Tag Archives: motivation

Smarter Social Marketing

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“Flatter me, and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, and I may not like you.
Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me, and I will not forget you.”
– William Arthur Ward

It feels like school all over again. When one steps away from the familiar and into the unknown, learning is a given. Over the past year and a bit I’ve joined the Facebook fray, started several Twitter accounts, built a blog, and started learning how to promote my online presence. Not bad for a self-confessed techno-phobe. But I didn’t do it alone; I had great help.

When I posted on a question on a freelance forum about how to promote a new blog, I certainly wasn’t expecting this encouraging and pertinent response:

You can share links on Stumbleupon, Digg, Reddit, Yahoo! Buzz, Google Buzz, Netvibes, Sphinn, Delicious, etc. Adding the blog to Technorati can help.

I try to post links to Twitter and Facebook using bit.ly so I can see how many clicks the post has received, as directly related to my tweets and status updates.

…

Thanks Ron Doyle. Gotta go now, I have to study up on and Digg and Redditt and ohhh… my head is starting to Buzz!

Wild Ice & Other Adventures

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Lake of the Hanging Glacier (Credit: Megan Kopp)

We hiked in B.C.’s Invermere Valley these past days off and re-visited Lake of the Hanging Glacier.  Our first trip to the area was an overnight backpack trip years ago with our five-year-old daughter.  Back then, it took us most of the day to wind our way through the forested trail alongside Hell Roaring Creek, up the switchbacks, across the avalanche slopes and out onto the subalpine meadow camping area. 

After setting up our tent, we strolled the 1/2 km or so up to the lakeshore.  The Commander and The Lieutenants stood guard at the end of the glacial blue lake.  Jumbo Glacier flowed over the mountaintops and down the valley, one finger reaching into the water.  My daughter was captivated by the icebergs bobbing in the lake. 

“Do you want to try a piece of ice?” my husband asked her.

“Yes!”

He found a longer stick in the avalanche debris littering the shoreline, waded out in the frigid water and started to pull a small berg closer to shore.  My girl was dancing beside me.

“Why are you so excited?” I asked.

“I’ve never had wild ice before!”

This adventure came back in a flash as we stood on the shore a few days ago, watching the icebergs bob and dance in the waves.  It put my mind to thinking about all of the mini-adventures and stories that have come out of our travels.  “Wild Ice and Other Adventures” – sounds like a book title.  And why not? 

“Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants;
cant’s into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality.”  – Unknown

Aboriginal Chicken Dance Inspires Writing

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Chicken Dancers (Credit: Megan Kopp)

“Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.” – Sholem Asch

These past few days have been busy with travel writing projects and short turn-around times for articles. There are times when a hectic pace and looming deadline can cause a brief moment of writer’s block, but not this weekend.  I was immersed in the culture of the Blackfoot people at the 3rd Annual Chicken Dance World Championships at Blackfoot Crossing on Saturday and uncovered more story leads than I could have imagined.

What is it that inspires writers?
I can’t speak for everyone, but for me, motivation to write often comes from people and their stories.  It the tale of the four-year-old chicken dancer who captured my gaze the moment he entered the dance ring.  Talking with his mom, I discovered that he was wearing the outfit his father had danced in as a child and that his two-year-old brother would have danced as well if he wasn’t feeling under the weather.  I was intrigued by the family and then needed to know more about the choice of beads, feathers and cloth used to create each outfit, by the language spoken in the dance steps, and by the songs sung by the drummers.

One person, one little chicken dancer, opened my eyes to a world of potential stories.

Forward momentum

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“Go with the flow and keep your ducks in a row!” (Credit: Megan Kopp)

And just when you think you have it all worked out – you realise you’ve only just begun.  Fresh on the heels of my site launch, I’m slightly overwhelmed by the social media links necessary to keep blog visits increasing and garner that ever-favoured search engine approval.  But I’m not resting on my laurels and am surging… okay – plodding… ahead by taking an online course called Blogging for Passion & Profit. Jane’s words of wisdom put my fears of technology into perspective:  “I think everyone is a technophobe to some extent … mainly because tech stuff changes every day.”

I’m not alone!  That’s a marvellous feeling for someone who carries on conversations in their head and is stuck at a keyboard for however many hours a day.  So I’m moving ahead, adding a Twitter feed link to the site and announcing blogposts on Facebook.  As with any project, the key to success is to keep going.

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Unknown

Writing and Learning

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“Focus, motivation, and fun!” (Credit: Brad Kopp)

This writer’s life is all about learning. Today I’m learning how to establish my blog, how to map a writing career and how to set the bus on the right road. The wheels are spinning, but the GPS system needs a little fine-tuning. I like to think it’s a sign of a creative mind to have so many projects on the go, but I’m realising that in order to reach my final destination, I’m going to need to set clear goals.

Goal Number One: Focus
I’m writing my dreams and goals down (in one book) and talking about them with other writers. These two simple acts are making me focus and prioritize my projects. If you can’t describe the route to someone else, how will you know which road you need to take?

Goal Number Two: Stay Motivated
It’s too easy to become excited by a project and then falter when you hit a roadblock. Suddenly you’re taking a detour and the original destination is lost in the joy of the new path. And when the road closes ahead, you race off on yet another joyride. I want to stay motivated to finish some of the big projects I’ve had in mind for several years. I want to reach those particular destinations. Writing it down is a start and when I need motivation, I’ll see these words and remember my goals.

The Ultimate Goal
Do all of this, but still have fun while I’m doing it!

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow, what a ride!'” – Hunter S. Thompson