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Please read this in its entirety for the happy ending.
My desktop computer monitor died yesterday. There were warning signs which I tried to ignore, but eventually the screen went totally black, and I knew. It was over. This is when the little brat inside me took over and had a tantrum.
“I shouldn’t have to do this! This shouldn’t be happening! I hate this stuff!”
Then the grown-up, executive-functioning part of me quietly comforted the brat, got on the phone and ordered a new monitor. The grown-up has only little more idea of how to do this than the little one, but for a moment, there’s relief. We’ve taken action and made a decision. For now, this is comforting.
The new monitor arrives before 9am, and the adult speaks gently to herself and says, “I’m a smart person. I can do this. Let’s lay out all of the pieces in an orderly fashion, read through the instructions and get this puppy up and running.”
At the first glitch, of which there are many, l’il Jane starts in again, “I’m a girl! I don’t do tech.”
Amazingly, with patience and persistence, the monitor lights up and even reveals everything that had been left behind yesterday. Hooray!
But, wait! A dialog box comes on the screen and says: Input signal out of range. And the screen goes dark.
This is when it starts to get ugly. I call the help line who requests the serial and product numbers*–which are discreetly hidden between the pedestal base (see image) and the back of the monitor making them nearly impossible to discern. Many tantrums, one magnifying glass and a dollop of patience later, it’s determined that this is a Dell issue and not an HP issue. In other words, begin again.
I won’t belabor this any longer, but suffice it to say, it was challenging, the clock was ticking, and I have a few things on my list to accomplish besides hanging on a help line. Bottom line, what got it all going perfectly was the strategy I had forgotten that always works.
Reboot.
This post is being written using my beautiful, new HD monitor and it looks damn good!
*No one at the help desk mentioned that the numbers also appear on the box in which the monitor was packed. I started getting all suspicious of the company that sold me the product. I went into a dark fantasy of this reputable business getting monitors off the back of the truck, having to repack the damn thing and start from square one. Trust me. I was not someone you’d want to be around this afternoon. I would have preferred to toss it out the window and start over. Now that it’s all over, I love my new HD monitor and all is forgiven. 
I’ll never forget my daughter Laura’s pride in her accomplishment when she announced to our family that she had spent the afternoon getting her bookshelves organized in her room. I think she was all of 8 years old at the time.
My expectation was that they would be in neat rows starting with Alice in Wonderland or an author with the last name beginning with “A” then working the length of the shelf to the z’s. But instead, she very excitedly escorted us into her bedroom where my jaw dropped at the beauty of her rainbow-colored arrangement of her library. It worked perfectly for her.
Stephen Covey includes Sharpening the Saw as the 7th habit in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Today I used the essence of this dictum:
Balance and renew your resources, energy, and health to create a sustainable, long-term, effective lifestyle
when I took time to modify a resource I’ve been using for several years.
I keep a document on my computer with all of my passwords. Every time I get a new password, I simply cut and paste it into this document. I know that my expedia.com username and password are there along with my AAA membership number. It’s a handy reference for my family’s Social Security numbers, should I need to access them or the bridge line conference number I use weekly.
But each time I needed to look up one of these figures or phrases I’d make a mental note to myself: “I should really alphabetize these one day.” Then I’d curse a bit as I scrolled down the list looking for my JetBlue membership number or some equally seldom-used bit of trivia. “Yeah, I really should do that.”
Today I did it. I printed out the entire list (4 pages) and arranged them in order for future usage. It feels really good to have taken the 20 minutes to save me far more than that in the future. Plus, I like that really satisfied feeling I get, like I did just a minute ago, when I added a new resource. I signed up for a new website that allows me to download royalty-free images and added that new password to my list.
One of the things that comes up for me and my coaching clients regularly is fear and intimidation around social media, particularly twitter. With all the hashtags and bitly url’s, it can be confounding and overwhelming.
