A Note of Thanks

This is the second post in response to question prompts in Seth Godin's Freelancer Course, found on Udemy . Please feel free to comment or include your answers to these questions in the comment section. Who do you want to change?  People who think they can't. Can't change. Can't understand. Can't find value. Right now, my scope is limited to education. Given the right lens, I think that could be expanded. How do you want to change them?  Prove that technology isn't scary. That it has value. That is can be and needs to be used in the classroom. If for no other reason than to get students to ask questions, and feel comfortable searching for the answer. I want to encourage different thinking. Show examples. Connect others. All of this is difficult because I am not in the classroom now. I've debated on whether I should go back to school so I can have that classroom experience. If I could guarantee that I would be like the great educators I follow and re...

Question 1 of 6 for the first assignment What do you want to do? Not your job, but your work, now, tomorrow and in the future? The first question of the first assignment and I'm already stuck. And this is why I need to be forced to do this introspection. I have not been able to put what I want to do in terms of an actual service but here is what I know I want to do regardless of what role I'm in. Be curious . Be given the freedom to try new things. I was thinking today about all the tools I've been able to try in my current role (perhaps a later post). Encouragement of this desire to learn, either passively or actively, is a requirement for me. Share information.  I think better when I have people to bounce ideas off of. Whether that's a responsive PLN or just a mentor relationship with a boss or co-worker, I want to be able to share what I know and what I learn, so I can better apply it. Ask questions.  Not so much in an investigative journalist kind of w...

In the few years since I let my note-card side-business fade away, I haven't had much need for this space. Matter of fact, I wasn't sure it was still here with the website gone and the email address deactivated. But through the wonder of of the Internet and the unlimited server space of Google, here it is. Constantly curious but often unmotivated, I've taken several free online courses on various topics, and even managed to complete two. I recently started one from author, speaker and all-around idea font Seth Godin . This time, it wasn't free but it fascinated me and I'm a huge fan of how Seth views work and how work should be. I'm telling you this because as part of this course, I need a public (I think my sister still reads this) space to outline my thoughts in response to Seth's prompts.  For the next few weeks, I'll be outlining who I think I am as an individual in the freelancer economy. And even though I am not a freelancer nor do I th...

1. They introduced you to that amazing little coffee shop you'd never noticed before. 2. They let you know you dropped a $10 bill instead of just picking it up and walking away quietly. 3. They let you go in front of them in the grocery line because you only had three things and they had 50 million. 4. The toilet paper incident. ' Nuff said. 5. They thanked you with chocolate. 6. They suggested you try what would become your new favorite wine. 7. They actually noticed your new hair cut. 8. They complimented you on fantastic sense of fashion/humor/taste/mind-reading. 9. They kept you from making a fool out of yourself in front of strangers. 10. They invited you to a ridiculously fun party where you met some crazy new people. 11. They invited you to a ridiculously boring party where everyone spoke only in five- syllable words, but had the best spread you've ever seen. 12. They suggested a trick that cured your acne/dandruff/unsightly itch/horrendous bad breath. 13. They fou...

I had a clean accident record up until last December. Since then, I've been hit twice in almost the same spot. Both times, I took my car to a local body shop, Central Missouri Auto Body . They did a great job, the people were friendly, and during the transaction I found out I was connected to at least two people who work there. Small world. Anyway, both times, I received a note in the mail to my home address from the body shop thanking me for trusting them with my car. Although the note was preprinted and I'm 90% sure the owner's signature was actually written by the office manager, the gesture was very much appreciated. I mean, how often do you get a snail-mail thank-you from your mechanic?

How early is too early to start setting the thank-you-note standard? Never, I say! As does my friend and mentor, Jennifer, who ordered note cards for her first diaper-wearer. And the little guy wasn't even born yet! Yet, for all the adorable little booties (for the feet...though I'm sure Casper's little booty is adorable, too) and practical bottles Jennifer received, she wrote a thank-you note from Casper's point of view. What a great start to a life-long love of thank-you notes, and a fun twist on the dozens of notes every new mom ends up writing. By the way, major congrats to Jennifer and Chris on the birth of their amazing gift! Casper is beautiful!

Remember Valentine's Day when you were in grade school? Picking out the box of Valentine cards with puppies, kitties or some popular cartoon character on them, and sending the "Be Mine" ones to all the cute boys in your 3rd grade class hoping they got the hint. It took a number of years before I realized that all they really wanted was the candy attached to it. Now, 25 years after I wrote my last kiddie-style Valentine, I got a Valentine from a good friend and co-worker this year. It was awesome. Granted, it was also attached to a monster chocolate bar, which made it even awesome-er, but it made me want to go out and buy a box of Valentines and send them to all my adult friends. It was a fun way to bring a little goofiness into what's turned into a very obligatory holiday. And of course, it's a great way make sure your friends know that "You rock, Valentine!"