for creating your own LOW COST and NICE LOOKING websites for literally pennies!! And you don’t have to be a technical super star to do it either!
Still not convinced?? www.marketminutelondon.com is a site that I created very quickly and easily and it looks great. Because after all, the consumer is not spending hours on your website, so it doesn’t have to be all bells and whistles. As long as it showcases your AWESOMENESS and is easy to use, then you are all set.
Don’t miss out on an affordable ( and absolutely necessary) way to promote your business.
You are just a click
away!
The Teacher In Me
The Teacher In Me
As someone who is always striving to learn, very early in my real estate career I enlisted the help of a real estate coach.
For those who do not know what a real estate coach is, they are similar in nature to a life coach or a financial or business coach. A football coach even. Someone who guides you in the right direction or keeps you on the path you were already going. They give you accountability. Hold you to what you say… because one of the hardest things in the “BE YOUR OWN BOSS” industry is staying on the right track when there is no one to hold you there.
It was the best decision I ever made.
In my time with my coach I learned things about myself that I knew were there, I just didn’t really believe in them. My coach made me believe.
One thing that resonates with me daily is a statement made to me by my coach in one of our monthly sessions. ” Rachael, you are a born teacher.” At first, this statement came as a shock to me. Teaching was something I had never considered before… something I didn’t even think fathomable. Learning, I can do… teaching… I don’t know.
During these monthly coaching sessions we would briefly discuss the proper methods of a successful Realtor and how they function and perform but mostly we would discuss ME. My personality, work ethic, dreams goals and how I was currently functioning in my real estate business. In my real estate success. At the time I was already quite an acheiver in my field… but as previously mentioned in this post and others… learning and improving is my addiction. Through examining these things my coach noticed qualities in me that she thought were those of a teacher.
They took what was inside and brought it outside.
So you see, that is what a coach does. They make you think beyond what is imaginable. Push you past the limits you have set for yourself and make you believe in what you once thought was unbeliveable.
Shortly after working with this coach I was presented with an opportunity to share my social media marketing skills with other Realtors in London Ontario through our real estate board. Dan and I have had tremendous success using social media to market our real estate business and brand. So much so that we were recognized by the London Ontario real estate board and they asked me to share my wisdom.
I was stunned. Could what my coach said really be true? Could I teach?
True to my form, I pushed away the anxiety and jumped in with both feet! I developed a real estate specific training program for Realtors looking to use Facebook to market their business. I took every bit of knowledge I had and then some and presented it to other Realtors looking to have the success we have had using these social media marketing platforms. And it was GLORIOUS! I loved it!! My classes filled up, so they booked more… and more. I received rave reviews and I am now getting success stories from my students. Those of whom I had taught are now using my lessons and getting success.
And thus.. The Social Coach was born! ( there is a bit of a multiple personality trend happening here isn’t there???)
Since the beginning of 2011 I have branched off to teaching social media marketing skills to not only Realtors, but other companies as well. Businesses looking to bring their marketing to the next level.
I believe somewhere inside of me, that Teacher was always there. It took the support of a coach to find it and get me there.
Now I am excited to be ONE OF THOSE coaches and sharing the excitment with my students.
Through this I am still performing as a full time Realtor. For real estate is my one true love. So who says you can’t have your cake and eat it to?? That person obviously didn’t have to support of a coach.
Until Next Time Friends…
In My Daughters’ Eyes
Local charity work is something Dan and I support wholeheartedly. We have a few London Ontario charities that we support consistently because they mean something to us. For one reason or another.
In May of 2008 my Mother, was diagnosed with cancer and 365 exact days later the horrible disease overcame her. Just 4 days after my son celebrated his 1st birthday. A day that she clung to life for. Throughout her battle and treatment she she would say over and over that she believed she would beat this… but if she didn’t she just prayed to see her beautiful grandson’s first birthday. And she did. The love for her children and grandchildren was stronger than any other force.
That same year Dan and I were introduced to a local charity fundraiser, Hike for Hospice and Palliative Care in London Ontario. As my Mother was currently in Palliative Care we thought it fitting that we participate. And we have done so every year since. This year Hospice of London was offering a memorial tree and plaque to those “hikers” who raised over $500.00 for Hospice of London. We knew this was something that we could do, as we had done it the years previously.
But let me tell you why this memorial tree was so important to me… (not only for such a worthy cause.. but something a little selfish)
My Mom was a planner… ( guess where I got it from ). If she could organize or arrange anything she would. She had a vision of what she wanted for everything and she spent her life making sure it turned out that way. During her illness we spent countless hours in hospital rooms with nothing but tears and beeping machines to fill the silence. Although my beautiful Mother had faith and strong will deep down inside she knew that the chances of her winning against this evil disease were slim. So she began to discuss what she wanted to happen for her funeral and with her remains. She was adamant that she be cremated and her ashes split into two urns. One for me and one for my sister. We thought this was a wonderful memoriam and were glad to do so. So when she was gone.. that was just what we did. I thought having her ashes in my home would keep her feeling close to me all of the time. Shortly after her passing, I realized this was not the case. Having her ashes in my home does keep her close to me yes. But there is something to be said about a gravesite… and a quiet solumn place to sit and reflect. (I have two young children remember… silence is but a distant memory in my house)
So this tree presented an opportunity for me to finally have that one place to go where it could be all about Mom and her memory. Where I could talk with her uninterupted and feel her close in my heart.
And finally the day has come.. the tree was unveiled today at Hospice of London. And I could finally see the quiet piece of earth dedicated just to her.
Today Dan, the kids and I went to the unveiling.. they had a little ceremony and everything. It didn’t strike me of how emotional it would be until we pulled into the parking lot and entered the garden. There was soft music playing and someome to greet us with a flower for each family to leave next to their tree. Fitting.. one of the choices was yellow, Mom’s favorite. It was more overwhelming for me then I thought it would be. Walking up and trying to search for her plaque amoungst all of those that had been erected… I felt like it would be looking for a needle in a haystack. But it caught my eye instantly. There it stood, right in the centre with the sun shining so beautifully on her tree as if it were the only one there… Almost right away I had to ask Dan to take the kids back to the car because I needed to be alone. The reality of it all came flooding back to me. He did.. and I just stood there. Quietly. Listening to the air and the garden noises and picturing her gentle smile and infectious laugh in my mind. After some time I knew I had to get back to Dan and the kids so I turned to walk away… but I have to tell you.. leaving that tree, was like leaving her that night in the hospital all over again. I could almost hear the nurse saying… “ She’s gone. You may stay here with her as long as you need. Take as much time as you need.” It was the hardest thing to do.
But at least this time… I can go back to her. And sit for a while. In her new peaceful garden.
In Loving Memory of Carolyn Ellis June 12,1951 to May 20,2009 "In My Daughters' Eyes, I Am A Hero"
