A Dress and a Promise
It has been a few days since I last added a post here, but I haven’t just been putting my feet up as I have spent quite a few hours making a posh dress for my daughter to wear to a party.
What has that got to do with Internet Marketing?
Quite a lot.
I began this journey because I was looking for a way to earn money from home so that I could spend more time with my family. I want to be around for them and support them as they move into and through their teenage years.
My daughter was excited about the possibility of wearing a posh dress to the party and spent some time looking on the internet.
I told her that they were far too expensive and I could make her one to measure and no-one else would have one exactly like hers. She just had to choose the pattern and the material and in return I would get to show her how to go about making the dress, from reading the instructions, to carefully laying out the pattern, cutting it out, marking it up and sewing it up with all the different procedures that involved.
Some of those things she has been able to do with my help and guidance and although she has been slower than I would have been, she has had a part in this process. Some of the things I have told her about and shown her, but I have had to do for her.
Some of the things I have found a little difficult because it is a while since I last did any dressmaking and have had to redo because I made a mistake.
So I see lots of similarities in this journey we are making. We need the help and support of those who have more experience to help us choose the right pattern and material for us. We have to learn the processes required and sometimes we will need others to do things for us.
But ultimately it will be made to measure because it is ours, not anyone else’s. We may make mistakes and have to go back and redo it and it probably won’t be perfect.
But that is not what we are looking for.
When we go out in public we want to feel like a million dollars (we hope to make them too eventually!). My daughter looked it and I’m sure she felt it.
That’s what I want to feel too. Pride in what I have achieved, however long it takes, but knowing that interwoven in what I have produced are the skills and knowledge of countless others who have been willing to help. Thank you for that.
And the promise?
I promised my daughter that I would make this dress for her. She was worried that it wouldn’t be finished in time. We managed it with half and hour to spare.
Our priorities are important. Let’s make sure that we get them right and be prepared to change them as we need to.
I have lots of promises to make about what I am going to do this year.
Some I have already posted on Gary Simpson’s and Garry Parkes’ blogs so that I am accountable to others. I will post other promises here another time, but for now I wanted you to know that we are all unique. We are crafting what fits us as individuals with support from so many others. We just need to commit to something and carry it through even when things don’t go right. In the end we can perhaps look and feel those million dollars (or at least some of them).
Hilary,
That was a truly awesome post. What a wonderful lesson for your daughter too. I would have sewn a small tag in the bottom hemline that said: “Exclusive Hilz Design.” That would have made all the snobby-noses green with envy.
Good lesson, great discipline, great teaching here.
Gary Simpson
Gary SIMPSON’s last blog post..Internet Marketing – F500 Statistical Breakdown – the Road Ahead
Hi Hilary
I wanted to make sure to thank you for your kind words you wrote the other day at Garry Parkes’ blog in response to my comment. There have been days (as I struggled with all those technical issues with blog set up) that I wanted to give up. And to see how others blogs are so advanced just discouraged me even more. But you and Garry are right. The little that I have done is still so much more than so many others have done. I feel that with all my struggle, at some point soon I will be in a position of paving the way for so many others and THAT is very motivating to me.
So thanks again. And speaking of support, I would like to add you to my blog list (and vice versa if you’d like) upon your approval. Please let me know!
Have a wonderly prosperous 2009!
Ramona.
http://www.marketingbeyondbelief.com
Ramona Andreacchi’s last blog post..The Profit Pulling Project
Hi Gary
Thanks for stopping by. I feel that it is so important to be ourselves on this journey and to relate things to our own lives and experiences which is why what we are doing should be made to measure to fit us, not a copy of someone else’s work.
This is what I have been doing over the past few days, so like your palm trees these things are important to us and therefore we can be truthful about things. Fakes can be easily spotted.
Ramona
This is also true for you too – I’m so glad that my comment helped you because there are times I have felt like that too. If I can help you in any way – and I keep getting small victories in my learning curve – I am more than happy to pass them on.
I’ll add you to my blogroll and pop over to your blog in a while.
Hilary
Hi Hilary!
Wow, that was a great post! You made a great analogy between the dress and your internet marketing business. (That is a very pretty dress! I am sure your daughter was the envy of all the girls at the party.) It sounds like to me you are well on your way to success. You have your priorities right, your plan set, and you have set them in motion! You go girl! 🙂
See you in the webinars!
