by Tish MacWebber | Aug 28, 2017 | Tish-ism
I have been working on myself in more areas than one, all at once. I am learning, growing and changing as a result of the work I am doing. The work I am doing online involves some challenges. I am thinking (more than usual) and I am inspired! I am working to change my life by turning my dreams into a reality.
I first took part in the #brandstorychallenge last week. It is over now, and people actually participate in it more than once. It is that good, and the information is different each time you take it! The basics may be similar each time, as it has a solid foundation, but you are guaranteed to learn something new each time you take this free challenge. My Day 6 Bonus Challenge homework was a design I made in Canva. That program was introduced to me earlier in my blogging journey. Along with Pixabay, where I get some of the most wonderful pictures that are free to use for my blog like the flower pictures shared in this story, are two of the many tips I have learned from asking a million and one questions. Which I do. All the time.
I am proud of completing the first challenge, and this was the “Culture Credo” bonus that I designed:
I am really excited about how that turned out. I LOVE it when my brain works and comes up with the most creative and wonderful ideas. That is why I am here, still blogging. It is something I have a lot of fun with, and something that I really enjoy!
This week started a new challenge. It is all about the audience. It is the #growyourtribechallenge. The same person that taught the first one is teaching this one, too. I have just completed the Day 2 homework. I like the things I am learning. It is making me think, and because I am writing my answers in a journal, and sharing it all every day, privately in the #PaidToBeYouPosse group (where you can find the challenges if you are interested) on Facebook and sharing the summaries publicly to win prizes.
After completing the #BrandStoryChallenge, I was in the draw for a prize, but I did not win. I feel like I won something that will help me move forward, though. I asked a list of questions, and they were almost all answered in the closing video for the challenge last week. I used my talent of rapid fire think and ask questions to my advantage. Jennifer Kem graciously took almost an hour of the 90-minute video to address almost all of my questions. I am certain that other people were maybe too shy to ask, and I certainly didn’t think she would pick more than one or two at most. As she runs a four-month long course that is not free like the challenges I am participating in, I didn’t get EVERY SINGLE QUESTION answered, but that is SMART. It makes me want to start saving up for the next time the course will be offered, to get more training to become a successful entrepreneur. I have already started business ideas before this, so I do consider myself an entrepreneur. Becoming a success story, well that is what I am developing as I progress on this journey. So again, Jennifer, thanks for the answers, I feel like I had a coaching session, and the advice was priceless! If you are interested in her course, check out her website http://www.jenniferkem.com/. She teaches about #masterbrand and #paidtobeyou.
Now, to address the two remaining elements in this Tish-ism. What brought this one to life? I was journaling away at my homework from Day 2. I was on the final question, and it was in my mind. The people in my tribe that read this blog are open to the “Tish-bits” of information that I share here. I was inspired in the middle of answering that question, and I just put up a bracket and wrote it and used some other terms in the answer too. I Tishsplained “Tish-isms”, “Tishsplaining”, and my new term “Tish-bits” right in the body of my answer. If you have been following my blog, then you will know that my brain never stops, and it felt right to me to just stick it all in my answer. I made it all relatable like I do.
The last mysterious element in the latest Tish-ism is what kind of flower that picture at the top of the story was. I will solve the mystery here if you didn’t guess it already.
It was a close-up of a Sunflower, my second favourite flower, after the Wild Cape Breton Rose.
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 27, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
Happy Weekend to you! I am here on Sunday morning, using my AGENDA to figure out this busy day. Friday I started a new challenge. It is another five-day, free, online challenge, and since I had such a successful run at the last one I did, I signed up for the next one. The first one taught me about how to Brand myself, as an Artist and an Author. The current Challenge is about Tribe Building, and that is a logical thing for me to learn tips and tricks for, also. Both of these subjects need to be worked on, constantly, because the audience of today may be a different audience a month from now, six months from now, and onward. Not that the core audience should be changing itself, but the needs of the audience will change and refocus over time, and I need to stay relevant if I am going to level up as an artist and author.
The homework for today, Day 3 is making me hesitant to answer. It looks easy, because of launching the contest, I think I am already figuring out the next step for me. I am actually going to delay answering today until after the video for the challenge is posted. I want to be sure that my answers are well thought out because I am Always Thinking…and I need to get the most out of this challenge that I can, which means sometimes I have to think about the answer, not just slam it out onto the keyboard.
