Dogs Ate My Blog? Clients First? All the Reasons I Did Not Write A Proper Blog This Week.

Wisdom is all around us: from the MBT Blog
Published by Mary Balistreri, MBT More Business Today LLC

Ok, Snowy, my shih tzu-chihuahua is right. The dogs did not eat my blog. There were many things the last two weeks keeping me from continuing the story of Norah and David and their struggles in their new jobs. In the spirit of absolute transparency, I listed them below. Tune in next week for a bonus blog in which we learn the answer to the question, “Did David win his pitch?” For background on his pitch situation, check out Empowering Change: David’s First Pitch for New Business.

The last two weeks brought much delight, happiness and hard work. I apologize for not writing the blog my readers may have expected. Here are the reasons you are reading this instead.

Sharpen the Saw.

Yes, I often quote Habit 7 from Stephen Covey’s amazing book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” in my work as a business and leadership coach. I took a glorious vacation to rest and re-align my mind, body and spirit. I galavanted, skipped, sang, swam, and enjoyed life for four magnificent days away from home, away from the dogs, in the company of family. It left me refreshed for the busy days awaiting me once I came down to earth. Consider my mind, my teeth (just took care of my dental cleaning), my saw sharpened.

Sharpen the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have—you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

Stephen Covey

Clients (and Future Clients) First.

The scramble of work and diving deeply into writing proposals for new work occupied much of my focus since the return to the home and my home office. Do you get that surge of electric energy when putting together a customized proposal to help solve a client’s problem? I do. I throw my entire self into getting the strategy, messaging, and solution just write. Then, I admit, I collapse for an hour or two either walking the dogs, reading, dancing, or watching television (read more about the shows preoccupying my thoughts below).

Clients needed me! I love that. There were regularly scheduled coaching sessions, extra needed laser coaching sessions, fun-sized sessions with a few former clients, and consultations with prospects. A productive whirlwind of time spent on virtual meetings, coffee meetings and sending out action items filled several of my days – and, alas, kept me from writing the newest edition to David-the-lawyer’s pitching team saga.

Additionally, after spending several hours focusing my business brain to finish an article I had been commissioned to write, the owner of the trade publication sent an email saying the venture had closed the month before. No prior warning or a quick, “Hey, don’t bother with that deadline in the contract, we stopped publishing,” kind of notice. Sigh. Frustrated sigh. Oh, well. I will repurpose that article.

The Distraction of the Olympics (ok, and Bridgerton, too).

In those moments of retreating to the living room after completing a taxing task, I succumbed to the television. The Olympics brought, and continue to bring, the greatest distraction, Greatest Of All Time, in fact. Can you really blame me for that? My husband and I cannot wait until 7 p.m. central time rolls around to immerse ourselves in the highlights.

Then, I must confess, there is Bridgerton. I watched Season Three as soon as it dropped. Binged it. I realized then that I was quite late to the whole Penelope / Colin (Polin) story line. Penelope is my favorite character and I noticed her infatuation with Colin, but many of the references in this season made me go back to rewatch seasons one and two. What were the tells to let us know that Colin may also fall for his friend? I am only partway through season two, so more for me to understand. I must say as a non-traditional body type sort of woman, I love this story line. Penelope is so beautiful and Colin so, well you know, dreamy.

That is the end of my “excuse me” and “please come back next week” sort of replacement blogging. I hope you enjoyed.