2009 started off busier than ever…what recession? It wasn’t hitting me!!
But then, well, it did. But that’s okay, I’m still here, business is picking up, and I’ve learned a lot over the past year.
This year I edited a few books, did some writing coaching, continued to do content editing on a variety of pieces for a legal consulting team, did some project management, formatted a book for Kindle and did some social media set-up for some past clients.
This year I also served as the Marketing Director for IVAA, which will end on 3/31/2010. That’s been an interesting experience too as I’ve talked to the media, wrote copy for brochures, and represented the association at several events and conferences. The highlight of that responsibility was traveling to Minneapolis to present at the IAAP conference. What a fun group!
This year I got to travel to (either professionally or personally): Phoenix, Montreal, Niagara Falls, Minneapolis, Hilton Head SC, Savannah GA and Charlotte NC. It’s always fun to see new places!
This year I also took the Social Media Marketing Specialist certification course through VA Classroom. I guess it shouldn’t amaze me that services that never existed a few years ago can now be offered to my clients as I’ve helped them set up Twitter accounts, Facebook fan pages, blogs, and linking everything together! I really enjoy teaching people a new skill or improving on an old one.
Speaking of which, 2010 will include some changes for me as I test out this fondness for teaching on a new group of subjects—and no, I will not be coaching or training VAs! More details to come.
Above all, 2009 has taught me (and I expect I’m not alone here) some good lessons. Plan ahead, be grateful for what you have, never stop learning, and constantly think of new ways to meet your customers’ needs.
Wishing you prosperity, health and happiness in 2010!
Lauren
This book was given to me some time ago by a friend and had been sitting on my shelf for quite a while. I finally pulled it out and started reading it…I read the whole thing in about a 15-hour span (not including sleeping for the night!). Mrs. Kimble totally engrossed me…the tale of 3 (sequential) wives of the same man…a man charming to all those he meets, yet a chameleon who seems utterly empty. Each woman he marries seems vulnerable for one reason or another (one is naive, one is recovering from a serious illness, another extremely self-conscious). Each woman struggles for explaining her husband’s behavior, even making up excuses for his behavior to others. But Ken made no apologies for his actions.
This book was extremely well-written, and got even more engaging the longer I read it. Ken’s character seems utterly believable–most women I know have run across someone like him. Why did he do what he did? Who knows. But the book is less about the consistent character–Ken–and more about how each of these women entered into a relationship with him, realized it wasn’t as they anticipated, and resigned themself to that life anyway. I found myself wondering what I would have done if I was each Mrs. Kimble.
Highly recommended! One of my favorite novels I’ve read in 2009.