Scanner Daybook

I've started my Scanner Daybook, as Barbara Sher's I Could Do Anything... if I Just Knew What it Was challenged me to.  Although I already knew that I was what she considered a Scanner, my daybook really proves it.  I'm interested in so many things, and just getting them into a book seems to take a load off my mind.  It helps me concentrate.  It's a pretty drawing pad, with the word Dreams inscribed on the front cover.  I figure that's very apropos.

So many of the ideas I have, I have no intention of bringing to completion.  Maybe one of my clients will, at some point.  I love the idea that they may see the light of day, and I could gauge the success of the idea by someone else's bringing it to light.  I don't have to do it all, I just think of it.  I'm the Idea Lady.  :)

Do you have a Scanner Daybook?  What's in yours?

Dream Teams

Photo via Creative Commons license:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/werkheim-hamburg/4520499850

I have been studying Barbara Sher's materials (along with several other authors) for well over a year now.  I've always had a passion with trying to discover how to balance work and family.  My husband and I have both worked, for many years, outside the home.  We also had an opportunity to run a home-based brick and mortar business (electrical contracting) for a few years.  We found that running our business took even more time away from our family, even with being essentially home-based.  I went back to the drawing boards in 2007, shortly after we closed that business, attempting to find the secret to work-life balance, to be able to give my children more of my time and undivided attention while still providing a good life for them, financially.

It wasn't until about eighteen months ago that I came across Valerie Young, Barbara Sher, then Barbara Winters, and many other authors and bloggers that were living their dreams.  I've read, studied, and then read and studied some more.  I've looked into Mastermind groups (which have a similar theory, but focus almost exclusively on business and professional goals), and I have combined many of their ideas along with my own to create the best way to make your dream life happen... whether that dream life includes backpacking across America, owning your own small farm, or changing careers.  "But wait!" you'll tell me.  "I've got kids to support, (parents to take care of, or a home that needs tending).  I can't just run away from my responsibilities."  No, and I wouldn't encourage you to run away.  Unless that's what you want to do.  But I'll show you how to take care of your responsibilities, yet still make your dreams happen.  When your dreams seem out of reach, I'm here to tell you that they're not!

I have created my own version of what have been called Success Teams or Mastermind Groups, or they can go by many other names.  I agree wholeheartedly when Barbara Sher says that "Isolation is a dream killer."  Having a team does wonders to help you achieve small steps toward your dreams.  Helping others achieve small steps towards their dreams will help you just as much!

If you're interested in joining a Dream Team currently being put together in Victoria TX or the surrounding areas, or if you and some of your friends/acquaintances just need some help getting started, contact me!  I can help!

What is a Renaissance Woman?

The question I'm most frequently asked when I hand people my business card, is "What is a Renaissance Woman?"  So that's what I'll talk a little about today.  No, we're not talking about the time period here... Renaissance Women in art is a completely different story...  What we're talking about is a modern Renaissance Woman.

A Renaissance Woman is defined by Dictionary.com as: 

Renaissance woman
noun ( sometimes lowercase )
a woman who has acquired profound knowledge or proficiency in more than one field.

According to Wikipedia, a more recent term for Renaissance Woman is Polymath.  While I'll agree to both terms, I prefer the romanticism that Renaissance Woman invokes.  :)

Another phrase that's been around for quite some time (although the second half is not widely known):
Jack of all trades, master of none,
though ofttimes better than master of one.
-Geffray Mynshul (1618).

So, basically a Renaissance Woman is one that's been trained in a variety of disciplines and has proficiency in all of those.  When looking at my full resume, you would find that I have been largely self-trained, and am proficient in:

Writing (both fiction and non-fiction), Copywriting, Marketing and Advertising, Photography (commercial, product, portraits, and stock photography), basic graphic design, website design (again, basic... I can work with template and insert a small amount of HTML code), website content, basic computer troubleshooting,

My job descriptions have included:  retail sales, cashier, administrative assistant, executive assistant, travel agent, photographer, marketing assistant, marketing associate, customer service, office manager, accounting assistant, full-charge bookkeeper, freelance writer, freelance photographer, freelance bookkeeper, freelance marketing consultant, treasurer (volunteer), social media (volunteer), graphic designer, newsletter publisher, personal banker, bank teller, personal assistant, landman, dispatcher, event coordinator, and others that I've since forgotten.  :)

The industries that I have worked in (whether freelance or as an employee) have been varied, but I have in-depth experience in Construction, Real Estate, Oil & Gas, Manufacturing, and Transportation.

My interests (non-paid) is an even longer list, but have included reading, learning Texas civil (custody) law, dancing, crafting, scrapbooking, sustainability, earth sciences, and many, many more.

I intend for this blog to be a showcase for the type of work that I do, the type that I'm interested in, and a little more about what makes me tick.  ;)  The majority of posts will be work-related, but there will also be posts on what I've enjoyed studying (non-work-related), too.

If you have questions, please feel free to ask!