Shannon's Blog: Minding My Own Business

"Life begins the day you start a garden."  - Chinese proverb I've been thinking a lot about my garden this summer. Three years ago, my garden was in disarray.  The plants had been planted haphazardly before we moved in, as if by an apathetic grocery bagger who doesn't care they've just packed your eggs on top of your bread.  The so-called gardener was obviously at the end of their day, nearing the end of their plants, and tossed whatever was left into our backyard in a hurry before going off to grab a weekend beer with friends. After a couple of years of ( ignorance- and priority-related ) neglect, the ornamental grasses had spread with abandon. I didn't know anything about gardening, and every time I looked out the back window, I felt a heaviness; the emotional burden of clutter and disorder. Recently as I planted a couple of daphnes given by a friend, it dawned on me that I was close to the end of planting.  I have reached my goal of having a

Ask for what you want and be prepared to get it.  - Maya Angelou Exciting news: I've got a name! If I had doubt before, it was because the name wasn't fully formed.  Just as we all have multiple parts to our full name, so too does my business. Although each part of the name came to me separately and weeks apart, I note (with equal parts awe and humility) that everything culminated a mere five days after my blog post on the topic . The law of attraction; stating an intention; trusting the universe - whatever you call it, it's a powerful catalyst for making things happen. The final piece clicked into place while I was letting my mind wander on the ferry. I wrote all three words together and... Shazam! Over the next few days, I wondered whether I should workshop the idea with friends, but it seemed pointless. The name is the name. The Part Where I Explain Why I Can't Tell You What I Want to Tell You This blog is a tool to help me process my thoughts.  R

"A field that has rested yields a bountiful crop"    - Ovid This is the first week I wasn't quite feeling the blog.  It wasn't writer's block exactly - I started a handful of new topics.  It's just that none of them feel quite ready. And I was tired. Maybe it was that ready-for-a-break feeling after a full week. Or it could be a natural low point after six weeks of sustained momentum. Maybe it's the air pressure, moon phase, or a butterfly on the other side of the world flapping its wings at just the right moment. Who knows? It's easy to internalize societal pressure to #SleepWhenImDead and smash through my success-limiting energy plateau like the Kool-Aid man on a hot day. This wussy need for a break is obviously just self-doubt manifesting reasons to quit...  Unless it's that barely perceptible early-warning alarm reminding me to quiet my mind and bolster my immune system.  There are times to push ahead and times to rest, and

"If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."                                                                          -Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People It's only been a few weeks since my friend's Dad's memorial - way too soon to worry that my first client might be my last.  The blog's keeping me disciplined, and there's still a lot of research to do. Business taxes, copyright law and billing... it's not exactly riveting summer reading.  So no rush. But still,  in the absence of any marketing tools, I've been starting to wonder when my next lead would present itself. And then the phone rang. It was a fellow who knocked on my door about six weeks ago. Back then, he was getting ready to set up shop in the neighbourhood and was introducing himself around. Friendly guy. As it turns out, I have some self-taught experience with the service he was offering, and so did