Getting LinkedIn has been a most pleasant surprise!

 

I have now gotten to the point in which my reaching out has got to reach out farther. And so, I joined LinkedIn. I have been putting off this type of outreach for a while.

There are many reasons for my joining the LinkedIn community.

Basically, I have decided that working outside the home, part-time, may not be such a bad idea.  Also, I felt that this site would enable me to connect with other bloggers on a different and more profession level. And since I have started another blog, Piece Of My Mind, I thought it best to spread myself around a bit more.

 

I must admit that I had great apprehensions because of my preconceived notions about LinkedIn. I thought that it would have a professional smugness about it and that it would not lend itself well to those of us who do not hold a fancy higher educational degree. These were a couple of the reasons why I had put joining in for so long. Only after I took the plunge did I realize how wrong I was.

As a LinkedIn member, I now have access to a plethora of opportunities I would otherwise not have ever known about. There are not only business contacts and job listings but also blogging groups and many more connections on many different levels just waiting to be made.

 

So why am I sharing this with you, dear reader? Well, for me, this was another lesson in assumptions. That being so, I thought that maybe a few of you may benefit from what I learned and how I made my approach. Having these assumptions can hinder you greatly from making the changes and advancements that you may need to make.

Also, assumptions based on fear are never a good idea. In order to avoid this type of behavior one must first come to terms with what scares them. Since fear is usually the driving force behind most unhealthy and therefore unrealistic responses. It could be as simple as just not knowing what to expect and in turn, making up scenarios that seem too difficult or unattainable.

How did I finally make my move? Well, I first thought about it for about a week or two. Then one day, out of the blue, I held my breath and just dove right in!

 

My suggestions in order to work your way through these restrictive assumptions are not the same for the innately apprehensive than for the extrovert (yes, even some extroverts experience feelings of anxiety when trying new things).

 

For the innately apprehensive, I suggest taking approaching it in baby steps, incrementally. For the extrovert, your best strategy is to just take a deep breath and dive right in.

 

All in all, I cannot wait to finish my profile and begin to really dig into all that LinkedIn has to offer. I'm so glad that I was so wrong about this site!

 

 

"At least the rhododendrons are blooming......"

Those were the words I uttered to my mom during our last phone conversation about our daily woes. It lightened up the mood and put things into a happier perspective; which leads me into why I decided to create this blog.

How we see things makes all the difference in the way we perceive our daily circumstances. We should seek the reasons for why we see things the way we do and how it makes us feel. We all come from different places, and as a result, our life experiences shine through in our daily outlook.

In these increasingly volatile times in which we all live in, peace and security seem to harder to achieve now than ever before. When your head is filled with distractions, it is quite difficult to focus on any task, large or small. This is why it is so very important to clear your life of the "clusters" that have been holding you back from enjoying the little things, like the blooming rhododendrons. Because sometimes the little things are all we have to fall upon.

The day my daughter was born, I decided to stay home and raise my children. In making this choice, I knew that it would be more difficult financially and that sacrifices would have to be made. Even so, I felt great comfort in knowing that this was the right path for our family to take. I have never had regrets for doing so, and believe that being a stay-at-home mom was my calling. Furthermore, through this I have learned great lessons in patience, acceptance, and healing.

My purpose is to have a place where I can share the way in which, through the years, I have been able to find peace through the chaos life hands us by being truly honest with myself about who I am and where I am coming from. I would like to share my vision with you: that you, the reader, may gain a more honest and soon positive perspective by looking at your own life experiences with a less cluttered mind, home, and eventually life. In short, lightening the load and moving forward with grace.

I encourage comments from all viewpoints. There is no room for judgement. We all have our own personal issues to deal with. I am excited about the opportunity to help each other along life's journey in an open, honest, and grateful way. My subjects will vary greatly, discussing everything from how the simple task of organizing a closet can reap larger benefits than originally intended, to dealing with the fact that bad things that happen to good people.

A sense of gratitude is, for me,  probably the biggest factor in being able to achieve a positive outlook when  hope seems to be fading. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog, and I sincerely hope you find what you are looking for.