Hello friends!
Over the years, this small business has evolved to what we now practice as Helping Others Pursue Excellence. One way I can do that is by offering quality content based on the lessons I’ve learned, and things I observe. I thought I might try to resurrect the blog a bit, and the idea of calling it Lessons of HOPE came to me.
When I looked up the word “lessons,” it resonated with me because of its multiple layers of meaning. I distilled the following breakdown after looking at a few different sources:
- an amount of teaching given at one time
- a thing learned by experience
- a plan for teaching and learning
- a piece of instruction
- an occurrence or example that serves to warn or encourage
- a passage from the Bible read aloud during a church service.
I felt like it was a great word for the type of education and encouragement I want to continue to offer through H.O.P.E. Unlimited.
So here are a few lessons from each of the four major themes of this company, along with a video message to everyone.
(Can’t see the video? Click here.)
Enjoy!
Holy Living
I was asked by a fellow writer if I would be willing to write a blog post on prayer or refresh something I’ve written in the past. I have this post but decided that was a bit too “administrative” for her purposes. So instead, I wrote some thoughts based on a summer class I took at The River Upstate, Praying for Others: Understanding the Biblical Grounds for Ministering to Others Through Prayer. The post will be coming out in November over at BarbaraLynnSeibel.com. For those of you with a faith practice, I encourage you to check out Barbara’s blog. She sends out a weekly Bible study on Sunday evenings.
Lesson of HOPE: prayer is a conversation with God that involves more than just bringing Him requests.
Organization
I’m a systems person. I like to develop a system for the things I do, sometimes connecting an acronym to them (for example CHORES stands for a series of household chores I want to make sure I do several days a week.) So it’s been a struggle to understand content development in terms of a system. Posting to social media. Adding a video to my YouTube channel. Crafting blog posts. Writing books. What do I do and how often should I do it? Will it be helpful (and potentially provide some leads or income)? I’m still figuring it all out. I’ve been creating content for years and over the past few months have felt some burnout. But slowly, it’s coming back to me. I think it’s going to take being consistent but not rigid. And I’m realizing that creating content is almost as much about me processing things well, using my creative gifts, and nurturing my mental health as much as it is about blessing an audience and making a bit of income from it. I’m sure I’ll be learning more lessons as I stay open to what this season of content creation should mean.
Lesson of HOPE: To paraphrase a quotation I have on my desk, “Good content is clear thinking made visible.” (Original attributed to Bill Wheeler.)
People Skills
Working from home has its disadvantages. I’ve been doing it for several years now, but I miss the “people” side of being in an office. While I’m writing this, I’m sitting in a co-work spot in my town of Fountain Inn, SC and it’s been a needed respite. A friend met me for lunch, and I’ve interacted with some new people (including someone who turns out to be somewhat “prominent” in local circles – that was interesting to discover.) Today has reminded me of the importance of an ambivert like me making sure to balance all my alone time (which I treasure, to a degree) with some time with people IN REAL LIFE!
Lesson of HOPE: Understand where you receive (and give) positive energy. I need to make sure I co-work regularly to keep my people skills sharp.
Enjoying Life
In an attempt to see some foliage, Keith and I and some friends went to Chimney Rock State Park last weekend. We also enjoyed an outdoor concert with Mark Lee (of Third Day) at our friend’s AirBnB, Beds, Bikes, and Beyond. Valerie has a sunflower patch, so I got a photo there with my new “Daughter of the King” shirt from She Who Is. (Use tinyurl.com/bethb1 to shop and code BETHBEUTLER for 15% off!)
While the foliage wasn’t peaking yet (we had a lot of rain recently) it was still a lovely time getting some extra exercise, and seeing some beautiful sites. It’s important to step outside regularly. Being in places like this expands my world, which is important when I spend a lot of time in one place. How do you expand your world? The fourth person who contacts me with an answer will get a little prize sent to them!
Lesson of HOPE: Being in creation/nature reminds me that the world is vast and full of variety. It’s good to step outside my comfort zone and challenge my fitness and vision.
Freebies and Features
Here’s your sheet of hints for every day in November!
Featured Freebie: from the always-available Freebies page is Grumpy or Grateful? This worksheet will help you reflect on things to be thankful for, specifically for your job.
Book News and Deals: Organizing from the Heart, (co-authored with Stephanie Baker and Karina Whisnant) will be free (Kindle version) November 3-7 on Amazon.
Circles of Friendship (Kindle, print-preview version) will have a countdown deal beginning November 10 and going through November 13. The price will start at .99 and rise back up incrementally to its normal $3.00 price by the end.
Circles of Friendship is now available in audiobook form!
I talked about the book on a couple of podcasts (Main Street Author and Fit for Joy) if you’d like to listen.
Service Focus: I offer continuous improvement coaching at the same pricing as virtual assistance (because they often dovetail.) I help you stay motivated in any area of improvement you seek, from your faith journey to getting a handle on your email. Click here to book a free 15-minute conversation about anything you want to talk about!
Thankful for you,
Beth