I am really inspired from taking these challenges. I ran a contest for people to check out different online projects I have on the go, and I picked a winner. Today I need to create the prize, after having a consultation with the winner, yesterday. I will be delivering the prize tomorrow, as she is someone that I work with.
Yesterday should have been an easy win for the cleaning and prep cooking. It wasn’t. I actually spent the whole day writing on the blog and working on my social media presence, as well as completing day 2 of the GYT Challenge. I made the video, and I wrote two stories for the blog, one has been published, and the other one has been written in draft format. It is waiting for approval on some links before I publish, as I want to be sure that I have gotten permission from the sources before sharing the links. (I did get permission already for the one shared here.)
You may think that it is not hard to spend the day in front of the computer. In one sense, you would be correct with that assumption. On the other hand, I am working on many things at the same time, most of the time with writing as the main event, either here, on the blog, or writing my book, elsewhere. I enjoy the social networking, and I have friends that I interact with online. I also try to share only the best, most clever tweets. I have not branched out far in the Twitterverse, but I do check in daily. It is something I am getting the hang of how to use.
If I am writing, and that is working, then yes, there is a fun factor there for me too. I really enjoy writing, and I do want to work hard at launching my trilogy to be a success. I am trying to learn as I go, and do as much of this as I can by myself. I know my limits, though, and will be in need of an editor when I have the manuscript and my initial editing completed. I will need help in different areas, but I just took a Facebook quiz, and it said that I will be a millionaire in 2019. If that is correct, I am going to be a successful published author by then. I don’t really believe that it will happen because Facebook said so, but it is something that could happen if I work hard to make it so.
Today I went to a movie with my husband. We went to see The Nut Job 2, and it was cute and funny. Full of puns! Not a lot, alright, but there were a few. Then I rushed home to put a roast in the oven for supper. Then I ran out again to help a friend buy what she needed for her store to create a new display. We were both a little off, maybe tired from being busy, so we decided to go get some iced coffee. We both had the sugar free vanilla. I really enjoyed it, and it was just what I needed to pick me up. We also sat down for a bit to have a chat. Sometimes it is good to make time to just catch up. The down side of this is that I had to turn down a visit with another friend today because I had already committed to the first friend yesterday. The timing just wasn’t working out to do everything, and I still have homework and earrings to make.
When I publish this I am going to finish making supper, watch the video for my challenge, do the homework, make the earrings, and empty the dishwasher so I can fill it up again. If I get REAL ambitious I’ll throw a chicken in the crockpot for tomorrow’s prep cooking adventures. I LOVE Roast beef sandwiches, so lunch tomorrow will be a treat! Tuesday I will need something prepared, and I am going to make Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole. Hence the need to cook the chicken, tonight or tomorrow. It is a simple recipe so it can be done in the morning. Then all I will need to do is steam the broccoli, grate some cheese, and mix the recipe together and pop it into the oven. If I get that far. Right now, I could seriously go for a nap. What does that mean? I win this weekend! I even conquered a hard avocado last night when I was making nachos for supper. It never stood a chance. What did you do this weekend?
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 27, 2017 | Events
Tish before Makeup or hair styling was done.
A few months ago, I shared a story about makeup. Makeup: A Purge and Purchase Story was fun to experience, and fun to write about. I was surprised by the comment thread my makeup questions spurred on my Facebook page. Quite a few people had opinions, and some joined me on my shopping trip.
This morning I woke up and decided I would do my hair and makeup for my Facebook Live video. I was announcing the winner of the Scavenger Hunt Contest I had going on all week. I didn’t just want a “like and share” contest. I wanted people to follow links to my different areas of expertise, one page for my jewellery making business, Tish’s Treasures, another my Facebook Author page, Tish MacWebber’s Author Facebook Page, and here, on my blog.
People showed interest, but not everyone participated. Some tried to do all of the steps, and others liked the pages. I made my first Facebook live videos this week. I found that the one I made from my personal Facebook page was the one that had the most interaction, so I am learning as I am trying new things. I have watched them after recording, just to hear what I sounded like, and to learn. I will keep working on them, as they are another way to reach out to people that might not want to spend their time hunting for different pages.
