It's exhausting being me...

Mr. McGourty, my life coach, just called to check in... and while he didn't specifically ask how my morning papers went this morning -- it was implied, (and hence this entry!)

So it is 9am and I am just now getting started. And yes, I did check my email first (although I didn't reply to any!) But considering that I haven't done morning papers until the evening many days lately, I can't be too hard on myself, (right?)

The house preparation continues for my guests this week -- I am looking forward to that visit very much, (but having company is a lot of work).

Speaking of work, I have a new working title for the next book: It's exhausting being me! -- and that is because it is really exhausting to be an introvert sometimes, especially one that is so out-going in the way that mine is sometimes....So now I have about 50 working titles and very little text. Maybe I will just write a book about all the things I could have called the book...

--but that is ok, I am planning on going on a little "retreat" at the cottage in June to get into my writing groove, and we will see what happens from there. It isn't as if I haven't been writing--because I write all day, but actual content that is suitable for the book is still in the beginning stages, even after all this time, (ug).

It is funny. The first book I wrote I did not tell anyone about for a long time. Not until I was sure it was going to get done--and many people didn't know until it was published. But with this one, I have been talking about it literally for years. And I think that somehow in doing so I have kept myself from really getting it done. But like I said, I have dedicated time in June and I will make it happen. October is my goal, and every day it gets closer... so I have to get on it!

Well, it is time to go. I have the BNI event this evening at Solara (I have to figure out where that is!) and I have a couple other things to do around the house too. So I must sign off for the moment - I look forward to catching you all up on things later tomorrow.

-meg




Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Morning Paper's - Monday - "It's a Scene"

My painting came out great! It took several hours last night and was made even more interesting by the fact that I invited my 4-year-old to paint with me. As soon as I find the card reader for the camera, I will post the pictures of "during" and "after." It was actually pretty gloriously messy, and I am probably the only mommy on the planet who would let my kid play with acrylic paints... but he did great and I am really proud of what we painted. It is--of course pretty contemporary and abstract, but also a burst of color in my sitting room to inspire me to great writing (or, um... web surfing as the case may be). Nate named the painting "It's a Scene" which is probably more an accurate description of how we looked painting it - two wild, painted humans--he stripped to his underwear (it was permanent paint of course....) and me with my hair piled high, barefoot and possessed by my inner artist.

It was a phenomenal evening. I had forgotten about how I enjoy the creative obsession that I have for painting.

(oh and.... yes Pete.. I did sorta, maybe, just a bit start reading chapter 2 of the Artist's Way this weekend...)



Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Lazy Weekend

It has been a fairly lazy weekend with a lovely (expensive) trip to an Art Festival in Greenville, SC, and a nice day here at home. I am hoping to make it down to the art store a little while later and make a nice painting for my sitting room. I have been looking for the right thing and fact of the matter is -- I am just going to have to make it myself. The right thing is in my head-- not in anyone else's

That said I did buy some nice art yesterday at the festival including a crafted - photo piece by Rochester artist Scott Matyjasek. Ironic that I go to an art festival in South Carolina and by something from a guy that lives in Rochester, NY. But I guess that just goes to prove that Rochester really is home to some phenomenal artists.

At home we did some yard work and I sat outside for a bit and read--and now I am going to get into the Sunday afternoon catch up I always seem to do before I invoice my clients!

My best to all--get out and enjoy some lazy time yourself.

Meghan Wier
PS -- I have started another blog (I know you are all shocked...) for my BNI group in Ballantyne, please check that out as we get some more posts in there.

Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

BNI about Blogging

Alrighty then... I had my BNI presentation and while I don't think I made a complete fool of myself - I also do not think that I actually got around to making my point!

Blogging for business is good. Blogging for business is beneficial to your company. Blogging can increase customer satisfaction, can drive traffic to your corporate site, can act as a sales tool, can market your business through testimonials, can assist in improving the perception of you and of your business... it can, it can, it can!

Luckily - I handed out a bunch of paperwork, and if anyone bothers to read it... it may help round out my message a bit.

Ug. 10 minutes is not enough to explain the benefits of business blogging.

