motivation

WordCamp Lancaster 2015 – Awesome Event

by Em Are · Mar 2, 2015

I attended WordCamp Lancaster on Saturday. This is my 3rd WordCamp since June of 2014 (4 if you count WC San Francisco which I “attended” via the streaming ticket). I was telling my wife this morning that I come away from these conferences with such excitement and renewed energy.

I can’t say whether it’s the content of the sessions themselves, the awesome swag provided by the organizers and sponsors, or the personal, one to one or one to many conversations that I had throughout the day and at the quick before-the-after-party-meetup. (My guess is that you know where this is going.)

I’d have to say that it’s truly a combination of the entire experience. While Joe Casabona did get things kicked off with style and humor, and Sarah Moyer helped flick the switch in my mind about Genesis hooks, filters and actions, I think that I was most inspired by Charlie Reisinger‘s keynote on how his school district is using open source software to enable their students to learn new skills, interact more and push their teachers to new levels, all while working within the confines of a very tight education budget.

If you think about it, isn’t that the heart of Exploring New Opportunities for everyone? I mean, if you can inspire high school students to get engaged, and to try something new, on their own, regardless of peer pressure, you have ignited the spark of opportunity-think at just the right point.

I left the event feeling very inspired, and it gave this well-past-high-school entrepreneur a fresh outlook on business, supporting others and stepping out of the comfort zone.

Thanks to the #wclanc organizers for an awesome event, and to Andy Stitt for pulling together the #genesiswp mini-meetup.

Already looking forward to next year.

How do you define Peace?

by Em Are · Dec 8, 2014

I’ve taken up the practice of mediation lately. Yes, “practice” is the right word here, since I’m finding it quite the challenge to do it. Sometimes when I get down to it I just can’t keep my mind focused, or empty of thoughts, or quiet – however its supposed to be described. On Friday morning I was doing okay. It was early. I was warm, sitting in the living room in my favorite spot, no coffee yet (really early) and I’m listening to a guided meditation on my iPhone headphones (I use the Calm app) and all of a sudden I get a feeling that some pinpricks are finding their way into my lap. It’s that damn cat again, interrupting my calmness to knead my lap into something comfortable for her. Oh well, there goes this morning’s experience. Might as well wait until she is comfortable so I can continue. Why am I going on here? What about the definition of peace? I’m getting there. Bear with me.

One of my mediation practices is to participate in an adult education forum at my church. The theme this month is advent and the topic yesterday was Peace, it being the second Sunday of Advent. Our leader began the session by reading off a list of definitions she had found for the word ‘Peace ‘. Take a look.

…freedom from disturbance (i.e. not having a cat on your lap)
…quiet & tranquility
…freedom from, or the cessation of, war or violence
…a state of security or order within a community
…harmonious relations
…a stress-free state of security and calmness
…to be complete; to be whole; to be sound
…wholeness of life and body
…harmony between two parties or people, often established as a covenant
…a blessing – in greeting & farewells meaning “may your life be filled with health, prosperity and victory” or “I hope you have all the highest good coming your way”
…a state in which a person is not bothered by thought or feeling of doubt, guilt or worry
…a state in which people do not argue or cause trouble

Quite a few definitions. Our small group had a good discussion about our own definitions of peace, and then we were led on a short 15 minute journey via a guided meditation to find that place within ourselves where we find peace and safety.

Our discussion, and re-reading over the list, opened my eyes to new opportunities for peace in my own life. I realize that my daily practicing of meditation is helping me to find that peaceful state within me, but even more profound, is that it is enabling me to find peace in others, in how they interact with me, with the community, with other stresses in their lives.

It is helping me in my business, understanding the differences in priorities each of us has. Time-frames are very personal – priorities are personal – achievement of a state of peacefulness is very personal. By being able to see peace in others, I have found it easier to maintain that sense within myself. What better time of year to find peace, than during the Christmas season.

Back to the title of the post. How do you define peace? Do you find it easier to come across this time of year? Does one of the 12 defs above work for you more than the others? Or perhaps you have another definition to add to the list. Let me know your thoughts below.

Thanks for sticking with me today.

Peace. Shalom. Aloha.

Blogging 101: Say Your Name

by Em Are · Sep 16, 2014

So that is today’s assignment on the blog challenge. It is a little more specific than that though. I reads:

Today’s assignment: edit your title and tagline.

But what if I already like the title? Okay, so the tag line is/was a little lame. I can change that. A brief period of soul searching brought me to what you see up there now. “The next adventure awaits. Will you walk beside me as I explore it?”

That sums up where I am right now. I am working through the opportunity that is in front of me. I think, no, I know, that my prayers and those of others, have brought me to this point. I can do this so long as I keep my focus and stay confident in my skills, both technical and interpersonal.

But even more than that, I’ve come to learn that no one goes it alone. You don’t succeed, or fail for that matter, all by yourself. You need help along the way. Being a remote worked for the last 11 years or so, I thought that I was more or less on my own. In actuality, I had a team around me that I could reach out to. It was not someone at the next desk, or in an office down the hall, as you might find in a more traditional office, but rather, someone at the other end of a phone call, or an instant message, or a text.

Now, as a solo entrepreneur, I realize how important that extended team, or support network is to success. There is no corporate office to call into, to visit once a month, no co-worker to IM about something funny I just heard, or to bounce ideas off of. I need to build that structure for myself, to find compatible minds to engage with, to provide feedback to, and ask for the same for myself.

This new opportunity is a journey of discovery on so many different fronts. I am delighted that you are here today, reading this, considering whether or not you want to come along with me to explore it. I could use your support. I promise to return the favor.

Let’s do this.

by Em Are · May 13, 2014

Attended my first gathering of a MeetUp group last night. It was the Philly ‘burbs WordPress MeetUp in King of Prussia. Awesome group of individuals. Welcoming. Supportive. Helpful. Kind. Smart. Sharing. Talking to these folks and then listening to 2 short techie nuggets and a great presentation by Jim Breslin, the founder of West Chester Story Slam, I am convinced that I’m going down the right track.

I was inspired by what I experienced to follow what my heart and my gut (and my wife) are telling me. That now is the right time to step out on my own and do what I really feel driven to do, even though my bank account, looming retirement, desire to eat and maintain a roof are telling me to go get that corporate job again.

My time at Home Depot taught me well: “Let’s do this”.

I’m going to move forward and launch my web development, design, implementation, maintenance and consultation business (that’s a mouthful). Even though I’m still working through the business plan, I have set up some meetings with potential mentors and resources and have begun to network in the WordPress community. I’ll be living in that world for all of my work. I’ve done considerable research there and I feel comfortable that my programming skills, experiences and management style will be most compatible.

More (much more) to come. Wish me well.