What I recommend, and practice myself, is the drip method of adjustment. Try a little at a time, when you feel ready, and at your own pace. Ten minutes today, then again for 20 minutes in a week or two. Remember when email seemed daunting? Eventually the look of the medium and the gradual adaptation and acceptance of the form became second nature. Soon enough, seeing 140 character missives will get under your skin in the same way and become a part of your normal day’s work.
I’m reminded of a quote I have referenced by David Pogue, a tech writer for the NYTimes, about using digital cameras. The acceptance, use and comfort with that technology is nearly universal. When you read this quote, written for the Circuits section in 2002, you can nod in appreciation of how far you’ve come and trust that the same will happen for your comfort level with social media.
Just connect the camera to the computer with a USB cable; copy your multimegabyte JPEG files to the hard drive; open the photos in an image-processing program; rotate and crop each one, adjusting the color; calculate the pixel density and desired output dimensions — and then click on print. What could be simpler?
My apologies for any of you who received a tweet from my hacked account yesterday. The brilliant hackers knew to appeal to our self-interest and claimed that a photo of me/you was to be seen at the url that created that damage.
Kathy and I before the festivities began.
(Am I really this tall?)
Kathy entered the Brubeck Room, which she helped to bring to life, in a queen’s robe. She was escorted up to the front where her throne awaited her. There was a delightful hour-long concert by Triple Play in her honor followed by Special Toasts and gifts that allowed those in attendance to hear the full range of Kathy’s contributions.
Curt Welling, who served as emcee for the celebration honoring Kathy’s retirement from the Wilton Library on Sunday, credited her with creating “the beating heart of the community.” That was just the beginning of the accolades for this smart, talented, hard-working and dedicated woman who I’ve had the privilege of knowing since high school. One fact that stunned me is that over 700 people visit the library daily. The First Selectman, who also spoke in tribute to Kathy, called the Wilton Library the”cultural center of our community.”
My own personal experience of Kathy’s brilliance and generosity came when she was taking her MLS (Masters of Library Science) degree at Syracuse University. She was so excited about all that she was learning, she insisted that I needed a website. This was over 15 years ago, and she offered to create one for me. Which she did. My very first site was beautiful, thorough and got me on the map, thanks to Kathy’s efforts. Doesn’t everyone have a nephew or a family friend who makes that same offer, but how many of them actually follow it through to completion?
I’m excited that now Kathy will have more time to play. She’s an avid reader, theatre goer and traveler. Since her last day at the Library is June 30, and I’m taking July off, I can see some fun excursions with her in my near future.
Barbara’s gift and the Lululemon recyclable bag
It would ruin any mystery surrounding the birthday gift I’m giving her tonight. But my experience at Lululemon yesterday bears sharing with my audience of business owners and other interested consumers.
I selected a cool, reversible jacket as my gift to Barbara, brought it to the checkout counter and asked that it be wrapped as a gift. “We don’t have gift boxes. We’re a sustainable store,” I was told with just the slightest edge of superiority.
“Could you put a little tissue around it?” I asked, hoping for a touch of festivity in the unwrapping experience.
“No, we don’t believe in adding waste to the environment,” the salesgirl said. Actually, she didn’t say that exactly, but that was my interpretation of her repeating the ‘sustainable’ mantra in slightly different language.
Another jolt I got at that counter was the guestbook sign-in. Hoping to get the inside scoop on what towns other shoppers were visiting from, I was surprised to see that the pages consisted solely of names and email addresses. Clearly, paper, envelopes and stamps were not going to be used by this company.
I admire and support the philosophy and commitment of Lululemon, but have to confess to suffering a bit of culture shock, this being my first time interfacing with the reality of it.
I do plan to tie a (recyclable) ribbon around the cool, environmentally correct bag they did give me for transporting said gift to its recipient. I hope Barbara likes it. They did print out an extra gift receipt, just in case.
You don’t have to be a college student or grad to benefit from the advice in this revised edition of Lindsey’s book. Lindsey, for those of you who don’t know, is my daughter.
