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Tethered to Technology
English: I took this picture. (Photo credit: Wikipedia – GNU Documentation License)
When a server goes down and your business requires the internet, you feel it. A friend of mine felt this pain. Acutely. Several days of crisis management—with a bit of anger management—were the results of a server gone down.
It spawned a lot of comments on our dependence on technology. I found I agreed with it all. I’m tied to technology.
But that hasn’t always been the case. You would think that years of missionary work in remote jungle villages would have proved sufficient insulation from ever becoming technology-dependent.
Initially, running water meant we ran to the river, the “corner store” was a 2 1/2 hour flight away, and a precious can of soda was lukewarm—but still precious.
Electrical power was limited to what a few solar panels could pump into our batteries. If the sun refused to shine, power dropped and was saved for our two-way radio, our only contact to the outside, to civilization. The internet? An impossibility.
Life was primitive. We called it rustic, the word invoking a more romantic aura than primitive. Life was rustic, but good.
But now? Life isn’t so rustic.
I’m blessed with modern appliances, electrical power not dictated by the amount of shining sun, hot water in the shower—and technology. I’ve returned to the twentieth century!
I find myself happily tethered to my cell phone, computer, and the illustrious internet. I find myself groaning along with my friend as the server went down. I realize how quickly our lives changed. Rustic turned high-tech. The internet replaced the two-way radio as our connection to world.
Life is different, but still good. Now, if only the server doesn’t go down before I post this….
Any one else out there who’s willing to admit they are happily tethered to technology? I would love to hear your thoughts!
(This has been re-posted from my other blog, Rosie Rambles On.)
Related articles
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rosie Cochran
I am a pastor’s wife, former missionary, mother of four great sons, and author of three Christian suspense novels: Betrayed, Identity Revealed, and A Murder Unseen. (Available at: Amazon.com.) I have a passion for God, my family, and writing! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Have a question? Email Me!
The Three Rs to Avoiding Burnout
By MaryG90 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Change is inevitable….
Therefore, we need to live fluid lives. From time to time we need to step back, re-evaluate our priorities and goals, and then restructure as necessary.
We may find it necessary to shake things up and move them around.
We may need to breathe new life into the HOW behind reaching our goals.
We may need to discover if there is still reason behind our priorities.
If your life gets as crazy as mine does, before you’re ready to re-evaluate or restructure, you’ll need to take time to…
…REJUVENATE
In order to rejuvenate, you’re going to need some down time. Presuming that there’s no way you can drop everything for a week of blissful nothingness, I would say you’re most likely going to have to choose something that you can afford to let go of temporarily. And, since you’re reading my blog, I’m going to guess you’re into social media, that most likely you are a writer. That being said, I have a question for you.
Have you ever thought of taking a sabbatical from social media?
Okay, I saw your head snap to attention at the suggestion. I can see the thoughts flashing across your forehead….
“A break from social media? Heresy! Writers need social media. Writers need to stay connected. Writers can’t take a sabbatical from social media!”
Why not? I didn’t suggest becoming fanatical and tossing out social media. I suggested taking a sabbatical from it. For how long? A few days? A few weeks? A month? That’s up to you. How much rejuvenating do you require? How out of balance has your life gotten?
Overloaded? (Photo credit: Wikipedia ~ Public Domain)
Of course, maybe it’s not social media, but some other area of your life you need to temporarily disconnect from. Then do it. Take time to breathe. Give your mind a break.
This is not the time for planning.
It is not the time to formulate strategies.
It is simply a time for rejuvenation.
Only after a time of rejuvenation are you ready to…
…RE-EVALUATE
Grab a paper and pen. Start writing. Start brain-storming.
Priorities:
Priorities can change with the season of our lives. When was the last time your priorities changed? What changes can be made in your life? Are the reasons behind your priorities still valid?
Goals:
What goals are still valid? What goals are no longer valid? Do you have goals that can or should be postponed? Do you have new goals that have materialized but haven’t yet been worked into your life?
Non-essentials (Those things we do that are not essential to physical survival!):
Of the non-essentials in your life, which ones would you not miss? Maybe it’s time spent watching TV, time spent reading magazines or the newspaper, a weekly game of golf, or something totally different.
Which ones add meaning to your life? We all have those “non-essentials to physical survival” in our lives that, nonetheless, feel essential to our mental and emotional survival. Can you list those ones?
What would you change if you could? … And can you change more than you’re ready to admit?
Brainstorm. Re-evaluate. Dream a bit!
Now that you’ve got these new and far out ideas on paper, get ready to…
…RESTRUCTURE
You may be clearing your plate of old debris.
You may be adding items that you realize are vital—and have been missing.
Or you may be restructuring the “how-to-do-it” behind your goals and priorities.
Restructuring can involve new scheduling.
It can involve a re-balancing act.