Beth
Beth McDuffie’s last blog post..Happy New Year!
Hi Hillary,
I came over from Alan’s site. I just wanted to get a peek at your sidebar issue.
I don’t know how to fix it, but I have seen the problem when I try to change themes.
Valerie at http://daybydaymarketing.com has the same theme as you and it looks like she has the problem.
If your not in love with your theme, maybe you could pick a different one.
Good luck,
Mrs Renee Olson
http://www.marketingwithrenee.com
PS Is that a plugin, that shows my last post?
Mrs Renee Olson’s last blog post..I Refuse to be a Slave to the Internet – Here’s the Plan
Hilary,
This is a great post and a fantastic analogy to what we are doing here with Alex. The learning of new skills,the benefits that experience brings to us as well as the uniqueness of the final product all are things that you carry from one area to the next. These are the tools which will build your foundation for success. Keep blogging!
Ken
http://www.kennethdouglas.com/blog
PS Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the comments you made there.
Ken’s last blog post..Quick, useful videos…….
Hilary,
I forgot to mention….. a good HTML tutorial site can be found by entering http://www.pageresource.com in google. It is where I have gone to wander my way through dealing with HTML issues.
Ken
Ken’s last blog post..Quick, useful videos…….
Hi Hilary,
Wow, I think you already exude all the right qualities that is necessary to start a online business and become super successful.
You clearly demonstrate that when you have a target or an aim, you will do all can in your might to reach it. That is some determinational drive. Go You!!!
All the best
Nigel
Hilary,
What a great post. I have to admit that I actually had chills reading it. I agree with what everyone is saying here, you absolutely have the qualities to succeed and the want and know how to help others around you succeed.
You have done in one creative idea and process what most people in our society don’t even have a clue about. We want our children to become independent and to be strong but we are not willing to let them learn by doing. We let them learn from listening and from seeing but we don’t allow them to learn by doing.. You even allowed yourself to be human in front of your daughter by making a mistake, taking responsibility for that mistake and then re-doing the work so it was right.
I also think the promise was important for both you and your daughter. You told her you were going to finish the dress, by the deadline (Setting a S.M.A.R.T. Goal) and that she was going to be a large part of making the dress (Goal) a reality. I also commend you for keeping her involved when, as you stated, there were times when she moved much slower than you would. Most people today would have taken over the project and finished it without the input of the other person. When we delegate and then take back, we are doing much more harm than good. We learn more and become stronger individuals by doing and, Dare I Say, sometimes even failing. In my life I have learned so much more by failing, getting back up, brushing myself off and trying again then I have ever learned from someone just showing my how to do it.
I know my post looks at the relationship between you and your daughter, and I do understand the correlation between the dress and Internet Marketing. When I see someone like you doing what is right for family and for our community as a whole I have to speak up and say “WAY To GO”.
Have a great day and the Dress looks spectacular
Thom
Thom Swartwood’s last blog post..Planning for 2009
Hilary,
Wanted to stop by and let you know what Garry Parkes’s Profit Pulling Project Newsletter is out and it really, really good. Take a look.
I downloaded it this morning and devoured it is no time at all and after I did that I had to write a post on my Blog about it. I am now on a quest to yell it to the world. It is great..
Please let your readers know about it.
Thanks again for the great post this morning. I really enjoyed it. Hope my post was not to long or too off target.
Thanks again for visiting my place and leaving great feedback
Have a great day
Thom
http://www.thomswartwood.com
Thom Swartwood’s last blog post..Garry Parkes and the Profit Pulling Project
Whoops, I’m sorry I haven’t answered your replies straight away, but thanks for all the lovely comments.
Beth As you say it is down to setting priorities and getting going with them. I know what is important to me and although it might take me longer than other people I do have ‘stickability’ That way we can work through the difficulties and come out the other side. (And yes, my daughter looked great!)
Renee Thanks for your suggestion. I know that Valerie has the same theme (great minds think alike!). Alan Neath has really kindly fixed the problem for me and as you can see I am now up and running. I’ll pop over to see if Valerie still has the same problem and point her in Alan’s direction.
Hilary
Ken I’m glad you like the analogy. I know that there are many men in the group and I wondered whether a more ‘feminine’ subject might put them off reading further, but this blog is about me and my life and I did feel that the message was relevant to everyone, so thanks for letting me know that.