But at least the Coffee and Bagels were good (thanks to James and Sammy at Sammy's Diner in Indian Land)!
-Meg


Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Crazy Wednesday: Spoofing, Phishing, Virus Scans...oh my!

I have been spoofed.

Spoofing is an annoying trend in cyber-misbehavior whereby someone uses what looks like your email address to send emails to other people. They do this to get your contact info and other personal information (bank accounts, credit cards) and this is called "phishing."

Anyway, the email doesn't really come from you, and there are ways to track back an email to see where it came from, however, most people don't do that - and it just looks like you are spamming.

And right now I am embarrassingly - seemingly... sending naughty emails about Latina women...
ug.

Fortunately, it appears that I am virus and hacker-free, which means that my email list has not been compromised and "I" am not sending these icky emails to anyone I know. But all the same, I HATE the idea that anyone would associate me with ... something so distasteful. And we will just leave it at that.

Meghan Wier - who is running virus scans and backing up the computer today...

Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Full Day in Meg-land.

Today was one of those day where I did a lot--house stuff, personal stuff, friend stuff, family stuff. No real work stuff yet, but it still could happen... maybe. I seem like I have been trying to sit down and get work stuff done all day, and it it just not happening.

The one personal thing that I did not do was my morning papers/blog. I woke up early enough to do it, but instead used the time to do laundry and last night's dishes and vacuum. There is something therapeutic about that and so I can't be too hard on myself. It is sort-of like when you make your bed before you clean your room -- it just sets the tone. And you can't call your room clean without making the bed. So for me, I needed to deal with the physical clutter before I dealt w/ the mental stuff...And clearly there is a lot up there today!

So now the house is clean and I can blog (if that makes any sense...)

I need to polish up the BNI presentation on blogging for business tonight, but I am pretty happy about where I ended up with that.

Other work to do, including the book stuff is to catch up on my blogs. Some of that I can do tomorrow at a doctor's appt (gotta use that time in the waiting room for something) and between meetings.

But tonight I need to work on the couple local Charlotte blogs. I have a lot to get done, and I best be getting to it...but wait! Now I have to go give my kid a bath... ah, the best laid plans.

Perhaps I will make it back to the desk in a couple hours.

Perhaps.


Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Networking and Motherhood

I have been meaning to write about my son's infatuation with business cards for a while now -- see the blog about networking and motherhood.


Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Blogging (for Dummies)

Firstly, I need to say, "yes, I did borrow this pic from Amazon -- and thank you." ...I wouldn't want to get in trouble for not citing my source - also, if you are interested in the book (Blogging for Dummies by Brad Hill), and if I have correctly added the link, you should be able to click the image and go to Amazon and buy the book...from my good generous friends at Amazon... (see I am looking out for you guys!)



All that aside, I wanted to mention that I have spent a good part of the weekend thumbing through this book on blogging and I would like to say that the author Brad Hill is a pretty funny guy. I enjoyed the wit and humor--and generally I think that this book would be palatable and helpful to all. I hope the the door prize winner at BNI on Thursday will enjoy the book as well (and forgive me for looking through it myself before giving it away).



There were a couple things in the book that I did not know - or at least had not thought of--such as the "blogger's code" - to be honest, or always attempt honesty in the posts (with the exception of fiction writing) -- and that I believe I have always done.


Hm...I guess I need to take that back... there are times when I use a false name or composition of situations for blog entries, especially when writing an entry for a client. A lot of times my clients are asked the same question over and over, and we post the question and answer on the blog. There are situations where I will merge the two into one, and then answer it as if it were one originally. But I don't think anyone gets too bent out of shape about this... we would just be answering the same question twice and that would be boring and redundant. SO --- I have come clean, I don't know if there is someone better to confess to than the blogosphere. (Maybe Pete McGourty will know...) I digress--Other things to do as a blogger is to of course cite your source, link when possible instead of cutting and pasting big chunks of text and do not comment spam. All great advice. I do consider myself to be pretty "white hat" when it comes to such things. Blogging is such a new-old thing, with an ever changing landscape. But it all comes down to the kindergarten mantra " be nice to your friends." (which is obviously "borrowed" from famous "do unto others..." which is taken from so many sources, it is probably one of those things which is technically un-citable, given the concept's roots in everything from Greek Philosophy to the Baha'i Faith).


