#Tishspiration Tuesday: I am seeing results start to come back to me!

#Tishspiration Tuesday: I am seeing results start to come back to me!

This week for #Tishspiration Tuesday, I am seeing results start to come back to me. What? Results? Things are going well. Not perfect, but very well.

A while ago I had asked for some information about cameras. I had been advised to find better quality pictures, and well, sometimes I like to use my own pictures instead of free to use stock photos, like the one I have featured above. The old Tuesday picture, the one I used to use, was my own, and I had a friend help me to edit it a while back. If you have been following for a while, you may remember this:

Treasure Seeker Tuesday
Treasure Seeker Tuesday

Previously on Tuesdays, I would write under this title and category. I was so grateful when my friends helped me with photo editing, and this was the final choice for the blog. It was a great pic at the time, and the enhancements made it better than the original.

Shortly after asking for advice on cameras, a friend offered to loan me a camera, long term. I am thrilled every time I take a picture. I use it frequently, and I have even downloaded the manual to improve my photography skills and to look up information as needed. It has been a dream to have a really great camera to take pictures with.

Since then, I have been working really hard on things.

Don’t get me wrong, I have had some good results from my hard work, and I appreciate every little bit of it. I have had meetings and appointments every week pretty much since I have been unemployed. It was a little tough at first, as nobody ever wants to unexpectedly find themselves unemployed. As you know if you follow this blog, I have chosen to take it as an opportunity to find out what I really want to do with my life. I have had jobs since I was a teenager, but now more than ever, I want to take another chance on me.

Sure, this is scary. It is a leap into the unknown, hoping that my dreams will turn into a trampoline and bounce me higher than I was before I started.

Realistically, I have wanted to be an entrepreneur for almost 20 years. I have tried on my own, several times, and failed. So why do I keep trying? The truth is, I am not a cookie cutter individual. I mean, I wrote a book which I describe as a memoir narrated by cats. I made up this word, #Tishspiration, and now I am developing a business idea, based on a word I made up.

Who does that?

I do. I make stuff up all the time. My sense of humour is sometimes out there, but I still crack jokes. With comedy heroes like Weird Al Yankovich and Betty White, I am going to make someone laugh, even if it is only me. I am writing a book and basing a business on a word I made up. It could be the best thing I ever did, or it could fail. In which case I will take the time I need to reflect on what did work, and what didn’t; before I try again.

So really, if you think about it, this entrepreneur thing is always a gamble. Someone comes up with an idea, and when they are brave enough, they try it out. Sometimes they make it work, sometimes they don’t. What happens next is the important part.

That part right there, the time for reflection, is the reason why I keep trying. If I quit, I could find a regular job and earn a paycheck every two weeks like I used to. When I left the job I had for 7 years, I had taken on a project which grew bigger than I could manage on my own, just to find joy in my daily job. The regularly scheduled work day was not fulfilling my life. I wanted more. I still do.

Today, some friends helped me out, in a big way.

Instagram. I have been trying to figure out how to be more active on Instagram for months. An author friend, Shannon McRoberts, has been advising me on how to do that without a cell phone. The day is getting closer to when I finally get one. It will be a celebration of some sort I am sure, and it’s going to be a real big deal when it happens, as people everywhere cannot understand why I don’t have one. It is something we haven’t been able to afford in our budget yet.

Lately, we are maintaining well, but any financial commitment will need to be planned carefully. It is also why we don’t yet have that kitten or dog we want. To be honest, I want 2 kittens, and I am in negotiations with Roy about it. He says because we want both a kitten and a dog, that we can’t get 2 kittens. I disagree; I also digress.

To expand my social media platform I have worked a little bit at a time. As an indie author, it is crucial to pick your lane and stick to it. With all of the changes lately in social media, however, I have thought about trying different lanes, and even different routes. I know there is a lot of action on Instagram, and I want to join in, to see what the buzz is all about.

I finally posted my first Instagram post today.