Thanks also for leaving me the page resource link. I also saw that you had mentioned it on the Gazz man’s blog, so I have been over and had the first look at it. Plenty to keep me occupied there.
My husband taught himself some HTML a few years ago and is amazed to see me dabbling in it, so he has helped me to download an html editor he uses, so hopefully I can go from strength to strength.
Nigel. Thanks for your comments too. We all need a boost from others to know that we are going in the right direction and that is what this group is so good at. I WILL get there!
Hilary
Thom Two great posts and you mentioned me on Garry Parkes’ blog! Thanks.
As I said to Ken, I wasn’t sure if men would want to read my post, but it seems to have struck a chord, so again thanks for your reply.
Our children are our future and I like all parents I have made mistakes, but I so want to be able to teach my children that life can be really good and to learn the important skills.
I see so many of my students who have had a difficult time growing up for a variety of reasons and if I can just make a small difference to one of them, then I believe that I have helped as a teacher, but also as an adult. That’s what gives me a buzz in what I do and I want to bring that across into my IM work too.
I believe that we need to and have to learn through failure and moving on – as Alex Jeffreys says ‘to fail forward fast’. I want to teach my children that too.
I’m sorry I hadn’t answered your first post by the time you came back and left the second – it is often quite late in the evening before I get a chance to get on with what I am doing here.
Yes I’ve been and looked at the second Profit Pulling Project newsletter and left Garry a comment along the lines of we have a banquet of great information and I can’t eat it all at once, but I’m getting through it in small bites…!
I shall go back and have another look at it hopefully tomorrow before Alex’s next session, and I also need to make a new post but that will have to wait as well – I need some sleep now!
And no, your post was not too long or off target. I really enjoyed reading it and showed it to my husband as well. Do carry on writing like that. You are a good support! Thanks.
Hilary
Hilary,
I am glad you found the site useful. I know for me finding it when I did was like finding gold.
Ken
Ken Douglas’s last blog post..Are You Marketing or Selling?
Hi Hilary,
I really love this post. Nice posh dress you made for your daughter and it’s sure A cool million dress. I am sure your daughter was the envy girl at the party.
What a great analogy between your online business and the dress. I am sure you have the right atitude, plans and action to make this your most successful in online business.
Keep in touch, Hilary.
I will be following your progress.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey
http://jeffreyblogonline.com
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-set-up-a-blog-and-monetize-your-blog
jeffrey dibble’s last blog post..Review Of Dec 2008 And New Year Online Business Marketing Goals Resolution For 2009
Hi Jeffrey
Thanks for your comment. As I said using analogies is a great way of getting a message across in a different way that might just spark someone’s imagination.
A picture – be it literal or made with words – can say so much more than words alone.
I try to work hard on my plans and keep moving forward, but I do have so many other things to do that it is not always possible to devote the time I would like to to this business.
However, as I have written on your blog we must all be true to ourselves and try to do the best we can. We must not compare ourselves with others as we are all different, but be who we are and do what we can.
That way we can know that we have made that effort, not someone else.
Hilary
Hi Hilary
Hope your daughter enjoyed the party and as everyone has said, good analogy. I’m a fair bit behind everyone else as my learning curve is very steep! Slow but sure, that’s my motto.
Wendy
Wendy Wood’s last blog post..Generating Traffic (1) – Article Marketing
Hi Hilary,
That was a really great post, I enjoyed reading imensely. By the way I love the dress, your daughter must be thrilled with it. To be doing what you are online and acheive something like this is amazing.
I thought last night was great didn’t you? Just have to work out how to make a video now. A challenge but an exciting one!
Thanks for popping over to our blog, your comments are appriciated.
Can’t wait for tonight.
Becky
http://www.ianandbeckycarteronline.com
Becky Carter’s last blog post..How to Embed a Video on Your Blog
Hi Hillary:
My wife graciously allowed me to be the stay at home dad for our youngest two (now 13 and 5). Wow-Needless to say, that changed my view of the world-An opportunity that most men just do not have. It’s the everyday life lessons that we dispense and hope make an important impact upon our children’s lives that they, then, take with them into adulthood. I know in my heart that I will never have to say, “Gee, I wish I had spent more time with my children”. They’re really great kids, and I’d like to think that, perhaps, that’s the reason why.