It may involve all the old elements, but blended and/or prioritized in a new manner.
How this rejuvenating, re-evaluating and restructuring translates into action for each of us will vary. We’re all different. We each have our own unique set of dynamics in our lives. But taking the time to rejuvenate, re-evaluate and restructure is one of the essentials we all have in common. I’d love to hear how this works for you! Please feel free to comment!
Related articles
- Disconnecting, Switching Off, and Rejuvenating (blogher.com)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rosie Cochran
I am a pastor’s wife, former missionary, mother of four great sons, and author of three books: Betrayed, Identity Revealed, and A Murder Unseen. (Available at: Amazon.com.) I have a passion for God, my family, and writing! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Have a question? Email Me!
Fractured to Full
Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives.
— Tony Robbins
My sister posted this quote. My response went like this:
“And when does this illusive day come when I can focus all of my resources on mastering a single area of my life?”
The concept itself? I agreed with it. Wholeheartedly.
If I could take all my energy, all my resources, and focus them on one area? I could see how mastery could come.
But that’s not life. At least not my life. (And I’ve a sneaky suspicion that it’s not yours either!)
Image via Wikipedia (Public Domain)
There are too many things on my plate. Too many areas over which to scatter my limited resources and energy. It is all too fractured.
The areas of responsibility seem to increase; my energy seems to decrease. (You’re relating to this, right? Please confirm that I am not alone in this!)
But back to my sister and the quote. My sister can be quite wise. That’s a good thing. Of course, maybe I shouldn’t admit that too loudly or I may never hear the end of it. Hmm…. Is posting it on a blog too loud?
She also has no problem disagreeing with me. And that is also a good thing! She was ready to challenge my thinking on this quote. We all need that. To have our thinking challenged. I had to rethink how I viewed the quote.
Pie chart (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Public Domain
Our lives are complex with many parts that make up the whole. Multiple responsibilities that reach for our time and energy do not mean we are living fractured lives. We can view the fractured areas as parts of a whole.
Our lives would be imbalanced if all of our resources, all of the time, were focused on one single area. Other things would suffer. Other things would fail. But one thing at a time? That works!
At any given time, we can funnel our energy and resources into one area of our lives, thus achieving mastery over the long haul in a given area.
Maybe it’s blogging. Maybe you want to master the art of blogging. You know you can’t give up your job to do it. You can’t sacrifice each evening that you would normally devote to your family. You can’t stop sleeping. But you want to master blogging. Or maybe it’s playing the piano—or running a marathon.
Then do it. But in increments. Devote time to it. Designate it a place in your schedule. If you can’t do it daily, at least do it consistently. But recognize and accept the limitations of time and space.
When you’re doing it, give yourself wholeheartedly to it. Pour your resources, your energy, and your very being into it. Be focused.
It’s not about living half-hearted, fractured lives. It’s about living life to its fullest every day—in each distinct area of our lives. It’s about taking what may appear fractured—and making it a viable part of the whole.
QUESTIONS: How do you master each area of your life? How do you make it work? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rosie Cochran
I am a pastor’s wife, former missionary, mother of four great sons, and author of three books: Betrayed, Identity Revealed, and A Murder Unseen. (Available at: Amazon.com.) I have a passion for God, my family, and writing! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Have a question? Email Me!
Building Your Tribe
There’s been a lot of talk in social media about building your tribe.
Social media may be a current trend, but building a tribe? Tribes have been around for years. If we want to know how to build a tribe, shouldn’t we defer to the experts?
Journey with me as I fall back on personal experience. As a missionary of 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of watching how a tribal chief in the Amazon jungle kept his tribe intact, how he wooed people to follow his lead, and how he caused them to want to listen. Let’s learn by example.
He listened.
Our tribal chief spent a good part of every day socializing with the villagers, discovering their needs and wants, and making them feel valued. He wasn’t just a leader, but a friend. He knew how to talk—but he also knew how to listen.
He persevered.
There were the “renegades” of the village. When the villagers went to cut gardens, the renegades made boats. When the villagers were roofing a house, the renegades were cutting gardens. When the whole village built boats together, the renegades would be roofing a house. The renegades made it clear they were never really going to be part of the tribe. Our tribal chief knew not to waste his breath with them; he knew not to be consumed by their opposition. He persevered.
He earned the right to be heard.
By genuinely caring. Our tribal chief didn’t just say he cared. He showed he cared. He looked out for the good of the people. He protected them.
By giving. The widows and fatherless of the tribe knew they had an advocate in their chief. They knew he would find ways to be sure they were provided for. Many times that meant he was at my door seeking “donations,” but what better reason can you give than looking after the widows and the fatherless?
He earned the right to be heard through caring and giving.
His message was relevant.
When he did spoke, his message was relevant because he knew…
…the issues of his tribe…
…the needs of his tribe…
…and the heart of his tribe.
