The MOTHER of Re-Invention
I’ve been in a crisis…a series, actually. It’s not that I’m offering excuses, but in effect I am.
For months, my life has been a whirlwind of clients, traveling, networking, workshops and speaking engagements. It’s been non-stop. Don’t get me wrong, the ride has been great. However, due to recent events, the ride has become the equivalent of a merry-go-round run by a crazy “carnie” who won’t let you off. (If you’ve been to a fair in Chalmette, LA then you’ll understand where I’m coming from!)
That’s the point where I’m at…I’m dizzy, nauseated and OVER the ride. THIS particular ride, that is.
Somehow over this past year and a half, I’ve become someone I don’t recognize. It’s forced. Un-natural. EXHAUSTING! In all this effort to find a niche, a market…I forgot about what brought me here in the first place. The “WHY” I became a work-at-home/stay-at-home mom. The stress of it all has effected my health physically, emotionally and spiritually.
A few months back my body decided to get off the ride. My fibromyalgia and lupus flared to the point that one morning I woke up and had lost function in my left arm. (I’m left-handed people!!!) Seriously? I couldn’t FAKE being fine with one arm. And slowly the realization came that my body was manifesting what my mind had known all along. I couldn’t keep up the pace with a life that I did not want. Our bodies are intuitive like that.
So, I’ve been on hiatus. I’ve had to tell the over-achiever in me to “Shut UP!”. I’ve been forced to say no to many things. It’s been hard and easy at the same time. And you know what? I’ve never been more content with any other decision. Because. I. Matter!
This past week, my Dad has been critically ill while hospitalized at the VA. (Another issue to tackle at a later date.) It’s made this whole re-invention crisis seem rather small in the face of what matters most. Family.
So, here I go again. Deciding what to be now that I’m all grown up. THIS time, I’m putting first things first and doing it all on MY terms. Reminding myself as often as necessary WHY and WHO I’m doing this for. Regardless of where the road takes me, I hope you’ll come along for the ride. (And I promise, you can get off any time that you like.) It’s bound to be hard, scary and crazy–but that’s me…the MOTHER of re-invention.
***Here’s my WHY***
Can Your Connections Find You on Facebook?
If you’re anything like me, you have a life that includes multiple email addresses. You have one (or more) for your business or job (or both!) and then you have your personal email accounts for family and friends.
When you signed up for Facebook you only had the option to choose a single email address while entering your information. Having only ONE contact email listed on your Facebook account may have made it difficult for those using the “upload contacts to Facebook” feature to find you. Read more
Do You Know SMO?
Clients often come to me a bit confused about social networking. Who knew that you’d have to learn a new language in order to utilize new media technology? There’s RT (Re-Tweet) or DM (Direct Message) and the uber-important ROI (Return on Influence). It can feel as though you’ve bypassed another country entirely and leaped onto another planet! All joking aside, one we all need more familiarity with is SMO: Social Media Optimization. Read more
I Twell Off The Wagon…
Ok…so that’s a corny play on words combining Twitter with fell. But, it’s really what I did!
Twitter was a huge part of my online life in 2008 and mid-to-late 2009. But something changed as I gained followers. (and I realize that I don’t have a huge number of followers BUT I have more followers than most Twitter users do) I noticed that people stopped “listening”. Let me explain…
When I first started using Twitter and had only 200 or so followers, it was easy to engage in conversation. (Isn’t that the point of Twitter?) I was able to keep up with their tweets and they with mine. My click-through ratios were high and RT’s (Re-Tweets) were through the roof! I didn’t feel compelled to spend hours a day tweeting–and I even went a few days without updating my status. Life was good. Read more
My 3 Words…
I wish I could take credit for this brilliant (and I do sincerely mean brilliant) idea, but alas I cannot. Thanks to Chris Brogan for sharing this process on his blog. In a recent post, he related his method of setting goals for the new year. (Actually, this is not new as he has shared this method in years past on his blog as well.)
I’ve never been one for the whole “New Year’s Resolutions” myself. Why? Simply put, most people (including myself) have fallen off the wagon by week TWO of the new year. 
However, as someone commented on Brogan’s post, it takes a real paradigm shift to narrow one’s thought process to 3 words by which to guide your year. I whole-heartedly agree! And since I couldn’t get this idea off my mind, I decided to take a stab at it… Read more
The NEW Look
I’m still me!
It’s been a while since I’ve been in touch–I hope you’ll forgive me! I’ve been chipping away at this re-branding while working with new clients, teaching workshops and traveling for speaking engagements. All in all, the past few months flew by like a whirlwind.
I’d like to take a moment to recognize a few of the experts who really helped me through the transition from Millionaire Moms Media to Edie McRae.com Why? Simply because they are amazing to work with and are great resources for you.
1. Siva of iTVibes, my Web-Development specialist. Siva can make things work that seem impossible. I know enough to be dangerous (just ask him) and rather than spend months trying to figure out something on my own, I chose to work with an expert in this area. And if you’ve ever tried to move a Google Friend connect widget to a NEW site, you’ll understand why his skills are so invaluable.
2. Jennifer Lee of J.Lee Creative for designing my kick-butt new logo. She really took the time to get to know what I was about. She kept my “feminine” side and yet helped me to display my “edgy” side too.
3. My media partner, Lori Carrese of Woodlands Media Solutions. She’s been a gem by connecting me to the right media and marketing professionals to help complete this process. Her advice and experience have been invaluable to me.
4. YOU! I want to thank all of you for hanging in there during my blogging hiatus and pardoning my progress.
I want to let you know that you can still count on me to continue to share all things related to social media, business, networking and the balancing act of motherhood.
In 2010, I will be having cross-blog conversations with industry experts, participating in popular blog meme’s and more.
I’d be honored if you hang around and get the RSS feed to keep up-to-date with all the social media news and trends. (RSS is a way to have my blog updates delivered to your email or in a feed reader of your choice.)
I’d love to connect on Facebook as well. I’ve got a slammin’ new fan page and would love to interact with you there too. In fact, I’m going to answer questions asked on my fan page in depth on the blog…for FREE! So, if you’ve got a burning question, you’ll want to post it on the wall of the fan page. Each week, I’ll select one question for a blog feature. And if you have a blog or website of your own, you can count on a link from me from the blog post!
As my way of saying “Thank You” for hanging in there with me, I’m offering a FREE “15 minute Social Media Assessment” consult to help you get off to a GREAT start for 2010.
CLICK HERE to take the assessment and then send me an email or give me a call to schedule a time for a chat.
Much Love and Moxie!