INHALE...


On a somewhat related note, I have remembered that my posts are still being syndicated on the Amazon profile page. This blog (I believe...) was taken off the Confessions of an Introvert page, so I didn't give it much thought... but it does still appear on the Meghan Wier profile page. So hello! Amazon people. Don't forget to check out the new Confessions of an Introvert book which will be re-released in October.... rest assured I will be blogging about that soon, and asking for your reviews and feedback! I may even ask for your thoughts on my next book, "untitled," (catchy huh! -- I probably won't call it "untitled" -- that is more of a working title)

ug - that was a bit of a ramble, wasn't it!



Well, the Blogging for Dummies book does say to keep blog entries short... so alas...





Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Charlotte Real Estate

I am beginning to wish I had payed more attention in my economics classes...then I wouldn't have to spend so much time as an adult trying to catch up and figure out how to manage the money I have and the investments that I wish to make.

The house across the street from me is still for sale. There are several on my street that are available, all relatively new, but the one across the street in brand new - the last in the development to be built and ready for a good family to move in.

The Charlotte real estate market is strong - in fact growing when most are in serious decline, but that doesn't stop me from wishing someone will move in across the street. It is such a nice house, and it being empty is doing nothing for my biggest investment... my own house.

That said, I know that Charlotte's market is relatively strong and the house will sell. In all likelihood, the builder will offer a great deal to get someone in there, and the new owner will be really fortunate to have such a nice home at a good price.

Charlotte, NC and the surrounding area continues to offer a great quality of living at an affordable cost. While I was not aware of this when I chose to move to Charlotte a year and a half ago, Charlotte is a huge magnet for newcomers, and has maintained a strong economy, despite the recent downturn nationally. A recent report that I read said that there were over 2,009 residential sales during the month of March and that the average sales price was $233,648. -- and that is a good percentage of the average asking price of $245,237. However, given that the newcomers are moving from less economically healthy areas of the country, we are now seeing that the average time a home spent on the market has risen to 130 days....

So I guess with that statistic, that the house across the street may not sell for another month or so. And that I suppose is OK. I just would love to see someone fun with a couple kids in that house. Summer is Charlotte is great, and it would be wonderful to share that with another neighbor-family.

So...any of you out there thinking of moving to Charlotte? -- there is a great house across the street--and you will have WONDERFUL neighbors!

Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Blogging for Business

I am preparing a presentation this weekend for my BNI group in North Carolina. If you have any Blogging for Business questions, please comment or email me: meg@meghanwier.com.

THANKS -- Meg

Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

JUMP into Friday

I am amazed that it is Friday morning already. I am amazed that it is Friday, that I have no outside things/running around/errands to do, that I have the time to get work done and it is already 10 and I am just beginning my "morning papers" -- I believe that I know why Pete McGourty wanted me to write on paper... paper does not have the Internet, paper does not inform you that you have new email, and paper does not have any fun flashing boxes to click on. (Weeee fun flashing boxes....click, click, click)

---but paper makes my hand hurt. Paper does not have email. Paper does not have the Internet, the weather, the stock market, the news.

and so I type. I am such a rebel.

Much writing must be done today for JUMP, and I need to pump it up a bit (pun intended) so that we can get that site to rank well. The Jump concept is such a great one, with essentially a huge warehouse space transformed into a play center for kids, (and sanity-refresher for parents). The inflatables are huge and the kids have a wonderful time. As a mom, I am so thankful that these places exist...especially on the cold and wet days. I wish there was a JUMP near us here in Charlotte--heck, I wish they existed when I was 4!

Other things today include writing more about blogging. I may even blog about blogging-- if I can think of a fun way to do so. Reading a blog about blogging may get a little dry, so I will do my best to spice it up a bit if I can get there later this afternoon.

Much copy, copywriting, clever SEO, shameless self-promotion and blogging to come. Stay tuned.

-m

Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Blogging, Blog Writing, Business Blogging and BNI

I am the speaker next week at the Ballantyne Business Network BNI meeting and I am starting to put together my materials for the presentation.

My 10 minute talk will be on blogging for business--a topic that I am very familiar with, and one which I will enjoy sharing with the group.

