Gone Fishin'!

 

Yesterday was Friday.   For some reason, it seemed like that week consisted of 14 days, not 7.  It was a chilly, dreary, rainy day.    I got up at my usual 5:00 a.m. and headed for the gym.  I love going to the gym, especially on Fridays for my QiGong class.

After the gym I stopped to see my Mom.  She had surgery a couple months ago and is still pretty much housebound so I like to stop and see her often to check up on how she is doing and just to chat. 

By the time I got back home after doing errands, it was almost noon.  I headed for my studio and picked up my “to do list”.  The usual suspects, send out weekly invoices, pay some bills, answer emails, write a blog, start the newsletter, etc. etc. and, oh yeah, design gift basket to fill the waiting orders.

It was when I looked at the orders and saw that all of them were scheduled for delivery next week, I decided what to do next.  Nothing….  That’s right, nothing….

I shut my studio door  and put the "Gone Fishin'" sign on the knob, (mentally because there is no door to my studio and I don't have a "Gone Fishin" sign), poured a glass of wine and turned the TV to On Demand.  Don’t ask me what I watched because I couldn’t tell you.  I spend the whole day, doing nothing.  Well, I did finish crocheting that baby blanket for a friend who is due in a couple of months, but that doesn’t count.

Sometimes doing nothing is exactly what you need to do to.  Mentally, I was a chilly, dreary, rainy day and even though I could have made the gift baskets I needed to fill the orders, written my blog and newsletter and have done all of the other things I do in my job, doing nothing was the better choice.

According to the weather forecast, it is going to be chilly, dreary and rainy for the next several days, but I am back to feeling like my warm, sunny self and am recharged and ready to go.  Heading for the gym this morning, stopping to see my Mom and running errands again but I’ll be back at my desk later this morning rockin’ and rollin’.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is … re-energized.

Marie

P.S.  The photo is of our Gone Fishin" gift basket.

What Do You Say?

If you've been in the workforce for any length of time, you've probably had more than one job.  For example, once upon a time I was a real estate paralegal and once upon another time I work in a recruiting firm.

Because of my background working in law firms, I was hired as a recruiter specializing in office support personnel. One day a client called.  They needed help finding a real estate paralegal. This was a MAJOR area law firm and the paralegal would report to one of the senior partners in the firm.  Part of the unofficial job description was, "they need to walk on water".

In my search, I contacted everyone I knew in the field and when I came up empty, extended my search to law firms outside of the city.  I finally found one legal secretary who said she knew just the person.

She said the person she was thinking of had one of the best reputations in the field. She went on and on about this person and how there was no one better suited for the job I described.

She said she the individual had left the legal field a few months before and although she didn't know where she had gone or what she was doing, she did know that she could get in touch with her mother who worked at the Registry of Deeds.

I thanked her for her time, gave her my number and hung up the phone.  Then I sat there stunned.  The woman was talking about me.

That phone call made a huge impression on me.  It taught me several things including to always do and be your best because you don't know who is noticing.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is -- actions speak volumes.

Marie

Minding Your Peas and Carrots

I read everything.  Well almost everything.  I have a difficult time reading the multi page, small print stuff the credit card and phone companies send daily.

I pay particular attention to labels on foods that I buy.  I am not only concerned about what my family is consuming but also what we are putting in the gift baskets we sell.

We have many clients that prefer foods that are sugar free, organic, or gluten free.  So we choose our products carefully.

That's why I was shocked when I opened a can of peas and carrots last night and caught sight of the ingredients.  Right there along side the words peas and carrots was the word "sugar".  I didn't realize sweet peas needed sugar.

For the record, we rarely eat canned veggies, especially in the summer when we have access to fresh produce from local farms, but the dog was chomping grass and we didn't have any fresh carrots in the house.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is .... remember the details.

Marie

The Elusive Hole In One

I played in the local Chamber of Commerce golf tournament on Friday.  I love playing golf.  The other members of my team and I aren't professional  golfers and we weren't out to "win" the tournament but simply to play a good game and enjoy a day out with friends.

Yes, when you play golf you are competing "against" other golfers but, most golfers will tell you, what they are really trying to "beat" is their own personal best.

I love golf because it is a game (exercise) that constantly challenges ones skills, mentally and physically.  I also love golf because I know that no matter how well I play, I can always improve.  There is no perfection in golf.

I approach my job the same way.  My job constantly challenges my skills, both mentally and physically.  Yes, there are thousands of other gift basket companies in the world and although Laurel Mountain Basket Co is Nationally recognized for our unique designs, there are some companies that are more "successful" than ours.

As in golf, I know I will never be one of the top 3, but I am determined to bring  my "A" game every day and give my clients the best I can.  I will also keep improving toward perfection, knowing achieving it is impossible.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is ...  understanding perfection.

Marie

A Stitch in Time

I love old sayings. For example, "A stitch in time may save nine" is one of my favorites.  Such great advice in just seven simple words.

No, it doesn't have anything to do with sewing but rather it teaches us that acknowledging and working toward a solution to a problem immediately will save a great deal of time and effort in the long run.

So the next time you see something starting to unravel, like a good relationship with a client, take the bull by the horns, bite the bullet and remember that a stitch in time may save nine.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is... proactive

Marie

So You Want To Be The Boss

I started my work life when I was very young.  Back in the dark ages, children were allowed to work on farms as long as they had a work permit.  In my community children started picking cucumbers when they were 10 or 11 years old and at the age of 14 graduated to working on the area tobacco farms.  The boys did the outside work and the girls did the inside work, if you consider working in a tobacco curing barn "inside".  The work was hot and dirty and we had fun!

I learned to drive a tractor at age 10, and a standard transmission truck way before I would be old enough for a drivers license.  I don't remember exactly what we were paid but whatever it was, it seemed like a fortune.  All of my friends worked too and we developed friendships with kids from surrounding towns and with kids from out of state who came from the hot cities to spend the summers with relatives.

I got my first "real job" when I was 16.  I started working in the largest supermarket in our area.  It was very prestigious.  The store was huge and everyone shopped there.  I LOVED that job.  The owners and managers were terrific and I learned so much.

I worked summer vacations while in college and even worked a part time job one semester.  Got a job just days after graduation in 1971 and worked full time in various offices until eleven years ago when I opened my own business.  That's when I learned that work weeks have more than 40 hours and there are few weekends, sick days or paid vacations.

Those of you who own your own businesses know what I'm talking about. There are still deadlines to meet, paperwork to be done and clients to deal with but  they are your deadlines, your paperwork and your clients.  YOU get to make the decisions about who, what, when and where.  It's heady stuff and worth giving 110%.

I could be sitting in a pretty air conditioned office right now, wearing a designer suit and heels.   Instead, I'm sitting in my home office, looking out on a beautiful mountain view.  My dog is asleep at my feet, which are bare and I'm wearing shorts and a tee shirt.

I write several blogs related to my business.  I decided to start this blog for those who want to start their own business or who are in business for them self and want a place to learn and grow and share experiences. 

If you are thinking about being your own boss or if you already are, stay tuned.  Maybe we can help each other by sharing some of our successes and pointing out some of the pitfalls of being your own boss.

The view from Laurel Mountain today is -- It doesn't get much better than this.

Marie Lisewski