It was a fight, let me tell you. It seemed to be really difficult. I joined, but could not post from my computer because I couldn’t download the app from the google play store. It did not recognize my computer or laptop. My landline telephone number will not work as it is not a number from a mobile device.

Shannon told me about Hootsuite. I thought I finally had a workaround. So I went to sign up, only to find that I could try it for free, for 30 days. Another source said for 60 days. After the trials, I would have to pay to keep it going. I don’t want to be a flash in the Instagram pan, to be there and gone without a way to continue building content there.

After messaging back and forth with Shannon, finally, I learned that there is a way. Hootsuite will let me post 30 times in a month, to 3 different accounts. I am on my way to automation. It will be odd if you follow my author Facebook page, my Twitter account and my Instagram Account, as they will all be sharing the one post a day as I create them. Since I have a few to start with, and once they cycle through, I am going to create more content for the automation. I will work hard to keep as much of it as new as I can, so it doesn’t get boring.

I really do love to help people.

Shannon wasn’t the only friend who helped me out today, though. I went to see another friend, Marilyn King, at her store, King Woolens and Yarns. She has moved the location of the store several months ago, and it is now located within the city limits. It is really close to where I live, actually, and I have been to visit her there once every couple of weeks. I have been helping her with some graphics for the store, and she is learning more every time I visit.

Today, I helped her out, and she let me try to get the Instagram hiccup resolved by letting me try to do what I needed to on her tablet. She didn’t have the app on her tablet, and I thought I really needed a cell phone to get this program to work. I went home, disappointed, and ready to give up on it until I got a phone.

I relayed the news to Shannon, and she told me that the tablet will work if it has the app installed. Since Marilyn had told me it wasn’t installed on her tablet, I didn’t want to make her install it just for me to use for 15 minutes and then have to uninstall it. I thought of another option.

I sent out a message to another friend with a tablet.

MaryRuth McGee invited me to her place, and I made sure to ask that the app was downloaded. I wandered to the local dollar store on my way, just for some time to walk around for a few minutes. I found a cute picture frame and then went to MaryRuth’s. When I arrived, I said hello to MaryRuth and her daughter, who has grown up before my eyes into a smart, beautiful young woman, and I joined MaryRuth on the couch. I thought she was going to help me on her tablet, so it was a sensible place to sit. She handed me the tablet with a note on it for me to read.

MaryRuth’s note to me, on the tablet screen.

I read the note and thought it was a reminder for her to help me when I arrived. She is very organized, and I didn’t understand what the note really meant. MaryRuth was giving me the tablet to use for my business! She said it is slow and old but it doesn’t matter at all to me, I have none to compare it to.

It’s here and went right to the dollar store after leaving her house to get it a case and a stand. She gave me one, and now I have 3. One to charge on and one for my desk. The one she gave me will be great if I am travelling with it. I also found purple earphones with a mic to try, as I may be filming for my social media with it. I have seen that they are necessary for some situations, and I want to be prepared.


As I pulled into my driveway, a wave of gratitude came over me.

I had thanked all of my friends throughout the day, but at that moment I fully realized what was actually happening. People are helping me not only because they are my friends, but because they see what I am working on, and because I want to help people, my friends are supporting me by helping me on my way. I had to just sit with it for a minute in the car before I came inside. I was feeling like I could cry, and I was shaking with the enormity of what I was thinking.

The day had its moments, both good and bad. Overall, I feel really blessed to have such good friends in my life. No matter what you believe in, when you put the right thoughts behind your actions, good things will follow. It isn’t always what you ask for, but it is always what you need. Truly, this was a #Tishspiration moment, where my friend was able to surprise me with her gift, and her encouraging note.

Have you had an unexpected gift which helped you to achieve something you were dreaming about? Please share in the comments below.

#Tishspiration

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 24

Trust Your Gut: Tish’s Story; Part 24

 

Trust Your Gut is a series of stories about real people with weight issues, and complications arising from those issues.  It will explain what the person is facing, what their options are, what they have decided to do to take action, and why they chose the path they are on.  Each person’s story will be based on truth, so it won’t all be happy, but it will be real.  The goal of this series is to get people talking about options that are available for people who have weight issues, on either end of the scale.  If you would like to contribute to this series, there is a contact form linked on my Homepage for this blog.  I know there are people out there that want to help people like them; as I do.