That being said, at some point in the future, I am going to make the leap from this Blog page to my own website. That will be a new step for me, outside of my comfort zone. I want to combine the Bling, Blog, and Books I am creating on to a website. I will be looking for help to do this, and I know that people in the communities I am involved with in my social media circles will point me in the right direction so I can figure it all out. I am doing all of the work myself, since this page launched for the second time. I had help at the start and took over when I was ready to take the reins. It has been a bumpy ride at times, but so much fun.
Now for the makeup. I am going to share a series of selfies I took this morning while getting ready for my video shoot. That sounds bigger than it was. It was less than five minutes long. I am still not used to how things are flipped on the laptop. It is another thing to work at until I am great at it.
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Before I started. No glasses selfie.
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This is what my Evil Twin looks like. I “flipped” this pic. My sisters are twins. This is as close as I can get.
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Foundation, blush and eyeshadow applied.
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Foundation, blush, and eyeshadow applied on the evil twin. I know it is a selfie. and I have MY glasses off, I wish it wasn’t blurry…
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Now with Mascara
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With Mascara, on the Evil Twin.
Close up! Lips have been found! I hardly recognize myself!
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Hair done.
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Hair done, and glasses back on.
Ready to shoot my video!
This happens to be the second tube of mascara I have tried. I miss my wonder-curl mascara, they don’t make it anymore. I will give them each another try before blogging my thoughts. I also tried a new eye makeup remover. I have not found one that completely cleans mascara from my lashes, ever. Any tips will be appreciated with this in mind. I asked about this today on my personal Facebook page, and it became quite a thread. I am always happy to see another person’s point of view. 😉
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 24, 2017 | Trust Your Gut
The names here may or may not reflect the person’s real name. If someone wants to remain unknown, we will choose a different name for that person’s story. The goal is to help people, and anonymity is a valid personal choice for contributors. I will use a person’s name only if they give permission to do so.
This week I am pleased to share another of my own stories.
Here is Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 27
Summer is slowly sneaking past us, and soon it will be fall. I have seen other people do challenges, and I have a few things I need to get back on track with. One of them is my zig-zagging on the path less travelled to living a healthier lifestyle. I don’t have kids, and I am not going back to school. But September can be a new start for this and other areas of my life that are lacking commitment right now.
In THM, there are many different groups to belong to. You can join based on food types, health issues, location, budget friendly, beginner, very fluffy, the main THM group and allergy issue groups. There is even one for people that Blog about THM. I am involved in several and have not been contributing much lately. I can share my Blog stories on their pages, but not if that is the only thing I am contributing. I think that is fair.
I do write this to keep myself accountable, and also to help other people. If you don’t have the same issues I have with being morbidly obese, then reading this Blog might help you learn how to be a better friend to someone like me. It may even help you figure out what you can do to help them.
Let’s go with a big one. Do not be the food police. Every person that is capable of feeding themselves is also capable of deciding what to eat, what not to eat, and how much of that they are going to eat. If I am having a piece of cake at a social gathering, and someone makes me feel bad about it, I am going to eat two or three times the amount of cake I allowed for with my meal plan and insulin doses. Saying nothing and judging by silence or a look is no better. I eat the guilt instead of feeling it. That is a dangerous option for me. I am trying so hard to make better choices, but a simple thing like me having chocolate to get through a rough work day can compound to a box of chocolates at home later on. Yes, a box, not one or two pieces. If I bring them home, I want to gobble them up so they aren’t there to tempt me anymore. When I think about that, it is really messed up. But it is how I think.
I hid being a type 2 diabetic for a long time. Now that I am open about it, I feel like people are always watching what I eat, and judging me. If I was realistic, I would think that I am not so important in other people’s lives that they spend time critically thinking about what I am eating. I have answered a lot of questions regarding what I am eating for lunch at work, and when it is a healthy recipe, I am proud to share. Even if the cauliflower that I had to heat up is stinky, or someone is grossed out by the way I am assembling my cheeseburger pie. If it tastes good, fills me, and doesn’t make me feel bad after eating it, then I am happy to share about what I am eating, and even share the recipes I love if people want to try them.
Back to September coming up. I am going to focus more on me, and the THM plan. What do I mean? It is going to be hard. I am going to have a 30 day no cheat challenge. Eek! I have commitment issues when it comes to being 100% on plan, but it is about time that I really put an effort into it. At the same time, I am going to post in the groups more in September, so that I can share the blog posts that relate to THM in the groups more. Finally, to get myself on track and stay there, I will have to prep cook. That also needs time and energy. If it is focused, it does not have to take a lot of either, because I am prep cooking for me, and sometimes for my husband, not an army. Leftovers are handy for lunches, as long as I have the means of storing them properly.
