While reading through my blog links, (something I haven’t done for more than 2 years now), I came across the perfect challenge. Apparently it takes 10 000 hours to be considered a world-class master at something.

Before I go into the details I have to say I miss creating and being creative and really feel that if I am going to be true to myself I need to cultivate the discipline to find what I’m really good at. I have replaced creative time with TV – ‘Bad Kerry’ – and desperately want to change this bad habit.

Cue 10KH Project

Details can be found here, but I would prefer to go into how I am going to make this a reality.

1. Pick a project

• Having given this relative thought I have decided on Orangebloom@Home, which will focus on all things homely, e.g. baking, home furnishings, crafts etc.
• I will work on at least one new project every week.

2. Blog about it

• Part of my 10K hours I will create a new Blog called Orangebloom@Home to record my journey.

3. Track Progress

• I will be using Daily Tracker on my iPhone to track my progress and record how many hours I have spent on my projects.

4. GO!

• Starting… NOW!

I have recently completed the MBTI to make a better career choice and have found out that I am an INFP (Introversion, Intution, Feeling, Perceiving). As an INFP, career satisfaction means doing work that:

• Is in harmony with my own personal values and beliefs and allows me to express my vision through my work.
• Gives me time to develop substantial depth on my ideas and maintain control over the process and product.
• Is done autonomously, with a private work space, and plenty of uninterrupted time, but with periodic opportunities to bounce my ideas off people I feel respect me.
• Is done within a flexible structure, with a minimum of rules or regulations, letting me work on projects when I feel inspired.
• Is done with other creative and caring individuals in a cooperative environment free from tension and interpersonal strife.
• Lets me express my originality and in which personal growth is encouraged and rewarded.
• Doesn’t require me to present my work frequently in front of groups of people or be called upon to share before it is completed to my satisfaction.
• Allows me to help others grow and develop and realise their full potential.
• Involves understanding people and discovering what makes them tick, allows me to develop deep one to one relationships with others.
• Allows me to work towards fulfilling my ideas and not be limited by political, financial or other obstacles.

This has really helped me to understand why I like working on some projects and not on others.

Here’s what I have learnt:

• Have an area of expertise and in-depth knowledge where you can focus on doing things in a way that is right for you. You are willing to put in the time and effort to get a deep understanding of a subject. (Specialist)
• Have sufficient time to work without interruption, thus allowing you time to concentrate. It is not to say that you don’t want to work with others, but you do need some time to yourself.  You are likely to prefer communication by writing and structured communication with others. You have an ability to concentrate and focus on a piece of work, without getting distracted. (Introvert)
• Can see quick results and where you can generate solutions that focus on the here and now rather than the long term, such as found in musical performances, and newspaper reporting and accountancy. (Time Frame Orientation)
• Have some stability and some variety in your work. You will enjoy fast paced problem solving, but not all the time, and will prefer it within established guidelines.  You are able to solve problems in a logical and linear way, particularly in familiar areas.  (Classification)
• Have some opportunity to solve problems in a logical and linear way when it is in a familiar subject. (Concept Organisation)
• Have some opportunity to come up with ideas and look for imaginative ways of working such as in an advertising department, as a teacher or some types of journalism or sales. (Idea Productivity)
• Have practical and direct contact with people or a problem such as in law, accountancy, and management or non crisis counselling. (Spatial Relations Theory)
• Function more easily in advising, consulting, and counseling roles. You can think of alternatives and formulate different ways of saying things so that people can understand your ideas. (Spatial Relations Visualisation)

You may also benefit from a career that requires you to

• Review and correct documents, juggle vast amounts of paperwork as well as for bookkeeping and data entry tasks. (Visual Speed and Accuracy)
• Don’t forget you have a need for physical activity in your work, either an active job or a chance to move about during the day. You will not want to sit still for long periods. (Rhythm Memory)

I haven’t figured out what all this means to me yet…

Three things I am grateful for:

1. My super supportive husband – David
2. Having the opportunity to seek a job that I will enjoy
3. My health and the ability to actually work, there are so many people out there who are just not able to work who may not have the opportunities or who have disabilities

Reason to get out of bed tomorrow:

• The opportunity to finish reading Denise’s next book ‘Now you’ve been shortlisted‘ so that I can write a review that might be used to promote the book. (I wrote my first Amazon book review recently)
• The chance to blog and report on day 2 tomorrow
• The facility to Skype my family in South Africa tomorrow evening
• Call with Denise at 7pm to discuss moving forward in my career search

‘Til tomorrow…

I am following the 28 day programme that is recommended in the book.

Wow, how things have changed.

This week I have been thinking more and more about blogging and how much I enjoy it. I want to do more though…

I have so many thoughts and ideas, but I am supposed to be studying for my dentistry certificate!

