What I’m Grateful For…
Do you celebrate Thanksgiving on auto-pilot?
You eat. You party. You watch sports and check out the latest movies. You hang out with friends and family. And in the back of your mind, you’re thinking, “Hey, I better get as much downtime as I can. Monday is just around the corner.”
That’s true – but the question is, “What are you grateful for?”
Did your mind automatically go to what you weren’t happy with? That’s normal. During challenging times (and no matter what the press says, the recession isn’t over for a lot of folks,) it’s easy to dwell in the bad and ignore the good. You look at dwindling cash flows – or clients with tighter purse strings – and sweat the unknown. Before you know it, you’re always there – in the bad stuff – and it’s hard to get out. I know. I’ve been there.
Or maybe you’re not really focused on the bad stuff, but you’re not noticing the good stuff either. When good stuff happens you shrug and think, “Well, yeah, I guess that’s OK.” But you don’t feel, just for a moment, the gratitude from landing a new client. Or writing a incredible page. Or for hiring the one consultant who actually helped you. Or for your high school English teacher who always encouraged you (thank you, Gerry Vandeboe.)
There are those who start and end every day with making a list of what they’re grateful for. Although I’ve never been so disciplined, I do appreciate the ritual of taking time to focus on what’s good rather than what could be better. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to share 10 things that I’m grateful for this year.
- I’m grateful for the people who helped me get my start in the wild and wooly world of SEO copywriting. Danny Sullivan, Disa Johnson, Chris Sherman, Jill Whalen and other folks became my friends as well as my colleagues. Thank you.
- I’m grateful that the SEO Copywriting blog was ranking as one of the top 23 SEO blogs by Hubspot. That announcement made my day!
- I’m grateful for my SEO Copywriting Certificate students. They have provided me fantastic feedback, referred the training to others and has made every twice-monthly conference call fun. You guys are helping me do exactly what I want to be doing.
- I’m grateful for fantastic help from folks like Paige Oliver, Laura Crest, Amy Teeple, Joe Dolson and Erin Kistner. These are the fantastic folks who help keep SuccessWorks running. They rock – hire them if you can!
- I’m grateful for my clients, past and present. Thank you! If it wasn’t for you guys, I wouldn’t be able to live the self-employed life.
- I’m grateful for my friends and family who put up with me spending more time in front of a computer than in front of them. Um, you know that I’m working on that – right? I’ll be there in just a minute…. :)
- I’m EXCEPTIONALLY grateful for my husband, Ron Blanchette, who married this self-described “lifetime bacholerette” and puts up with me on a daily basis.
- I’m grateful for my father, who taught me everything I know about business and interpersonal relations. Because of him, I realized early on that I was destined for self employment and planned my life accordingly.
- I’m grateful for all the really bad stuff that’s happened in my life. Counter-intuitive, I know – but without the “bad stuff,” I wouldn’t be the woman I am today.
- And of course….I’m grateful for you, dear reader. Thank you for reading each blog post (and for subscribing to the weekly SEO Copywriting Buzz newsletter.) Thank you for spending your hard-earned and precious time reading my Web copy tips.
What about you? What (or who) are you thankful for this holiday?
I’m most grateful for the opportunity to work with the best in the business — yes you, Heather Lloyd — and for the friendship and support of the SEO Copywriting community of writers who make the freelancing life a satisfying one :-) Thanks to all of you!
Wow- I am honored to be included in your “list.”
I would like to thank YOU, Heather, for being such an amazing client and friend, for keeping me creatively challenged and armed with the latest in SEO copy-writing and Online Marketing tools/strategies, and for continuing to send great web design client referrals.
Most importantly, thank you for being so much fun to work with. ;-)
*Cheers!*
Erin
Happy Thanksgiving!
Laura and Erin – thank you so much for your kind words. You guys are fantastic! :)
Thanks, Heather.
We did have some good times back in the day! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.
You too, Jill. Great to hear from you. :)
Wow Heather – thanks for the inclusion on this list of wonderful people.
Not only am I thankful for getting to work with you, I am so thankful that I took the certificate course and read your blog. The course because it reminded me of things I had forgotten and taught me some new, awesome tips. The blog because you not only keep me current in the industry, but you also seem to have a knack for writing on a topic (like making through the dark times) just when I need it. :-) So, yes, I am am thankful for Heather Lloyd-Martin!
So this is just not a tribute to you, Heather, let me highlight some of the other things/people I am thankful for this year:
1. My wife, Julie – She encouraged me to get out of an industry that was making me miserable and follow my passion for writing to a new career. Her support throughout it all has been amazing!
2. GSDBA (Greater San Diego Business Association) – Billed as the gay and lesbian chamber of commerce, this small – but mighty – networking group has helped me to come out (no pun intended) from behind my computer and actually meet people.
3. My former employer (who shall remain nameless) – This company gave me my start in SEO copywriting and allowed me to work with some wonderful people. Their later less-than-stellar employee treatment was then my catalyst to forge out on my own.
4. Pam Lund, Drew Stauffer, and several other ex-coworkers with whom I now do business.
5. My dad – Not only did he train me to use search engines before they really existed with his “look it up” answer whenever I asked how to spell something or any other question, but he also taught me that you can be passionate without having to have a fiery temper.
6. My mom – I can’t name one without the other. My mom was a secretary and she was always on my case about proper grammar – thanks Mom.
There are several more things for which I am thankful, but I don’t want to hijack the comments any more than I already have. Thanks Heather! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I am thankful for you too mon cheri……………………..every single day:) Loves!