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Days 3 thru 7 (demise of a bug):

Beginning with Day 3 the total loss of my voice (oh, the pain of not being able to talk!), as well as all the upper respiratory stuff that is behind that, put me into the role of nurse – nurse to myself.  I rescheduled important commitments and even had to ask my trainer buddy, Desirée, for assistance (she’s a gem!). I stayed in touch with clients and responded to their needs, but that was all I did related to work.

I’d been here before; this type of attack on my health was/is a common occurrence, and I knew what I had to do – drink more fluids, rest my voice and my body, use over-the-counter remedies to relieve the symptoms and hopefully catch the bug before it worsened.

By Day 6, my voice tried to be known, and I was able to talk on my rescheduled VTP class for an hour. I saw this as somewhat of a victory; getting my voice back, albeit a scratchy voice, indicated I was on the road to recovery. After the call, I continued my resting regime and did little else.

But the morning of Day 7 revealed something different. My voice was better, but the “bug” had expanded to a barky cough and a painful ear. I had tried to avoid this stage, but it was obvious that the bug was winning. By early afternoon I knew I had to get medical intervention. The nurse practitioner uncovered each aspect of this bug’s attack – ear infection, sinus infection and bronchitis! I was so discouraged, as I had done everything I knew to stop this from happening. Later that afternoon when I unpacked the 3 prescriptions and began the 10-day course of antibiotics, I realized it could have been much worse had I waited another day. By doing what I had all week (making my health a priority), I had prevented the bug from total victory (it could have been pneumonia by now). I was now on a course of recovery, and I knew in two days I would feel better. The bug would lose.

You all know that women tend to keep on going, even when we’re not feeling good. The lesson for me (and hopefully you) is to stop and listen to your body. Ask for help and rely on your friends and family to pick up your responsibilities for a few days. Then listen more and take action – don’t deny yourself medical intervention. You’d take your children and insist that your husband go to the doctor, so do the same for yourself.  Self care means paying attention to your body, as well as your soul.

The book, by Jinny S. Ditzler, is based on a concept the author developed in the 1980′s and eventually became a workshop. Yes, it is about setting goals, and yes, it does require some work on your/my part.  There are ten questions, the first four looking back over the previous year, and the last six moving you/me forward.

I’m only at question #1, but it’s already been such a positive step in renewing my spirit that I wanted to pass it on to you.  There are ten questions that you must answer.  They require some deep thought, and the process could take about 3 hours if you work on all questions at one sitting.  So here’s question #1 and how I answered it:

Question 1:  What did I accomplish (in 2008)?
To answer this I went to my Outlook calendar–all the way back to January 1st, making a note of major appointments, events, people, meetings, etc. By the time I reached December 2008, I had already filled two pages (I’ll share my list below). I was amazed at my accomplishments – all of them resulting from no real planning –just taking advantage of opportunities and situations that came my way.

What did I learn from this experience?  How was I enriched by this experience?
When I looked at my list and then shared it with my husband, I had a great sense of pride in all I had done and had contributed. 2008 has been a year of physical pain toleration and healing from major back surgery, yet I have accomplished far more than I ever planned or imagined I could.

What if I had set goals? How much more could I have accomplished? How sad it would have been if I hadn’t opened this book and answered the first question in the process.  I probably would have continued to beat myself up for the things I hadn’t accomplished. Yes, there are many more things I would have liked to have done and didn’t. I allowed the circumstances and opportunities as they were presented to guide me through my year; very few of my successes were planned and deliberate.

So, I ask myself, “Why have I avoided planning my successes and accomplishments? Maybe the answer is, “If I plan, I’ll feel the need to commit. What if I change my mind or don’t accomplish what I set out to do?”

What about you? What’s in store for 2009? Are you going to let 2009 plan itself or are you going to set yourself up for success?

If you’re interested, here’s my list of  2008_accomplishments.

This is my opportunity (and yours) to share our business and life journeys, and I hope you will join me.

Some areas I’ll expore are technology – how/what to use in your business, small business issues – the ups and downs of being a business owner (and the joys), the fine art of balancing your business and personal life, how to’s for simplifying your business and life, and of course, Virtual Assistance – when you can’t do it all. And from time to time, I’ll share some of my own personal joys (my husband, my new home, my cat, and my grandchildren).

I’d certainly like to hear from all of you too, so join in my venture!