She used to come to me for career advice, but the tables have turned. She’s my go-to person for all things electronic and social media related when it comes to business. When I was considering linking sites with a particular organization recently, and I sought her wisdom, I told her I wasn’t sure I understood exactly what was required of me or what the benefits would be. But it sounded kind of good from the pitch I received. “Mom, if you don’t understand it and aren’t highly motivated to participate, say no.” I followed that advice with no regrets.
Please, buy a copy of her book for yourself or someone you love who’s looking for work. She’s a trustworthy guide and will be truly grateful for your purchase.
My son got mad at me a few years ago when my newsletter column listed 100 things I was grateful for, and the UPS guy was ranked above my kids. Let me say at the outset of this post that I am grateful, first and foremost, for my family members. (Happy, Rob?)
Recently, though, I’ve had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the ease that technology has brought to me and my business particularly. (It was likely Steve Jobs’ untimely death that brought that to the forefront of my mind.)
After giving my free webinar a few weeks ago, I gave my first official webinar on Thursday evening, and I felt like I’d found a new home. I had over 20 participants listening from their phones or computers in locations as far away as California and Texas and as close as New Hampshire and Stamford, CT. Those who missed the live event were sent links to a recording that matched the audio and visual components. No more need to worry about scheduling. Everything is available to participants whenever they have time to access it. This is HUGE!
Using Easy Seminar, a website designed to handle all the pieces of webinar communication, I was able to see who was calling from where, what time they signed on, if they had their hand up and were muted or unmuted. While I’ve attended calls where similar technology was used, I had never looked ‘behind the curtain’ to figure out how to do it myself. It’s really cool!
In addition to having a national audience, I’m able to create slides using PowerPoint and upload them to this site. We’ve created a private Facebook community where webinar participants can share their thoughts, encouragement and questions with each other. I was able to lift their photos from that social network to use for this slide which I showed the group when describing my ideal clients.
I first had to use PowerPoint in the late 90′s when I was still a computer novice. I went to an ‘expert’ to create my visuals for a program I was giving in Buenos Aires. I was beginning to learn the basics, but definitely needed his help uploading photos, creating transitions, etc. I had zero idea of what I was doing. I remember asking him if it would be possible to make ALL of the backgrounds of the slides black. I was such an amateur. I posed the question with such gravitas, as if I were asking for the password to Fort Knox. The ‘expert’ definitely played his part to the hilt. Rather than truthfully telling me, “Yeah, I just need to press duplicate slide 20 times,” he kind of grunted and groaned as if there were great effort required to make yet another slide background black. Knowing what I know now, I’m blushing at how little I knew.
That’s part of the gratitude. I’ve taken multiple classes over the years to get up to speed on technology. Now, I love going to google and writing in the slot, “how do you do a screen shot on the mac” and having the answer pop right up.
Is there a piece of technology you’ve mastered recently or are particularly grateful for this year? I’d love to know.
This entry could be subtitled, “The Problem With Texting.” Here’s what happened:
I treat myself to a pedicure every couple of months. Not the standard fare of popping into the ubiquitous nail salons in my area, but a high end, highly skilled treatment that really takes care of these bodily extremities and nurtures me as well. My practitioner, a successful business owner, operates her shop solo where she sees one devoted client at a time. She communicates primarily through text messages, which is how I had set up my appointment for last Friday.
Imagine my dismay when I arrived at her salon to find another woman about to dip her feet into the warm, bubbly tub my toes were yearning for. “You’re not expecting me, are you?” I asked, stating the obvious.
My pedicurist looked at me with wonder and said, “No.”
What do you do in 2011 when you believe you’re right and can prove it? I pulled my BlackBerry out of its holster and went directly to her text message that said, “I have anytime on Friday…” Admittedly, this was followed by a couple more phrases which didn’t make sense and I ignored. I texted back, “I’d like 10am on Friday” and put it on my calendar.