Doesn’t that sound like everything we’ve heard over and over again?
● We need to listen.
● We need to earn the right to be heard.
● We need to give something back.
● We need to have a relevant message.
● And we need to persevere, to press on.
There really is nothing new under the sun.
Isn’t it kind of cool that, in our technologically advanced society, we can still learn from those living without electricity, without running water, and with limited access to the outside world?
What type of tribal chief are we emulating?
● Are we listening?
● Are we caring about others?
● Are we giving back to others?
● Are we earning the right to be heard?
● Are we giving a relevant message?
● And are we pressing on?
Any thoughts to share? Practical tips? Personal experiences with this? I would love to hear!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Rosie Cochran
I am a pastor’s wife, former missionary, mother of four great sons, and author of three books: Betrayed, Identity Revealed, and A Murder Unseen. (Available at: Amazon.com.) I have a passion for God, my family, and writing! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook.
Have a question? Email Me!
The Liberty to Be Unique
In a world full of choices, the way you stand out is by not adding to the noise but by exposing your uniqueness.
Image via Wikipedia (Public Domain)
The liberty to be unique.
The liberty to be quirky.
The liberty to be who we are.
We need to embrace that liberty!
Too often we spend our lives trying to fit in. We try to be someone who fits the status quo. We try to be Elastic Woman from the animated movie The Incredibles, adjusting our lives in a series of mind-boggling twists, turns—and sometimes knots. But we’re not Elastic Woman—or Mr. Fantastic, from The Fantastic Four, for the men reading this!
We know this doesn’t work in life. It especially doesn’t work in social media. If it’s the same old, same old? No doubt about it. It will be overlooked.
If we hope to stand out, if we hope to be heard, we cannot hide behind the opinions of others. We cannot simply parrot what we’ve read. We can’t stretch, twist, and recoil to follow the masses.
We must develop our own voice—our own opinions. We must risk exposing ourselves, exposing what we really think, and exposing our uniqueness.
There is a downside. The liberty to be unique comes with risks. There is risk with exposure—the risk of becoming vulnerable. But if we want our writing (and anything else, for that matter!) to make a difference, shouldn’t vulnerability be a risk we are willing to take? Are we ready? Are we ready to embrace our uniqueness? Are we ready to risk vulnerability? Are we ready to make a difference?
Integrity in Social Media
There have been several articles I’ve read recently that have brought validation to some thoughts that have been bouncing around in my mind. It’s about integrity in social media.
As we speak of integrity in social media, I think it’s a lot about integrity to who we are—and who people know us to be.
Some people can sell/promote anything. We know it. We sift through what they are selling/promoting for what is relevant to us, and that’s fine. They are being true to themselves.
But what if we don’t fall into that category? Are we being true to who we are? Are we being true to who people know us to be? Are we presenting who we really are on social media?
Are we “LIKING” this and that because we really “LIKE” it—or is there a lot of social networking peer pressure coming into play?
This whole social media is a learning experience. I, for one, have tried different things, but in the end, sometimes it’s just not “me.” I keep coming back to being true to who I am.
If I wouldn’t normally suggest a book, blog, or video clip to my friend sitting next to me, why would I promote it to the whole world of Twitter or Facebook?
If I wouldn’t normally suggest anything I haven’t read, if I wouldn’t normally suggest something I couldn’t vouch for, why promote it on Twitter? On Facebook?
Unless, of course, a track record has been established.
We’ve all had authors whose books have hooked us. We buy the next one, barely stopping to read the synopsis on the back cover.
We may promote an author because we have read their blogs. We know they can write. We’ve seen it! We’ve read their work. So we promote them. We’re promoting the writer we’ve come to know.
Sometimes I promote an author’s blog, but not their books.—Weird? Not really. They are writers. They are great writers. Their blogs are awesome. But their books? Sometimes it’s obvious that the content lands far beyond my conservative Christian threshold. I’ve no doubt the quality of craft is there, but I know I wouldn’t be true to myself if I recommended a book that fell outside my realm of comfort, outside my belief system. So I don’t, even though I can still applaud their ability, even though I can still promote their blogs.
We may even promote an editor we’ve never used.— I have! Of course, I admitted that I hadn’t personally used the editor, but she had won me over. I had followed her blog. I had seen the proper use of grammar in her own writing. Through mutual online groups, I saw an honesty and work ethic that impressed me. She made it to my list of editors to use—and so I recommended her.
All that being said, recognize the fact that if I’m tweeting, blogging, or face-booking about a book, blog, or video trailer, that’s a good thing. It’s because someone I have connected with is behind the product—and I’m impressed. Impressed enough to tweet it! Impressed enough to promote it!
And if I’m not tweeting about it? It might just be that I haven’t yet had time to read or watch it!