One thing that concerns me is maintaining a solid balance of my blood sugars. I am worried about lows and treating them while staying on plan. That is a tricky path in the brambles and may require bending of the rules a bit. If I have to pick a quick source of the wrong kind of sugar to avoid a hospital or death, I am going to have to be OK with that. Before I start, though, I am going to hang out in the THM Diabetes group and ask some questions to make me feel better about how to treat the lows. I am giving myself time to do this, before the official start. I will need to start recording my blood sugars, insulin doses and keep a food diary to make this work because if I don’t know what the patterns are, it is hard to manage the blood sugar highs and lows properly. This sounds like work to me, but if you do something consistently for 30 days it becomes a habit, and I am trying to develop better habits for a healthier lifestyle. I wrote it here, so now I have to follow through.
Accountability. It is time to take things seriously again. Writing it all down every day will help me track patterns and find out how different foods affect my sugars. I know I am not going to be 100% on plan, being me, but if I can give it my best attempt, I will have something I can be proud of working on. So I am going to make a real effort in September. I need to refocus on a few things, and this is one of them. Time to start planning. Anybody else getting ready to start fresh in September? I will cheer you on as I share my progress every week, here. It’s time to refocus.
#TrustYourGut
by Tish MacWebber | Aug 21, 2017 | Weekend Warrior
I don’t have any “plans” this weekend. I am going to do that Bouncing of the House I didn’t do last weekend. I will catch up with a friend and maybe call another friend. This weekend I am going to be alone while the hubby is at work. Sometimes that is just what I need.
I will crank the tunes and get some things done tomorrow. I am happy to say he did some work around here this week, so it isn’t a total disaster waiting for me to have to do everything. It helps to have a partner with the chores, even if we work better in tandem than together on some projects.
I have to say it, and I don’t want to. I have had another generation of ants in the kitchen. I also want to put it out there that mint plants are needy divas. They are happy or parched or dying or perky. There is no happy medium, only the hour after they are watered, it seems. I am struggling to keep them alive, and losing the battle with one already. I need them to live to chase the bugs away. I have seen spiders and ants, so maybe it is not a reliable theory. It was worth a shot, though.
The problem with having a completely free weekend happens when I don’t have a reason to get the chores done. It is much more fun to procrastinate on the computer and binge watch TV all day. I know I am crawling out of bed in the morning to get the car. I have not decided if that will happen Sunday, or not. If I stay home, I don’t spend money. That is a good rule of thumb for me. I do have errands and so I need the car tomorrow. I don’t like being home without it if I don’t need to be. What if I need something? I need the car to go get it.
Then a whole other list of things happens, I blink, and the day is gone and I have nothing to show for it. So I think this weekend I will make a list. Sometimes that is the only way for me to stay on track.
I have one day of the Brand Story Challenge I have participated in all week left. It is over on Saturday, and I am looking forward to trying to put it all together. There are prizes, and I feel like I am putting myself out there, much like I do here, and just going for it. It may not seem like I am working hard at this if you don’t know me, but there are parts that are shared publicly and parts that are just for you and the members of the challenge. So I have been sharing it all in the closed group. I feel like if I put it all out there, maybe I have a chance to win something. I can work hard, and hope. I am trying to get below my outer layer and see what I am hiding inside that can help propel me forward. It is making me think about things differently, and that is OK.
With Sunday morning there came a lack of sleep, due to humidity and some inspirations! I have just filmed my first ever Facebook live video and created a scavenger hunt for the first contest I have ever launched for Tish’s Treasures. I am really hoping it steps up my entrepreneurial game, and I am already planning my next contest!
I did get the car Sunday too. I spent too much time trying to get in a nap, so this is causing my posting here to be late. I have had so much to do, but my body needed to rest up before the dreaded Monday appeared. (Oh no! It’s here!)
There was a bonus round for the Brand Story Challenge. It is not quite ready, but will be shared all over the place really soon!
I am going to leave a link for my first Facebook Live Contest video HERE! It is open to anyone that completes the requirements. If you enter, best of luck to you! There is a prize!
I am feeling drained after this weekend. Humidity is not nice when you are unable to sleep through it. I got a lot done, though, so I am calling it a draw…today was not as productive as it could have been. How was your weekend?
