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As a teenager, I dreamed of being a writer. Many evenings were spent writing stories, plays and poems. My stories ranged from downright silly, a play where the main characters met New Kids on the Block, my idols of the time. To serious, a dancer who was in a terrible car accident and lost her ability to walk. The story followed her through waking up from a coma, to being rehabilitated, falling in love with her physical therapist and finally, dancing once again.
I was determined to be a writer and in high school I took journalism and creative writing classes. It was during this time though, that my dream slipped away.
I wrote a story for my creative writing class and mustered up my confidence, walked up to my teacher and handed it to her for review. As I stood next to her desk at the front of the class, I watched her read it and eventually she began to mark it up with her bright red pen. I was horrified.
What really happened and what I thought happened next were two entirely different things. From my perspective, she told me my story was horrible and I should never write again. What probably happened was that she told me my story could be greatly improved and to please read through her...
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The answer to the question "If you could meet anyone from the past or present or future who would that be and why?" is simple for me.
If I had a time machine and was able to travel back in time, I would travel back to the 1980s for afternoon cookies with a wonderful lady. This lady was strong, smart, loved to cook, bake and lived and breathed for her family and friends. She was a wife, a sister (she was sister number 8 out of a family of 9 daughters), a friend, a wife and a mother.
This amazing woman waited at home while her young husband fought in World War 2. Years later she became a mother. Along with her husband, they raised three wonderful children together. As with any family, there were some bumps and bruises along the way..but she remained the family loving person she always had been.
In the 1970s and 1980s, when her children were all grown up and had families of their own, she added grandmother to her already long list of titles. The love for her family flourished. All of her grandchildren loved their grandmother and she returned that love -- two times over.
If I could go back in time, I would sit down with this wonderful woman, who passed away much...
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This month's VAF Blogging challenge is simply: Essential.
Essential can have many meanings to each and every one of us. In fact, what one person finds essential in their daily business or life, may not be the same for another. With that being said, here are the things that are most essential to me when it comes to my Virtual Assistant Business.
It is essential for me to continue to learn; this allows me to continue to not only grow my business, but offers me much professional growth as well. I am lost when I am not learning something new.
It is essential for me to communicate with my clients; for that matter, it is essential that they in turn communicate with me. Communication is a major key to my success.
It is essential that I take a step back every day to take in all that I have accomplished and to also evaluate what I have not. This allows me to be grateful for what I have and provides me with the motivation to forge ahead for the things I am lacking.
Above all else, it is essential for me to believe in myself. My skills, my capabilities, my thoughts and ideas are the things that have gotten me this far. I can do it, I will do it and nothing is going to...
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This month's VAF Blog Challenge was a bit challenging for me simply because I am inspired by so many things! A photo, a movie, something someone says, these things can all resonate with me and inspire me to feel a certain way, think a certain thought or do something I wouldn't have otherwise thought of doing.
Once, as a teenager, I watched the movie Alive. The movie was a story about a plane that crashed in the Andes and told the story of the passengers on the flight. It was graphic, at times hard to watch and extremely powerful (at least for me). Moments after watching that movie, I closed myself in my bedroom with my teal painted walls covered with images of kittens and rock stars. I took out a pack of white index cards and a pen with purple ink. On the front of each index card, I wrote the name of a friend or family member. I flipped each card over one by one and proceeded to write my heartfelt gratitude and expression of love toward these important people in my life. I cried, I laughed, it was a time of deep seeded reflection. I must have only been, but 15 or 16 years old. How a movie such as a Alive can evoke such passion in me, I will never know. I can tell you this though, that was not the first time nor the...
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Ah, yes, Spring Cleaning time is here again. And that means it is time once again for window washing. There are two types of window washing. The first type, I absolutely loathe and if I could, I would hire someone else to do. This type includes windows of the glass variety.
The second type of window washing, I thoroughly enjoy and oftentimes, find it to be a time of reflection and enjoyment. This type of window washing involves my computer. Oh yes, I am talking about spring cleaning my Windows OS.
Why not use this time of year to clean your computer? You are already in the cleaning and organizing frame of mind, right? I like to go through all of the folders on my desktop and in my documents, organize my files, look at images (that is where the time of reflection comes in) and read old emails, letters and documents (that is where my enjoyment comes from). I take a look at my desktop and delete any shortcuts I haven't used in months. This is actually my motto when it comes to cleaning my house too. If I haven't used or touched an appliance or item in over 6 months...out it goes into the goodwill box!
So you see, window washing doesn't have to be hard at all. Well, that is as long as you...
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Determining success as a Virtual Assistant is something different for each and every one of us.
The actual meaning of the word success is:
1. the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors.
2. the attainment of wealth, position, honors, or the like.
3. a successful performance or achievement: The play was an instant success.
Success as a Virtual Assistant can be any one of those things, a combination or something else entirely.
