Self Help and MotivationWritten by Marlene Challis
My name is Marlene Challis. I'm a wife and mother and up until a few years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about computers or business. When we first got a computer, I was afraid to touch keyboard incase I pressed wrong key and it blew up! With guidance of my husband teaching me basics of getting it turned on and playing some games, I finally found my way around. Then we got connected to internet. That was scary trying to work out how "net" worked. I learnt by pressing buttons and figuring things out as I went along. My two daughters gave me some pointers but apart from that, I taught myself everything I know. I have a high school certificate but no college degree and I have no formal computer or business training. When I mastered getting around "net", a whole new world opened up. It was exciting being able to find out information about anything you wanted. I started to use "net" to search for travel specials for our holidays and I booked them online. In 2002, I wanted to do something to contribute to household income. I didn't know what but I loved internet and knew that had to be involved somehow. In November 2002 I registered my first business and I was off and running.
| | Camping SoloWritten by Lynn Cutts
I recently completed my first solo camping trip. Although I've been camping for over 45 years, this was first time I didn't have parents, friends, or a husband alone with me. It was just me, and birds, and bees. And bear, but that's another story. Anyway, as I planned my trip, I found myself getting more and more apprehensive. What if I couldn't . . . pitch tent, light stove, haul water, sleep by myself . . . You name it, I worried about it. I came up with Plan B's and Plan C's and even a few Plan F's. By morning I was supposed to leave, I'd almost "what if-ed" myself out of going. But then I came up with ultimate Plan B: if it got too tough, I could go stay in a motel, or even head home. So I went. And I found it was easier than I expected. I threaded poles into tent, and then got little metal doohickies into tent poles so tent actually stood up. I pounded five out of six tent pegs into rocky ground (bent sixth) using a rock, because I'd forgotten hammer. I hauled water. I coaxed our cranky, thirty-year-old camp stove into working. I split kindling for a campfire I didn't get to have (the bear, again). And at end of two days, as I drove home happy and at peace, I realized I didn't have just one success. I had a whole collection of little ones.
|
