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  • February 7, 2023

Blogging, Life and Gasping for Air

April 22, 2014 by Karen Swim

Oxygen mask

To start writing again, you just have to write. Pretty simple advice but it’s true. Today feels like as good time as any to just write. As I sat down to write the typical blog post, you know the one with nuggets of wisdom, and how-to do that thing you don’t know how to do, this post was standing in the way. Yes, that post – the one you’re never supposed to write on a business blog because of branding, image and all that jazz. Luckily for me I’m not chased down my paparazzi or swarmed by swooning fans that care about me maintaining an “image.”

This year was supposed to be an epic new chapter in my life. I turned 50 in January and was looking forward to a year of celebration and joy. Days before my 50th birthday, I learned that my youngest brother (who shares my birthday month) was ill. Life quickly spun into research, treatments, hospitalizations, sleepless nights and many, many family phone calls. This is in the midst of running a business. By February, I was exhausted but accepting of the new normal. In March my brother died. Even as I write this my stomach drops.

My brother’s service was on a Friday and I went back to work on Monday. Big. Fat. Mistake. I was so afraid that if I took time off things would fall apart. So I continued to work with a heart so heavy it felt like a second person. One sleepless night after another, I got up in the morning and convinced myself that I could soldier through until things really did start to fall apart.

I was off my game but too sad and exhausted to do anything about it. I fell behind schedule and worked hard to catch up but I let other things slip like business development. With two clients winding down I learned a third was cutting their budget. Ugh. All normal stuff in normal times but disaster when you are the working wounded. The last bit of bad news shocked me back to life. Not what I would have chosen, but hey it worked.

On the other side of depression, I now see how unwise it is to care for others without caring for you first. We’ve heard it so often – put on your own oxygen mask first. I’ve said it countless times to harried entrepreneurs and over extended friends and yet I allowed myself to get into a position where I was gasping for air. So, I’m writing this post as a declaration of my own healing and a precautionary warning for all of you.

I worked out of fear and but the thing I feared happened anyway. It would have been far better if I had allowed time to tend to my needs before trying to meet the needs of others, even if is my business. I won’t allow myself to fall for this lie again. I am a person of faith but in this I acted like a spindly coward who could not let go and trust that it would all work out.

In the end, it is all working out and better than I could have predicted. So today I take another step (a long meandering one, but thanks for indulging me) into my new future. I can’t promise daily posts but I am happy to be able to just write, regardless of the frequency.

Have you ever forgotten to put on your own mask? I’d love to hear your comments, because we’re all in this together!

Filed Under: Inspiration for Life, Public Relations Tagged With: blogging, Small business, work-life balance

Wednesday Links, Laughs and Loves

May 20, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

It has been quite a week! I don’t know about you but I’m all for celebrating the half-way mark. For me it has been a week of being sifted and shaken from every direction. I wish I knew a great joke to share with all of you (come to think of it I could use a good joke in which er you know I’m not the butt of it, got any?), but instead let’s check in with the web happenings of the week.

Stacy Lukasavitz shared a great link this week on rap artist Eminem’s integrated marketing campaign. Like Stacy, I’m not a fan but read with interest how his marketing team is using traditional, social media and multimedia to promote his latest album.  Give it a read and let me know your thoughts – weird or brilliant?

Kelly Erickson snags an interview with the author of When Growth Stalls,  Steve McKee. Learn how Steve failed his way to success. Great insight and takeaways that we can all use.

Joanna Young returned from her spectacular writing retreat in Sardinia and pondered how to hold on to that balance. It is a timely, thought provoking piece as many of us attempt to pursue writing dreams, while funding our lives.

…and if you’re up for some great e-book reads, head over to Smashwords and pick up Flashy Fiction by George Angus and Poke it with a Sharp Stick by the man with the big hat and even bigger heart, Robert Hruzek.

How about you? Did you read, hear, see anything interesting, inspiring or just plain wild?

Filed Under: Business and Career, Ideas Tagged With: Add new tag, blogging, business interview, links, Marketing, marketing strategies

Top 10 Reasons to Avoid Post Procrastination

April 30, 2009 by Karen Swim

Written by Karen D. Swim

When it comes to blogging, there is no greater advice than planning (writing and scheduling) posts in advance.  Develop your monthly calendar in advance and plan blocks of time to write.  I could seriously be the poster child for the “before” of not planning. Actually, I do plan but then I forget where I put the plan, or change my mind. I write fragments of posts with every intention to finish them in advance but well you see how well that’s worked out! So listed below are my Top 10 reasons to avoid blogging procrastination:

  1. The “my dog ate it” excuse does not work for digital media
  2. Life happens and you really cannot control it
  3. Your fickle muse will disappear, forcing you to play Diner Dash when you really should be writing
  4. The sun will shine
  5. It will rain
  6. It will snow
  7. People will think you died, moved to Outer Mongolia or took a job directing traffic. They will wipe you from their feed readers and forget you existed.
  8. You will discover that Murphy and his law have decided to attach to your life like white on rice.
  9. The longer you wait, the worse you’ll feel adding to your overwhelming stress level
  10. You will miss your readers (reason enough!)

Any others to add to the list? Do you plan or wing it by the seat of your pants?

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: blog writing, blogging, scheduling posts

Simply the Best?

December 19, 2008 by Karen Swim

LONDON - MAY 18:  Tina Turner performs at The ...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Written by Karen D. Swim

The gracious Joanna Young invited everyone to reflect upon this past year of blogging and select their best post from 2008. Now I must admit when I saw the title Simply the Best I wondered how Joanna would tie Tina Turner to writing. I still sing the song every time I read the title (ha ha now you will too) but I digress. My first thought was my best post is the one I have not yet written but I can’t link to an empty page so I had to pick from what had already been created.

So without further ado, the post I selected is Truth or Madness Monday. This post is simply the best because the community shaped it with active discussion and insightful comments. It was fun to write but the participation was even better.

Reading through my archives made me realize the wonders of blogging. There are posts that reflect my “best” writing to date, others that have my “best ideas” and still others that are average but have the “best” number of comments.  Most of all it inspired me to  learning, growing and experimenting.

How would you describe your best? The Simply the Best Writing Project is open until December 24. I hope you’ll join in too!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Psssttt…something really BIG is happening over at the Zone. I have been sworn to secrecy but I can give you a hint, the target is 100. I’ve said too much already but stay tuned, all will be revealed on December 21. Uh oh, I think I hear Robert coming, shhh, don’t tell him I told ya!

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Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: blogging, simply the best writng project

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