My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
My bad luck won't stop
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Reader, if I were a superstitious person, I would have already given up. Instead, I'm choosing the 'let them' strategy. 🧘♀️ I am a morning coffee person. From 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., you'll find me sipping steaming hot coffee from my favorite insulated cup, which I received for delivering the keynote address at the National Association for Press Women conference last year. I love this mug because the coffee stays hot for hours and has a flip-top that seals tightly. So imagine my surprise last Tuesday when I opened my large work bag to take out my computer. The bottom of the bag was covered in coffee. First, I grabbed my laptop and took it to the kitchen to wipe it with paper towels. It was only a little damp; one half-sheet paper towel cleaned it, and even that wasn't soaked through. Next, I put all my handouts covered in coffee into the trash can and carried the satchel to the kitchen to sop up the remaining coffee. After a little triage to dry the inside of the bag (thank God I love my coffee plain), I powered up my computer and started the 1-hour supervisor training class I was there to deliver. I rushed home to use Zoom for my next meeting. As I breezed through the kitchen, I grabbed a bag of rice from the pantry and poured it into my work bag to help dry the lining. Then, I headed to my office, set my laptop on my work table, and launched Zoom. To my surprise, I received an error message: no camera found. 😭 😱 🤬🤬🤬😭 I quickly switched to my phone for the meeting, completely distracted by the fact that I had a live episode of 'The Story I'm Telling Myself' starting in 90 minutes, and I couldn't run it from my phone. Luckily, the meeting ended 30 minutes early, and I called my tech guy, Dave. He advised I treat the laptop like a phone and submerge it in rice for 24 hours. Little did he know that I had already used the rice in the house to dry out my bag. I also realized there wasn't enough rice to bury the computer like a phone. I needed to run to the GFS to get a restaurant-size bag of rice. (It turns out it is a 25-lb cardboard box and much more affordable than Uncle Ben's.) Adding this extra activity to my already busy day would have to happen after I figured out how to host my live podcast. I retrieved my old laptop, which I hadn't used in over two years. Of course, the first prompt I receive is to run an update, which I comply with. However, after 15 minutes, I was only 12% through the update. 😭 😱 🤬🤬🤬😭 Being an unstoppable woman of great ingenuity, I grabbed my daughter's old Chromebook from her room and texted her for the password. She was in school but still answered my text.🤷♀️ Thank God because she also had to authenticate my access from her phone. I opened up the Chrome browser, typed in Streamyard.com, clicked the log-in link ..... blank screen. I closed and reopened the Chrome browser, typed in Streamyard.com, clicked the log-in link ..... blank screen. 😭 😱 🤬🤬🤬😭 It is now ten minutes before the live event starts, and the screen on my old laptop shows the updates are complete. ☺️ I launch Streamyard, meet my guest patiently waiting for me, and we go on with the show. As soon as we end, I grab the rice and bury my laptop while participating in my virtual mastermind group meeting (good thing all women understand and support multi-tasking). Finally, at 1:30, I head back to the kitchen to make myself so lunch and take a well-deserved break. A few minutes later, my small dog, Emmy, starts making this coughy/wheezing sound, and I think 😭 😱 🤬🤬🤬😭 I walk to my office, and the box with the rice is tipped over. Yes, Emmy decided eating uncooked rice was a good idea. 🤦 I'm telling you Reader, you can't make this $h!t up. 😂😂😂 I move the box out of her reach, grab the vacuum, and then eat my lunch. Emmy is fine. My laptop is fine. I was so stressed out, but I am fine. Reader, I'm sharing this story with you because this is just one of many examples of the hurdles I've faced pursuing my decision to launch a live-broadcast-style podcast this year. I'm not going to lie. Sometimes, when I look at those hurdles, I wonder, " Is the universe telling me to stop?" The conclusion I've reached is that this project brings me joy; it positively impacts others, and belongs in this moment. What I need to let go of is the story in my head that it should be easier or without so many stumbling blocks. The truth is that with each trial I overcome, I practice resilience, ingenuity, and commitment. I'm learning, and I'm showing up for myself. Reader, sometimes showing up for yourself and living your purpose is hard, but as Glennon Doyle says, it is the right kind of hard. What is the right kind of hard in your life? Let me know so I can cheer you on. And if you want to cheer me on, scroll on down and add this week's episodes to your playlist, then invite a friend to do the same. I'm on a mission to help people #ShowUpPositive for themselves. I'd love to have you alongside me. Have an extraordinary week, Join me this week for these live episodesEpisode 13 live stream available through LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube Episode 9 (rescheduled) live stream available through LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube Episode 14 live stream available through LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube Episode 15 live stream available through LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube The Story I’m Telling Myself is for anyone who wants to overcome the limitations of self-doubt and live a life of purpose and fulfillment. Through candid conversations, you'll discover:
Real-life stories of courage and resilience: Gain inspiration from everyday people who overcame their negative self-talk to live a life of purpose and fulfillment. PS - please share this with a friend |
Rita Ernst, Positivity Influencer
My weekly emails are for you if you want a transformational SHOT OF POSITIVITY that makes you think, gets you laughing, and sparks a positive change. Start each week inspired.
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