I’m not saying we need to conduct an in-depth investigation into every tweet we make, but I do suggest we strive to be true to who we are, to stop and think before we tweet, before we post, and before we blog. Let’s be sure we’re being true to who we are.
Integrity to who we are. I think that’s important. Any thoughts?
Related articles
Be Yourself! (Promoting on Social Media)
Image via Wikipedia - Public Domain
There is a learning curve in so many areas of our lives. Social media is no different. We learn from our successes—and our failures. In fact, we often learn best through failure! We learn what works for others, and we learn what works for us.
We could draw up a rigid list of the dos and don’ts of social media. But would it be true for everyone in every circumstance? I think not.
We have all, at some time in our lives, been approached by someone seeking donations. More often than not, it feels pushy. It feels uncomfortable. There is pressure to donate, but no desire. False guilt forces us to donate.
But what about those rare times when someone seeking donations isn’t pushy? There’s no pressure, simply a wonderful opportunity being presented to you. You want to participate. You want to donate.
What made the difference?
My point is, what works for one person may not work for another.
What appears pushy coming from one salesperson may look like a golden opportunity from another.
Likewise, with social media, I have seen some people break all the rules—and it still works for them. It works for them because they are being themselves. They are still connecting with people in their unique way.
We are all different.
What works for you may not work for me.
Let’s recognize our differences and learn from one another.
The learning curve of social media involves recognizing who we are as individuals. It involves a process of learning and recognizing what works for us with our distinct personalities. It’s about being real. People recognize fake—and run from it. Or at least they move on.
Some free advice?
Be real! Be yourself!
(And while you’re at it, let others be themselves!)
Four Steps to a Customized Amazon Author Page URL
If you have an Amazon Author Page, you’ll want to read on!
1) Go to Author Central.
2) Click on the PROFILE tab, then click on ADD LINK next to “Author Page URL.”
3) You may choose to accept the suggested URL, or make your own. Please note: You only get to create a personalized URL once, so choose wisely!
The URL must adhere to the following guidelines:
- It must contain at least 1 character, but no more than 30.
- Letters, numbers, dashes, periods and underscores may be used.
- No spaces or special characters may be used other than dashes, periods and underscores.
- Profanity is not permitted.
4) If the URL you type in is available, it will advise you so. Click SAVE.
Your Author Page URL will go live in approximately 30 minutes.
Take a moment to take advantage of the “Share this URL” links. Remember, this is marketing!
Please visit my Amazon author page at:
https://www.amazon.com/author/rosiecochran
Easy Steps to a LinkedIn Profile Badge
- Click on SETTINGS, located just below your name.
- Under PROFILE, look under HELPFUL HINTS and click on Edit your public profile.
- In the left-hand column under YOUR PUBLIC PROFILE URL, click on Create a profile badge.
- At the next screen, a variety of button options will be displayed. Pick out the button of your choice, select and copy (CTRL+C) the corresponding code, and head over to your website or blog.
On a WORDPRESS blog it works like this:
- Go to your Dashboard. Near the bottom on the left-hand side, click on Appearance, then Widgets.
- Under Available Widgets, click and hold on Text, dragging it to your Sidebar.
- Click on the down arrow at the right side of Text to open a text box to work in.
- Leave the Title area blank and paste (CTRL+V) the code into the text box.
- Click save, close the text box, then go to your blog and test it out!
Create a LinkedIn Personalized Public Profile URL
Are you part of the business social media giant called LinkedIn? If not, you should be. Sign up today at LinkedIn! If you are part of LinkedIn, have you taken the time to create your own personalized public profile URL? Instead of the random alphanumeric address for your LinkedIn public profile, you could be enjoying a personalized URL. Interested? Log-in to your LinkedIn account, follow the simple steps below, and you’ll soon have your own personalized pubic profile URL !
Five Easy Steps to a Personalized Public Profile URL:
- Click on SETTINGS, located just below your name.
- Under PROFILE, look under HELPFUL HINTS and click on Edit your public profile.
- In the left-hand column under YOUR PUBLIC PROFILE URL, click on Customize your public profile URL.
- A pop-up window will appear. Your custom URL must contain 5-30 letters or numbers. You may not use spaces, symbols, or special characters. In the pop-up window, type in your desired personalized name in the open box following http://www.linkedin.com/in/. In the example below, you can see that I typed in RosieCochran, making my customized URL the following: http://www.linkedin.com/in/RosieCochran
- Click on SET CUSTOM URL (see image above). Now look at the top of your page. As confirmation, a circle with a check mark through it will appear by the words “Your Custom URL has been saved.” You may also check in the left-hand column near the bottom to verify your new URL under YOUR CURRENT URL.
Related articles
- Not Customizing your LinkedIn Public Profile URL Can Limit Your Effectiveness (linked4ministry.wordpress.com)
Available at Amazon.com
