Freedom is Calling - Page 10 of 22 - Blog about following the call of freedom

A mighty Exercise

EW June 16, 2024

This week presented me with a mighty exercise in letting-go and go-with-the-flow.

Paul is still in the shop.

Yes, they know what’s wrong, I guess.

However, finding a time slot for the repair seems next to impossible. Too much work, not enough staff and, good riddance, workers got sick …

I wait … and wait … and wait …

Well, it is proposed by the gurus to accept the things that you cannot change.

I find that very hard in the face of all the plans I had.

Sit down and relax!
I try, but grinding thoughts throw me right out of track.

Yes, I learned tools to tame the monkey mind.
And they work … temporarily.

Sitting here, I ask myself if really anything went wrong?
Or is what happened merely an unexpected turn of our journeys path.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and

The Power of Listening

GEF June 16, 2024

Europe has voted and our politicians have a hangover. At least those, who lost considerably in the elections to the EU parliament. So far, so normal.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to make this a topic, this blog is not about politics.

What I find interesting though about the wailing and teeth-gnashing all over our news media now is what the politicians talk about.

Neither losers nor winners really care about what the voters think and want. They indulge in their own interpretations.

Most of them use up a lot of airtime on TV and media to tell everybody what they want and why their work is great. And that people just don’t understand, so that they have to explain their ideas even more explicitly.

The peak of ignorance: One party leader told the audience very eloquently what their problems were and how they felt about it.

„Pressure fueling“ of political opinion instead of shutting up, taking a deep breath and listening to the people.

Who the h… wants to buy something like that?

The first thing I learnt in marketing was: Define your ideal target group and then listen to them. Then find the intersection between what you want to do and the wants and needs of your people.

This is what finally creates your chances for sales.

Or votes …

Very rarely, I have seen a politician do that, at least not with the necessary wholeheartedness.

Your customers are your best teachers

When I think of my own business, I know I rely on my customers.

Actually, I learned so much from my best clients. Workig with them made me realize it’s always about relationship, a good connection. Taking them seriously. Finding out what makes them tick and what really drives them. Establishing trust and liability. And then help them solve their problems.

Everybody tells you, it’s sooo easy to start an online business. True. You can reach millions of people just by a mouseclick. In the offline world this was only possible via TV. What was almost inaccessible for small business owners.

Today, the internet helps you find and connect with your market easily and fast.

No way to avoid your homework

What those online marketers forget to tell you is that you need to do your homework first.

This means clarifying these important aspects:

Who I want to work with
Which needs and wishes I have the competence to fulfill and want to take care of
What my ideal customers really want me to do for them
Gaining enough visibility so that future customers get to know me and my services
Creating the necessary “impact”

I’m working on it … And I like the idea that I can do it with my laptop sitting outside where it’s beautiful and peaceful.
And listen to the birds and smell the roses every once in a while.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and

My Sister’s Garden

EW June 9, 2024

My situation is almost like that in January: Waiting

Paul is still in the garage awaiting its turn to be diagnosed.

In the meantime, I feel kind of handcuffed. I had a lot of improvements planned. Guess it’s an improvement to have Paul fixed, however, I had other things in mind. Tools and materials are ready and me eager to get started.

Time to relax

So, I spend quite some time in my sister’s garden to calm down and help her with her projects.

She has a really nice garden with attactive fruits and berries, like gooseberries, red currants and of course strawberries.

Seasons

It’s nice to watch the seasons change. Spring brings out the blooms and now they develop into my most favorite fruit: cherries. Not quite ripe, yet. But a few days of sunshine will do the job …

Flowers

My sister likes to have many colors in her garden all year round. Most prominent right now are poppy and roses.

Perhaps you can find other treasures between the greens … and watch out for the dragon.

That’s it for now. More to come.

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How boring

GEF June 9, 2024

All is well.

Nobody, so they say, wants to read a message like this.

Sometimes when I write a blog post, I think people might find my life pretty boring. I’m not the damsel in distress, nor do I like to create any sorts of disaster.

When I run into a problem I look for a solution. When I’m ill I don’t want to make a fuss about it, but stay in bed and see that I get better fast.

I like to feel good and take care so that my life runs smoothly and in a self-directed manner. So, I may have too many good news to tell. No click bait, after all.

It’s a human paradox that we all strive for good feelings. But at least for an observer nothing seems to be more tedious than being confronted with continuing happiness and well-being.

What is making the news

Good news are no news. This is the principle you have to follow, if you want to catch attention.

Back in my days at the newspaper, I learnt this lesson well. All of a sudden, my journalistic career rose, fueled by a catastrophic event that made the headline.

And I was at the right place at the right time taking the chance to write the lead story.

I had been around as a free-lancer for quite a while. People liked my stories, but they were small scale. Good enough to fill the columns and entertain the readers.

Meanwhile, the big news were taken care of by the established, hard-boiled old men.

One day, for the first time, I was asked to sit in for the night shift.

It was just a couple of days before Christmas, and everybody wanted to go shopping for presents and be home on time for a warm dinner.

They all assured me, it was an easy, quiet job, doing some updates if any came along. Additionally, it meant being well paid for having an undisturbed, almost leisurely evening.

No comparison to the noisy, hectic, stressful day shift I was used to manage.

And then my stomach dropped

It all began as they had predicted. Almost boringly idle.

Until at about 8:30 pm.

The message alarm on the press agencies‘ telefax machines started to flash a violent red light and gave a pervasive ring. My stomach dropped down to my knees …

I must have some inborn crisis management talent – anyway, with the help of a few colleagues who kept feeding me with the latest updates, I was able to cover the event and rock the show.

On the next morning, in my perception, I felt a little exhausted, but I was just the same girl.

For them however, I was a different person. Suddenly I had a name. Suddenly I got noticed by the executive floor. Suddenly I was somebody, who could do it. A full-proof journalist.

It really hit me, in the literal sense, over night.

This reminds me of Harry Belafonte’s famous quote: „It took me almost thirty years to become an overnight success.“

In my case, I was at the right place at the right time to publish “bad news” that triggered emotions and got everybody interested.

For myself, I just had done my job as best as I could. For them, my work had the desired impact. And that was the clue.

Actually, nowadays I prefer to be a little boring and spread good news. It’s way more pleasing to see the glass half full and deal with obstacles proactively than lose yourself in fear and negativity.

Because it’s the optimistic attitude that opens up the whole potential of the brain to find solutions and encourage change for the better.

That’s it for now. More to come.

Be well and if you like share this post and