Today I turned in my third Business Watch column at the newspaper. This is notable for two reasons:
1. Now that I’ve done three of them I can almost convince myself that it’s not a fluke and they’ll keep letting me do it. 🙂
2. I was an absolute maniac the first two weeks. In the 24 hours before I turned in the column I was haunted by thoughts like “I can’t do this!” Something about not living up to someone else’s expectations was getting triggered big time. This week I didn’t have any of that. I knew that I could do it and I did it with a minimum of fuss and drama. In fact, I actually had a really good time doing it this week! Yippee!
And to solidify all of that, the Universe gifted me with a lovely compliment from my editor about how well the column was written. I was thrilled.
In related news…I can’t believe how many people really pay attention to this column! A lot of people had told me that this is the most-read column in the Caledonian Record, but it was hard for me to believe. It comes out on a Saturday, after all!
But I’ve been stunned by the number of people who are telling me that they read this column religiously on Saturdays. People I haven’t met before now know my name when I call them on the phone. People I haven’t talked to in years are popping back up in my life and telling me they saw my name and picture and they love the column. It’s kind of a hoot!
Another thing that working at the newspaper is doing for me is forcing me to confront one of my old boundaries of discomfort – cold-calling people I don’t know. It’s always been something I’ve dreaded…which is not a good trait for an entrepreneur who wants to become a public figure. Reaching out to make connections needs to be something I’m really comfortable with. So now the Universe has placed me in a position where I’m forced to do exactly what has scared me. I still have to gather my wits before I pick up the phone, but it’s getting better and better.
So to recap – I’m doing something new and it’s going well; my name recognition is growing in my corner of the world; and I’m overcoming a fear that has always hampered me as a business person.
I’d say all in all, the job at the paper (and the Business Watch column specifically) is a pretty darn tootin’ good thing for me! 🙂 And it all came out of wanting to get out of my home office for a few hours a week. Who knew?!?
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