 

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 24

Life is funny.  Today when I got up I expected good news here on my blog, as I had published an introduction and my second guest blog post on another blogger’s site.  I was not wrong.  The day turned dark on me this afternoon, and I came home and posted on social media that I was having a hard time.  Friends asked if they could help.  One person sent a friend request.  That person I had never chatted with before helped me turn my night around.  I am not saying that I am not still having the feelings I had earlier, but just having a cry wasn’t enough, either.  I had to do something different.

I have been using this blog to help myself and to try to help others.  Whether it is to share a laugh, or tips, or explore my inner thoughts and demons, I have a purpose here.  It has grown since its beginnings under a different name until I was challenged to rethink things and make it better.  I like to write, that is obvious, and I have rediscovered my passion for writing since I started this adventure last November.  I am working hard at it, to set and keep deadlines, and practice my writing skills.  I am proud of what I have done so far.

I am working on myself too.  On a day like today, there were too many emotions to keep under the cork.  The cork popped, and my tears flowed.  I was sitting here unashamedly crying my beautiful blue eyes out, trying to understand why I wasn’t good enough for something else I wanted to do.  I am working on a lot of me and there is a lot of me to work on.  I am trying to find my gumption every day, not every other week.  I am trying to maintain the cleaning I have done thus far in my home, and improve on it.  I am doing well with the Blog writing, but not so well in the book writing.  I am busy socially, both online and in real life.  I am going to Zumba when I can.  I do some prep cooking, but admittedly not enough.  As I am often told, sometimes I am too hard on myself.  The truth is, and I think I have shared this before, I don’t know how to be any other way.

I have issues with self-esteem.  I often feel like I am good, but not good enough.  This is part of what happened to me today.  When I am rejected, it is like I am taking a kick in the teeth.  I try not to let things show all the time, but there are days like today that I am frustrated, and my only way to get it out is through my tears.  I try really hard to not speak out impulsively in anger. I lost that one today, on both fronts.  I really feel like I am being treated unfairly, with a few different things that are happening in my life.  All of these things added up, and in time, they have to be let out.  Some people yell.  Some people become quiet.  Some people hide.  People like me, well we cry and eat.  Trying to fill the hole caused by whatever triggered the feelings.  I am trying to change that.

The new friend I made today said to write a gratitude list.  Write down five things that I have gratitude about in my life.  In a private message, she also invited me to write down 3 things that are causing me to have my issues I posted about.  I did.  I shared what was going on with a few close friends.  My new friend agreed with me that I had a reason to be upset.  I didn’t need the validation, but there it was.  Without telling this person everything that was setting me off today, they still saw that there is a lot going on for one person to deal with.  Keeping those three things inside was a part of what made it so hard for me to cope today.

I need to make some changes.  I can’t fix every problem that I am facing right now, but I am trying to work on the ones I can.  Tomorrow is a new day.  I will try to face it with my best foot forward, but right now, I am feeling a little nervous about that.  People that know me know that I am not good at hiding how I feel.  It’s going to be a bad day tomorrow because what happened today was bad news for me, and it will be good news for some other people tomorrow.  That is going to be hard to swallow.  Considering I would rather avoid it all and just make poor choices for what to eat and drink avoid real life tomorrow.  I am going to end with my gratitude list.  It didn’t fix my problems, but at least it got me thinking about something else.  For a little while.

1. Discovering my passion for writing and realizing it is what I am meant to do.
2.My husband is my rock and my hero.
3. The joy I get from working on my blog and watching it grow.
4.My stubbornness.
5. Friends and family.
6. My blue eyes.
7. My sense of humour.

After I calmed down a bit, my final entry to the list for the day was:

8.  I still have my teeth. Nobody actually managed to kick any out yet.

My new friend was right. It’s all about perspective.

#TrustYourGut.