I think I want to start a new blog…

In celebration of my 100th post, I would like to reflect on a few posts. But, firstly I have to say that I am thoroughly enjoying this journey. I look forward to writing posts and the whole blogging process has been greatly beneficial.

1. My a-block-a-week project has been put on hold, due to us moving to the UK and wanting to take a little as possible with us, but as soon as we are settled I will be back to my obsessive knitting habits…
2. In June I made some birthday resolutions and this is how I have been doing…

• I have not been going to yoga and I feel terrible about it! I know that I should have been more strict on myself with this one… In England I will make a conserted effort to get back on track.
• I did not enrol in the magazine journalism course for a few reasons, but I will be doing a freelance writing course in London from 10 January 2009.
• I have dramatically increased my water intake and this was confirmed yesterday by my homeopath.
• I have worked on my Orangebloom brand as promised and plan to start a handmade range once settled in England.

So all in all I didn’t do very well, but at least it’s on my radar and I have a plan to get back on track.

3. My sewing machine is now fixed, I am giving it to my sister, as it is not practical to take it with me to.

4. Pay it forward, I still have 8 months to complete this task, so watch this space…

5. Handmade network – I did a few chalenges and then stopped, it wasn’t for me, I didn’t enjoy it…

• Photography – even though I have a keen interest and my Dad is a photographer, I just can’t seem to get my shots perfect. I have built a light box (note to self: do a post on this) and have really been trying!
• Etsy Shop – I would love to have a beautiful and successful Etsy shop. I have done some planning, but when we are settled in England, this will become a main focus area.

I have acheived quite a bit with this blog, but I have some big plans for the future, thank you for reading my ramblings…

Ps. I love to hear from you, so leave a comment, if you’d like…

I TWITTER!!!!!

I was quite sceptical in a previous post, but I thought that I couldn’t knock it, until I’ve tried it.

But, I promise not to tweet about what I am having for lunch or my every move, it’s strictly for marketing purposes only.

So, if you’d like you can follow me, just click on the badge below:

I have never been a social butterfly. The mere thought of having to go to functions, where everyone in attendance is dipping stale biscuits into bad coffee and filling the room with their schmoozing sales pitch, is definitely ‘cringe-worthy’. Oh, and don’t forget about the lame exercise of collecting business cards from companies that you’ll never use…

I’m sure the sign on my forehead that says “I’d rather be knitting”, must be a dead giveaway as to how much I enjoy ‘networking’ – which puts me in a predicament.

I am not a natural sales person and find it difficult to network, but I need to promote my new freelance copywriting business to gain contacts and potential business leads. Because after all, it’s not only what you know, it’s, more importantly, who you know, that makes the difference between success and failure.

So, maybe I am looking at this whole networking thing the wrong way? Where do I go to find answers? Google, of course! She knows everything, because after all only a woman could be that clever.

During my research I found that it seems that the secret to networking success is:

Engage in conversations that lead to mutually beneficial business relationships.

Okay, so now that I know the secret, how do I find unique ways to start conversations? Well, firstly I need a story. How did I get into copywriting? What lit the fire? How did my business start?

My Story

Without going into too much detail, here it goes:

Being curious (a polite word for nosey) in nature I read a lot. Anything from books to blogs will do. While studying and working in marketing, I was bestowed with the task of writing press releases and articles for the company I worked for. Soon I was proof reading for others and editing the internal magazine (for which I received an international award).

People were always asking, “Kerry, how do you spell…” “Kerry, what’s the best way to say…”

I then began writing for the web and I quickly learnt Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques that enhance a website’s ranking on search engines. During this process my personal blog was born. I write for Orangebloom almost daily and without even realising it, I found my passion. I love to write!

My husband and I decided to relocate to the UK. So, I took the opportunity to start freelancing and the journey began…

Starting Conversations

One of the best ways to engage in debate and get a conversation started is to blog. Content is king, so write valuable posts that people will want to read. Try to blog as often as possible, but make sure that it is valuable information that people will want to read.

Write articles that share your expertise and add value for the reader. Submit these articles to websites for publication, usually they offer a footer where you could display your contact details and website. Giving of your knowledge will definitely prove to be beneficial to you and the reader. It’s an excellent way to get your name ‘out there’ – so to speak.

Live your brand by telling everyone you know about what you do and how you could add value. You may be surprised by the way ‘word of mouth’ works. It’s the most trusted form of advertising and what’s best of all, it’s free. So, talk the talk.

Social networks can be great, if used correctly. So, get LinkedIn, start a Facebook page, Twitter, and many more. They can be great places to get your message across, but be careful not to spam people, it will cause more harm than good.

Conclusion

• I need to put a plan in place, which will help me find the right people to start conversations with. A plan will produce results more quickly.

• Networking is about systematically & patiently cultivating relationships that grow into business opportunities. It takes time.

Share your business networking ideas with me…