However, this group of people is a new one for me, and I am nervous about it already. So I am making up for my lack of comfort with preparation--thinking about what I want to say and how I want to say it, a whole week early. Luckily, the topic is a passion, and speaking in public is always made easier when I know the subject matter as well.

That said, I have much preparation to do, and a week hardly seems like enough given all of the other responsibilities I have this week.

Pete McGourty, Charlotte-based life coach extraordinaire has asked me to write everyday as an exercise to pull out my thoughts and creativity, and to dump out that which is muddling my mind. I am remiss to say, that I have scrapped the paper method he prescribed and have taken up blogging instead. Call it a modern twist on good old-fashioned life coaching, (is there such a thing as "old fashioned life coaching"??) But alas, if you find my entries start to ramble more than usual--blame it on Pete. I am doing my homework...

All this blogging and soul-searching and web focus has made me want to really dig in and get my own sites and blogs in better shape. I should be making some changes over the next few months before the re-launch of Confessions of an Introvert to the blogs and site.

Well -- I need to go do laundry, clean up the kitchen, run the vacuum, get the mail, pay the bills, and take a pain killer for my back before I head out to my son's soccer practice.

Meg



Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Wednesday Already?

As I get ready to write this, I am finding that I actually have a lot I really need to do this morning--which throws out my plans for sitting around in my PJ's for the next couple hours and catching up on my blogging... which is what I was going to do... oh well, maybe another day.

The new cover for Confessions of an introvert is out... and pretty snappy. I am looking forward to having it out (again) so that I can share it with people--introverts, extroverts, etc.

I do get to drag out the book tomorrow -- I am substitute educational coordinator for the Ballantyne Business Network BNI meeting tomorrow and I will have to come up w/ something that I can "educate" the attendees with, although luckily I have a little bit of business material from which to pull.

I am suffering from a painful back injury, one which I have had for a long time, and one I made worse with a recent trip to the US National White Water Training Center. It was a fun and strenuous rafting trip, and I am paying for it now. This, I am afraid is sure sign that I am in fact getting older--older and out of shape, which is good enough reason to get back to the gym...as soon as my back is better again! (Add that to the list)

Have a lovely day all - I hope you enjoy a few rays of sun, and a to-do list slightly shorter than the one I am about to write.

-Meg



Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant

Are Introverts Weak?

I have spent the week with one of the most extroverted friends I have.

I have had a wonderful time with my very good friend, but after a week of being drawn into long conversations with multiple waitresses, tour guides, and strangers on the street... I am looking forward to a couple days of pulling that wall down in front of me and hiding behind my computer screen, in my quiet peaceful house.

All this got me to thinking that perhaps introverts are a little weak. Or at least perhaps we are perceived as weak. After all, why else would a human being need to nap/sit in a dark room after just going out and being with people?

I have needed this a lot this week.

My friends who know about my occasional aversion to profuse social interaction try to be empathetic--asking me over and over, "are you OK?" "Do you want to go take a walk?" "Do you want some alone time?" during our time out together.

In a way I appreciate their concern, they love me. But all the attention makes it worse! Please don't think of me as fragile. Please don't make a big deal about how I "feel." Please just let me be strong - capable--let me be the me I need to be when I am out with people. All this coddling makes me feel like you don't respect me, don't think I am able to function, or that you see me as "less" than you... In a way you are making me weak, or seem weak, to those around us.

I am quirky maybe- but I am not weak.

After giving it a lot of thought I came to this conclusion: introverts may need to take a "time out" from the hustle and bustle... maybe even a nap. And you can think of this as a fault if you would like. But the thing that makes an introvert "weak" is also the thing that makes us strong... We are able to "heal" ourselves. Being alone, or quiet, or less "outgoing"--or even just introspective, gives us back the energy that we lose, and the strength to move on. Extroverts by comparison have a harder time making themselves happier, calmer, more "together" -- they need other people to validate them, support them, bring them joy.

While we all need others to feel love and respect, introvert and extroverts manage social interactions differently. We in fact both have our strengths and weaknesses. I may be perceived as weaker because I need more time to myself, but because I get this... I am stronger!


Meghan Wier
Author Writer Web Consultant