I think the most important thing to remember is that we travel through life at our own pace. We are all at different points in our journey. A Virtual Assistant that has a full practice and is doing well, may be considered successful, but that does not mean he or she is more successful than you. Each and every day, as you grow personally and professionally, you are racking up your own successes. Don't ever forget that.
Success as a Virtual Assistant is whatever you want it to be. If you love what you are doing and are doing it every single day...than as far as I am concerned, you are indeed successful.
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The sun beats down on me and I am surrounded by trees, plants and the sounds of nature. A cool breeze touches my face. I spot a bluebird out of the corner of my eye and see a chipmunk quickly scurry away. I take a sip of my hot tea (a touch of milk and a bit of honey) and take a deep breath, then sigh. This is the life...
Then I hear the all familiar sound of my laptop buzzing to life. I swivel in my office chair towards my desk and away from my own personal real life painting of nature (my backyard). Oh yes, this is the life. The day in the life of a Virtual Assistant...me!
First thing on the do list is check my email, which on some days can be a dauntless task. As I wait for my email to load I watch as my co-workers (after eating their morning breakfast) saunter into the office. My Office Manager, Jet, who never seems to miss an opportunity to manage a print job and my own personal therapist, Max, settle down for a day's worth of work. Well, that is after they lick and sniff each other and themselves; they are a cat (the aforementioned Office Manager) and dog (my personal pet therapist always there when I need to take a break for some hugs) after all!
I filter through my email, determine...
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I had been hearing about Twitter online and on some of the podcasts my husband and I listen to together, so I decided it was well time to check out this new site that was all the buzz.
So, I typed twitter.com into my web browser, clicked the Get Started Now button and I was on my way.
Once logged into the site, I quickly realized that in order to tell people "what I was doing" I had to do it in 140 characters or less. What?!?! Anyone that knows me, knows I have a tendency to talk (and type) a lot. How on earth was I going to get the hang of this?
It was slow going in the beginning and lots of -20, -50 and -60 text appearing bright red on my screen. I did however get the hang of it.
So, if you are new to Twitter and are wondering how to say what you want to say in 140 characters or less - I want to share two adages that I think seem to fit Twitter to a T.
1. Think before you speak. Think about what you want to type into the text box and re-read what you typed before you hit the Update button. This is good for a variety of reasons -- you can check for typos, read your tweet for clarity and for some, re-consider what you are about to send to thousands...
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One of the most common questions asked by new entrepreneurs is "What services or products should I offer?" My simple answer is: Offer the services and products that make you the most happy and that you are good at too. Offering services that you not only enjoy, but are good at exudes a certain confidence about you. It will make clients want to work with you. It will show in your work and it will certainly improve your outlook on your business.
Nothing is far worse than offering a service or product that you have little to no interest in. You will be miserable and you may even start to resent the task you are doing (and quite possibly the client you are doing it for -- even though it was your choice to take on the task in the first place). Which leads me to one other point.
What happens if a client asks you to do a task you are not skilled in or despise? I know it can sometimes be hard to say no to a client, but if you don't like the task or aren't qualified to do it, tell them.
Think about it this way. If there is a household chore you loathe, you usually ask someone else to do it right? You don't second guess yourself and say -- Nah....washing the dishes really is okay. I...
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Networking can be scary for new business owners, but it really doesn't have to be. In fact, there are so many different opportunities out there that can suit you and your networking style.
There are the traditional networking groups where you go to a facility (usually a restaurant or conference room at a hotel) for an hour and network with other business owners in person. The opportunity to learn about other businesses in your area and exchange business cards is great.
Ok, so perhaps you have gone to a network group and just didn't feel comfortable. That is ok - give the meeting one more try and/or find another group. There are MANY networking groups out there. You can go to as many as you have time for (keep in mind some meetings are free, some are not). Find the types of meetings in which you feel the most comfortable. You may even want to look into joining your local Chamber of Commerce.
You can also network online - social media networking is really catching on. Many virtual assistants are finding clients online just by getting involved in groups on websites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook and even finding success using Twitter.
Still not satisfied? You can always start your...
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I ventured out in the cold and blustery day here in NJ to do some Holiday Shopping. It was my first and hopefully, last day of shopping! I wanted to tell you about a chance encounter I had while purchasing a gift for my mother at the mall.
Each year at the local mall, crafters set up tables in the main corridor and sell their hand-crafted items. I absolutely love to look at and purchase hand-crafted items. I am a lover of craft fairs and now also enjoy purusing the items on etsy.com. I came across a jewelry crafter. Knowing my mother loves earrings (especially ones made from stone) I decide to take a look. The items the woman had were beautiful. I found a perfect pair of earrings for my mother -- made from Moreno glass from Venice, Italy.
When I brought the item up to the crafter, she exclaimed that I picked such a nice pair of earrings. I asked her if she created them herself -- she said her entire family located in Ecuador creates all of the jewelry on display. There was a lot of items there and the work was remarkable. She told me that years ago they purchased Moreno glass from Venice and continue to create pieces of jewelry from the very same piece of glass. I was amazed. Such resourcefulness and...
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