The ocean view photo in your “About Me” page-Is that of particular significance? Oh, please don’t tell me it’s the view off your back porch-I’d be so jealous…
Oh yes, thanks for putting me on your blogroll. I don’t ask anyone to put me on. I feel that if someone feels there’s merit to your posts or blog, they will. I guess that’s why I’m not on very many-I don’t ask. That whole “link issue” put me off of the whole idea. But I guess many are now using the “no-follow” plug in?
Take care,
Denis
Wendy
I do know how you feel about the steep learning curve and the slow route forward. But I still think about the fable of the hare and the tortoise. The main thing is that we are still moving forward. Just keep going!
Becky
Thanks for your comment – the dress looked great on her and although I would love to put a picture of her wearing it on her, I don’t think that is appropriate at the moment.
I loved Maria’s session last night and she really inspired me. I want to go on and get my video going, though it’s one of the many things I need to do. So much to do, so little time!
Denis
It’s great that you have had the opportunity to be at home with your children. It just seems to be that they grow up so quickly and it is important to be there for them, even if we can’t do everything they want at the time they want.
The ocean view on my about me page is of Felixstowe with the docks in the background was taken just after Christmas and inspired me to reach high with the support from the other students.
It was actually a response from my comment on Gary Simpson’s blog my response Dec 28th at 9.07pm at http//motivationselfesteem.com/talk/339/building-a-list-you-wanna-hear-something-stupid.htm
I need to rearrange the photos on that page – they were the first I put up and they didn’t quite come out as I planned. Another thing on my to do list!
No need to be jealous – it’s actually a 40 min drive from home and is of the Port of Felixstowe!
I put you on my blogroll because I had contact with you. That’s how I am trying to do it now.
I haven’t put the no follow plug in on yet but Alex this evening has told us that he doesn’t think that this is a huge problem, so I’m not too worried about it at the moment. I have enough else to do (like trying to get my next post finished and up on this blog).
Hilary
Hi Hils,
Just to be safe I would get that “no-follow” plug in installed. I have. I feel better now. When Google attacks it just wipes people off the face of the earth – no explanation. I heard Alex say what he said on Module #5 too but his SEO expert doesn’t know what Google will do. Allegedly nobody does. better to be safe than sorry.
Just a few comments…
Thom Swartwood is a guy worth listening to. He has been baptised by the fire of ongoing personal battle. He knows what I mean.
Denis – I have to apologize. I have been meaning to get you on that darn blogeroo. The day I went to do it your site was going all wong-fong. Then a couple of days later it was still mis-behaving. I’m gonna check it out soon and if it is working properly I’ll leave a “deposit” (LOL) and whack you up on the blogeroo.
Regards to all here – it is becoming a very valuable place!
Gary SIMPSON
Gary SIMPSON’s last blog post..Alex Jeffreys Internet Marketing Coaching Course Module 5 – Traffic Tornados!
Hi Gary
Thanks for that proverbial kick – I’ve got on and installed no-follow. I hope that I have done it correctly and have applied it to all the links on my blogrolls.
Had a look at Thom’s site and commented on his first video – I think I’d better go and download Nigel Yip’s ebook about making a video so that I can start work on mine.
Hilary
Hilary,
Nigel’s book is an excellent reference. Upon reading it I felt that I would be able to create a simple video by following his step by step outline. I am not as far along with my video as I would like to be but thanks to Nigel I do not fear the process as I once did.
Ken
Ken Douglas’s last blog post..HELP FOR NEWBIES
Hi Hilary,
This post really spoke to me. Sometimes I get discouraged looking at how so many of my fellow students have just taken off … such talent.
Your post just puts it into perfect perspective. This is my journey and it will be traveled at my pace. Comparing just ends up in disappointment, so here’s to all of us recognizing it’s our own personal journey to take.
Thanks again,
Debbie
Hi Debbie
It is easy to get discouraged by the fact that others seem to be doing so much more than we are.
But we are doing so well – we have come so far in that time and I’m proud of what I have done. That’s what I keep doing as I plan to be a winner.
By the way you are my 100th comment on my blog – I know some people get that in a day but it is a milestone for me so thanks for your comment!
Hilary