Meerkat Communications

We have been so lucky to have an unseasonably warm winter and a very early start to the spring. Although from the perspective of  VANOC and the rest of the Olympic organisers, it was one of the headaches experienced during the two week fiesta that was the Winter Olympics 2010, the magnolia and cherry blossoms, daffodils and rhododendrons are coating the city in soft pinks and yellows and it has been beautiful out there.

Personally, I stayed away from the Olympic madness as much as possible and enjoyed the sunshine and the break from teaching. It was nice to have two weeks of catch up. It is also nice to finally have things back to normal, though there was a definite infectious buzz. A lot of things seem to have been postponed during the Olympics, which is no surprise considering the volume of people in the city and the impossibility of negotiating the downtown core without hours of spare time. It seems eerily empty and quiet now; possibly a lot of sore heads and hoarse throats out there!

Here at Meerkat, we have new web copy projects on the go, and I will be speaking at an upcoming The Connected Woman Mix and Mingle Networking Event on April 13th on using effective business writing techniques to “get past the gatekeeper”. The Connected Woman is a fantastic organisation run by the dynamic Cathy Kuzel and is aimed at creating meaningful connections and  focuses on “the reciprocal process of exchanging knowledge, experience and expertise”. For more information, you can take a look at the Connected Woman website.

I have also been working with a lot of clients one on one, helping them with building a solid resume and cover letter. If you’ve put this off because of the Olympics or any other reason, you may want to consider refreshing this vital “sales” document. Contact me if you would like help with creating a targeted resume or cover letter. It never hurts to keep this updated, whether you are thinking of changing jobs or not.

You can also check out my latest article, Tips for Better Business Writing, on the Entrepreneurial Woman website. This online magazine is a great resource for any business person.

On a final, personal note, I have been pursuing The Artist’s Way, and am finding the process enjoyable and rewarding. It is going to be a very busy month or two coming up, so I am going to try and stay dedicated to the process.

I leave you with this great quote from Carl Jung:

“The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves.”

Geraldine

How many times do you hear yourself say “if only I had more time” or “I’ll get to that tomorrow”? It is so hard to juggle many different projects; especially as a business owner with the myriad responsibilities that come with the territory. I find myself struggling to get through tasks some days, and other days I wonder just what the heck I actually did with the whole day! It is a strange balancing act, but sometimes you just have to DO IT!

Instead of saying, “I wish I could…”, sometimes you just have to take action. Don’t put it off. Don’t make excuses. Call the person you have been meaning to call, tackle that pile of papers, start cecking things off your ‘to do’ list. The sense of accomplishment far outweighs any anxiety that you may have about tackling the task in the first place.

I know a lot of the time, this is easier said than done. Mood, energy levels, family commitments etc etc can get in the way, but I have come to realise that they only come in the way if you let them. You are the only one who can take charge of your life and decide how you want to respond. You often can’t control what happens, but you can control how you react. Why wait until it is too late?

SO my challenge to you is to do one thing, just one thing RIGHT NOW that you have been putting off. For me, it’s doing some book keeping and marking midterms, so my promise is to do those today. What will you do?

I leave you with a fantastic quote from Psychoanalyst Carl Jung: “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”

Geraldine