My Dream, Social Media. What’s Yours?

In my perfect dream world I would wake up, have my morning coffee then jump on the computer to write my first article of the day. Then I would do some social media for my clients, take a walk ,write a second article and then connect with other writers, bloggers and authors, never once leaving my house. Of course, on nice days I would take my afternoon walk, but in my perfect world I would work from home. Instead I drag myself to a job of state billing and asking fire fighters for their paperwork.

I am frustrated day after day with my life. Not my personal life, no, just my work life. As I sit and listen to podcasts, and visit Twitter on my breaks I long to be a part of that world. Today, as I listened to Stuff You Should know, hosted by the wonderful Josh and Chuck, a thought occurred to me; am I frustrated because I am hovering on the edge of my perfect world?  Because I do participate in social media as much as I do, I want to jump in with both feet but, is this good for me because I can’t?

I love social media. I have had the pleasure of “meeting” some really great people. I have authors following me on Twitter, I have had conversations with Dr. Neil Tyson on Facebook, participated in Twitter talks and best of all, met some inspiring bloggers. All of this has taught me to enjoy technology but is also shows me what I am missing because I make a living doing something very unsocial. I sit in a cubical crunching numbers and plugging them in a data base.  As I work I can only sit and listen and watch as others do what they love and get paid to do it! As I listen to the podcast Stuff you should know, I wonder if I too could write an article good enough to be talked about.

I used to think I was born to late, I wanted to be a 60’s hippie. Now I think I may have been born to early. I have embraced the new technology and long to be a part of it. There are so many role models to choose from, I just know had I been born later, I would have finished college at a young age so I too could try my hand at social media.

Perhaps it would be better if I were more like my co-workers. Most of them have no idea what Twitter is and have never read a blog. They don’t wish they could write all day or post branding articles on Twitter. Then again many of them are unhappy, but do not know why or dare to dream of doing something else. Some  are content with their life and would never consider something else.

On the other hand, at least I have a dream and a plan. Once I am done with my degree I will try my hand at writing and will sell my passion for social media work. I graduate (with honors) in a few weeks , Over the summer I will try my hand at article writing. I will move on from editing others work part time to full out freelance writing.   if all goes right, I will look back at this time of my life as a learning experience, for I have learned what it is I want to do, and what I don’t.  I will leave number crunching to those who love math!

So dear Readers, do you have a dream? Is there something you would like to do and if so, what is stopping you?

A List of Lists: Who Doesn’t Like Lists?

March is International Women’s month, did you know that? I had every intention of writing a blog post over the weekend about women who have inspired me, but you know what happens to the best laid plans… I ended up with the flu and in my fevered state, I found myself rambling and darn near writing  a book. Yes, I will write a post by month’s end, though homework also interrupts my writing more than I care to admit. For now let’s celebrate National List Day. I am a day late on this too, must be the story of my life.

I love lists! I love making them and I love checking items off my to do list. As I draw a line over a chore or errand I feel a sense of accomplishment, even if I have done nothing more than mopping my kitchen floor.  Lists make me feel more organized, in fact my lists may be the only thing I am good at organizing.  I am fascinated with other people’s lists, as if I am learning a great secrete about that person.  Books with the word list in the title hold a special place in my heart, and books about lists? Oh how I love them.

So, just for fun and a chance to get to know each other better, I have compiled a list of my favorite lists and hope you, dear Reader will share yours with me. So here we go!

Reading Notes:

Whenever I am reading, whether the book be fiction or non-fiction I keep a note book by my side (of course for my e-books I have a built in note feature) . On these lists I have words or phrases I want to look up, people or events I want to know more about and if I am reading a book to review, a list of things I want to talk about in post. I even have a separate list of quotes.

Book Lists:

Like most readers I have a list of future titles I would like to read. My list is broken in two; one is for books I am willing to buy new, and a list of used books I would like. Now that I have an e-reader, I have added one more list to the pile. I also list the books I have read over the year, though I have to be honest and say towards the end of the year, I don’t add to the list like I should.

Shopping Lists:

We all make shopping lists, because there is nothing like coming home from the store only to find we have forgotten an important item. This usually happens to me when I am preparing for a dinner party. Not only do I make shopping lists, I note how many of each item I will need, as if I am afraid once I am in the store, I will become brain dead and cannot think for myself.  I know my weakness, so when I go shopping for clothing I make a list of what I want. I can easily become distracted by clearance signs and bright shiny objects.

Chore and Errand Lists:

Every Saturday morning I make a list of things I need to do over the weekend. This can be anything from cleaning to doing certain homework assignments. This keeps me on track ,as it is way too easy for me to sit in front of the computer for hours on end, or lose myself in a good book. I also have weekly lists. Just today, I knocked two things off my list; I sent out the Frank Delaney books and returned three library books. Speaking of the library, yes I have a list of books I want to borrow.

Christmas Gift Lists:

No, surprisingly I don’t list gifts I want to give, rather my Christmas list is made up of gifts I have bought. I started keeping this type of list after one Christmas of buying way to much. Four years ago I started my shopping early and did not keep track of what I bought. When I sat down in early December to wrap presents, my son’s pile looked like he had won a shopping spree.  I vowed not to go that over board again, so not only do I keep a list, I make sure I have a box to put his gifts in. When it starts to become full, I know I am done.

Over the years I have listed things I like about myself, things I would like to change and once, a list of qualities I wanted in a man. I find having things down on paper help me commit to action. Sometimes lists help me make decisions. Many of my life’s big decisions have come down to pro and con lists. For whatever reason, a list is one the best ways I know to gather my thoughts or clear a path for my next goal. No wonder I love lists, looking back I can see every step in my life’s journey has started with a list.

So now it is your turn, tell us about your lists, or if you don’t use lists, why.  I love to hear from my readers.

Sari

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