Because she’s a savvy business owner, she too has a BlackBerry and also found our correspondence. She looked at it, looked at me, and said, “What I meant to say was I don’t have anytime on Friday.” Human error.
I laughed, had a moment of relief that I wouldn’t have to face the icy parking lot with open-toed shoes, and said good-bye.
I won’t tell you today what transpired. I’m curious to hear what you would have done as the client and the business owner. I’ll post all your comments.
It’s hard to believe that something as uncomfortable and aggravating as frustration could actually be a good thing. But, consider this: frustration may be the indicator that you’re about to learn something new.
It’s one of my least favorite feelings, but as a sole/soul proprietor one that I experience frequently since there’s no water cooler near the desk in my home office where I might find easy access to answers. Google helps a lot, and I have my own personal search engine of colleagues I’ve assembled to go to with specific, un-google-able concerns. I’ve learned to recognize frustration and accept it as part of my growth process.
David Pogue writes about technology for the New York Times and breaks the subject down into bite-sized pieces that I understand. I love his style and humor. I quote him in my 21 Strategies for Growing Your Business talk, because he helped me get a better perspective on my own learning curve.This was written in January, 2002.
The digital age has done wonders for photography. Once you had to take your film to the mall for developing.
But today you can eliminate all that…hassle with little more than a…digital camera, a…printer and a …computer.
Just connect the camera to the computer with a USB cable, copy your multimegabyte JPEG files to the hard drive; open the photos in an image-processing program; rotate and crop each one, adjusting the color; calculate the pixel density and desired output dimensions—and then click on print. What could be simpler?
In 2002 I’m not sure I knew what a USB cable was, let alone pixel density. Now? Piece of cake! Yesterday, I had to ask someone what an “impression” was on facebook. Maybe next year I’ll laugh at my ignorance. The emotion/feeling that comes is frustration–wanting so badly to grasp that which has not yet come into my reach.
I trust that what I need to know will permeate my brain through osmosis and simply being part of the zeitgeist. Plus, I take classes, attend workshops and watch tutorials to acquire the knowledge. I will learn what I need to know.
For now, I respect my frustration, keep moving towards what it is I desire to understand and don’t berate or speak poorly to myself that I’m not there yet. I only experience frustration over things that have meaning and I’m unable to achieve. Moving beyond frustration to understanding and mastery leads to self-esteem.
Like you, I’ve learned so much in my years as an entrepreneur. There’s no finish line that I can see, and I’m very much in the race. Which, I’ve learned, is not to the swift.
I was riveted to every word of the fast-paced and brilliant dialogue in the recently released movie about Facebook entitled The Social Network. I’ve been moaning and groaning about social media, but having experienced this film about the creation of thefacebook (it’s original name; how it got the name changed is a great scene), I am in awe of what was created in a dorm room at Harvard only 5 short years ago and will not moan or groan anymore. I get it now.
Although this is a fictionalized version of Mark Zuckerberg’s rise to fame and notoriety, it relies on enough facts to convey the meteoric spread of the phenomenon he created (or stole). The dismissal of his opponents, the Winkelvoss twins, from Harvard president’s office was one of my favorite scenes.
Mark Zuckerberg’s character never hesitates to edit what is on his mind, no matter how direct or tactless the comment may be. I found myself cheering him on when he chided one of the attorneys who was able to add $18,000 and $1000 and come up with a $19,000 sum. Zuckerberg does not suffer fools lightly.
What the trailer points out, and what is the theme of the movie, is the lengths to which this genius entrepreneur would go to fulfill his human needs for acceptance and attention from a girl and the university’s elite social clubs. In real-life television interviews, Mark Zuckerberg speaks of his mission to get people connected. In the movie version, this desire leads to an affluent, but lonely bottom line.
In coaching, the ultimate question is, What do you really want? From the beginning, the Mark character lets us know that it’s not about the money. In fact, he has become the youngest billionaire ever. It leaves me wondering though. Mark, have you gotten what you really wanted?
