Posts Tagged ‘be thankful’
Pay it Forward – It does comes Back!
One of the things I did in 2008 when I started networking online for my business was to set a goal of helping others online. If I see someone who looks like they were hacked, have a typo in their BIO, you know, the little things… I try to help by letting them know how they can fix the situation. If I see someone asking a question, needing help I point them in the right direction. It’s my way of paying it forward ( the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead – ie. if you help 3 people and they each help 3 people, it’s just like word of mouth or viral marketing, but instead people helping others) for all the help I got in my life from others and especially when I started my business.
It’s the little things that I see when I am networking online – looking at new followers, chatting on a Facebook page, and talking to people. Really, it’s the same as you would help out people in person too (well, except for the old one of someone’s ’fly being down’ and never knowing if you say something or not – can’t see that situation happening online!) – just being kind and helpful.
Anyhow this past week I ran into a different type of way I could help someone. It started when I got my mail and my new Moo Cards were in there. Whoohoo – More Moo! And the Bonus was these were the 100 FREE mini moo cards I got from a Klout Perk. They were even free but for the shipping. I flew in the house all excited to open the package and see them (and by the way if you are wondering what a Moo card is, you have obviously never held one in your hand. They are a delight to hold and touch and feel. If you want to see one live and in person, send me an email with your address and I will mail you one of mine! Seriously, I will)
…. back to the story
I get the package open and then open the little box they come in … and the first one is usually a reference card for the order, I look past that and it is another odd card, I keep looking and then finally it dawns on me… they are all these odd cards and not mine! UGh! All the excitement for nothing!
I had someone else’s cards! I called Moo Customer Service and we go through the order numbers and they realize that I have someone else’s cards and someone out there probably is getting mine. A little shipping mixup. No big deal, they tell me to chuck the cards in the garbage because they are sending me a rush order, as well as this other person whose cards I have in my hands.
Chuck them out??? No way - they are Moo Cards. Mini or not – they are too nice to put in the recycle bin. Luckily the cards had the twitter id of the company – @QuipMag (and the special order reference card had the name of the person who made the order) – so I looked them up on twitter, got their website, then found the right person on the “About” page.
I emailed and said what happened, that she would probably get an email about an order problem and that more cards were coming… but in the meantime – what is her address so I can mail this box of cards off. (I could not in any way throw them out).
She was so happy I emailed and very appreciative that I was willing to mail the cards. I did, she got them last week and was so grateful I took the time to send them. We also got to know a little bit about each other’s business in the process.
A little help and a little pay it forward – it always comes back I say…
So today I got a tweet from Kateryna:
@timeontaskva So guess what, I just got your cards! Will mail them tomorrow please DM me your address
Pay it Forward, It ALWAYS comes back one way or another and not always from the recipient as was the case today – but somewhere somehow it will come back to you.
PS. Don’t forget to send me an email if you want a sample mini-moo card. The postage is on me!
Livin’ & Lovin’ my Work in Nova Scotia
Last year James Mielnik of the Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce asked if I was interested in becoming a Charter Member of the Nova Scotia Come to life program. I jumped at the opportunity for two reasons;
1 – I love Nova Scotia and talking about how great it is to live, work, study, invest and play here is very easy for me (Just ask any of the recent participants at the Forum on Virtual Assistance ~ Everyone who attended now knows something about Nova Scotia. No one left there wondering where I came from, though technically it is Alberta!)
2 – It seemed a good way to do some more networking, which I truly enjoy.
That opportunity presented by James has turned into many more; a networking event where we signed a ‘charter’ document with the Premier of Nova Scotia, a day of media training, as well as meeting other contacts which has lead to new clients for my business. I also ‘gave back’ by helping the Come to Life staff customize their Twitter profile and showed them how it can help connect their program with more people.
Recently, I was contacted by a journalist, Marie Weeren of 10th floor Solutions. She was assigned by the Come to Life program to “Tell my Story”. It was slightly daunting being interviewed for this; complete with tape recorder, notepad and all. However, my story has now been told and is published on the Come to Life website should anyone like to take a read.
Thanks to the people who helped Ms. Weeran with by providing background information about me for her story – Tawnya Sutherland of VAnetworking , Donna Toothaker of 1stVA and David Eisnor from the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Education & Development (CEED). Your time is also appreciated!
For any business, joining in similar type programs (although this one is very unique) may take a bit of time and effort, but you’ll always find rewards in the end!
Thinking about the 30′s
I was watching the movie “Seabiscuit” this past Saturday night, and if you have never seen this movie… go rent it. It is a great story of several people, in the depression era, who end up coming together because of a horse named Seabiscuit, and surviving those very, very difficult times. The movie has sections with narration and images from the 1930′s, showing what people suffered through to make ends meet. The message of the movie is “You don’t throw a whole life away, just ’cause it’s banged up a little”.
As it did the first time I saw the movie, some of the images really hit directly in my heart. Images of children sleeping on cots, in cars, outdoors, with no family around and older children (12 years) doing what it takes to survive. I find anything that has kids suffering and in pain, I can easily relate to and compare to my own children. It is painful to be reminded of what people went through back then and how lucky we are today.
That was this past weekend; the same time as Hurricane Ike was hitting the Southern States, gas prices here in Nova Scotia and Canada went going up again (even though oil prices were down, I’m still trying to figure out that formula…hmm), and then the big news in the States early this week with regards to Lehman Brothers, AIG and the stock markets in the US & Canada.
Thinking about the 30's
I was watching the movie “Seabiscuit” this past Saturday night, and if you have never seen this movie… go rent it. It is a great story of several people, in the depression era, who end up coming together because of a horse named Seabiscuit, and surviving those very, very difficult times. The movie has sections with narration and images from the 1930′s, showing what people suffered through to make ends meet. The message of the movie is “You don’t throw a whole life away, just ’cause it’s banged up a little”.
As it did the first time I saw the movie, some of the images really hit directly in my heart. Images of children sleeping on cots, in cars, outdoors, with no family around and older children (12 years) doing what it takes to survive. I find anything that has kids suffering and in pain, I can easily relate to and compare to my own children. It is painful to be reminded of what people went through back then and how lucky we are today.
That was this past weekend; the same time as Hurricane Ike was hitting the Southern States, gas prices here in Nova Scotia and Canada went going up again (even though oil prices were down, I’m still trying to figure out that formula…hmm), and then the big news in the States early this week with regards to Lehman Brothers, AIG and the stock markets in the US & Canada.
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