Perspectives

I was informed that my post didn’t come into the email correctly. I apologize for that error and hope you enjoy the entire blog! Please excuse the additional email crowding your InBox.

As you well know, we haven’t talked in awhile. Actually, the last blog was August 13, 2010. You were probably thinking, “Did Vickie fall off the face of the earth?” The answer is, “Almost!”

I’ve been very sick. I suffer from chronic pancreatitis and during the past six years, it’s become more intense and more frequent. Between August and December 2010, I was admitted to the hospital three times. During the time I wasn’t in the hospital, I was home, sick in bed. For those of you who don’t know much about pancreatitis, it can hit without warning, it can make you weak quickly, and the pain is almost unbearable. My condition got so bad that I didn’t know from one day to the next if I would be able to get out of bed. After much prayer, I decided that any energy I had needed to be put toward getting my health back. So I made the decision to close my businesses. It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made, as I absolutely love what I do. Being able to mentor filled a void in me that I never knew existed.

For the first few weeks, I was deeply depressed. I wondered why me, I wondered how I could change this. Then I received an email that changed things for me. It was from my writing mentor, Donna Kozik, and she was starting on a new book called “The Gratitude Book Project: Celebrating 365 Days of Gratitude“. And I realized I had been looking at my illness totally wrong. Instead of asking “why,” I started thinking of all the great things that had happened because of my pancreatitis. Below is what I wrote, which has now been published as part of Donna’s newest book.

You asked, “What are you most grateful for?” My answer is probably different from many others because one of the things I am most grateful for is having a chronic illness.

Five years ago, I began to have problems which eventually led to quitting the corporate world. I searched for the reason why this happened and as the time went on, I received my answer.

My pancreatitis has allowed me to take charge of my life by working from home and watching my grandbabies whenever I want. It has allowed me to write my first book. And it has allowed me to travel, both personally and professionally.

My chronic illness made me look outside the box and find new ways of achieving success. It has allowed me to see the gifts I bring to this world and to be able to use them.

I am grateful for my chronic pancreatitis because it has made me a stronger woman. I start each day with excitement and passion because I am doing the work I love! Do I have down days? Absolutely! But I know those days don’t define me and neither does my illness. I choose a life filled with passion.

Writing that helped me tremendously. I focused on getting better and “looking outside the box” for keys to my health. I had surgery in January 2011 which I believe has been very successful. I’ve been sick approximately five times this year, but I have yet to be hospitalized. That in itself is better than last year. So I am very hopeful. Now that I’m feeling better, I’ve decided to begin working in small amounts. I still have to concentrate on my health, but I’m now strong enough to work a bit. So my first jobs are to reach out to my friends via my blogs and newsletters. I enjoy writing so this was a natural first course.

I look forward to reconnecting with all of you. Email me with any questions you might have and I will be happy to answer them privately – or build a newsletter or blog around those topics. I’m not able to reopen my businesses yet, but at least we can all keep in touch. I’d love to hear what’s been happening in your lives.

Vickie

I really love hearing about the success of my colleagues.

As most of you know, I am a mentor and a virtual assistant. I have to say that I am so blessed to be part of the VA industry. It’s been amazing to be able to do what I love to do – and make money at it. Most of the time, I don’t feel like I’m even working because my days are filled with ideal clients and work that I love. And the VA industry has been very good to me. My colleagues are very professional and love learning new things. Because of their thirst for knowledge, I too have been able to learn. Not only is there a vast array of education for virtual assistants available, but my peers love to share their knowledge. So things that my fellow VAs learn is being passed on to me. Because of this, I feel a deep gratitude for my colleagues. And I try to return the favor by sharing as much information as I can – and in giving plugs for them as often as I can.

That’s one way that blogs come into play. I love writing and it’s great to be able to write about the accomplishments of those I admire. I not only (hopefully) gain a larger following, but I am able to introduce my followers to new people they may not know.

Today I want to talk about some really exciting news from one of my newest VA friends, Alyssa Gregory. Her company is Avertua, LLC and she is an amazing VA. She does a lot of training and has real passion for other virtual assistants and how they can be their best. So I was really happy when Alyssa told us she had been chosen as the Small Business Information Guide on About.com.

About.com is one of the largest producers of original content on the Web. This will be a great opportunity for Alyssa to continue her passions of writing, sharing and learning about small business. She will also use it to plug virtual assistance whenever appropriate. And trust me, when an expert like Alyssa uses the opportunity to discuss our industry, it’s a great opportunity for all virtual assistants.

So – to Alyssa – congratulations! You are going to be great as a new addition to About.com. You are an amazing writer and they will be happy they chose you. I am proud to call you friend! For those of you who don’t know Alyssa, take some time to read about her and stop at her website to say hello. You will be glad you did.

Vickie

As you know by now, my book was finally published (“What’s Love Got To Do With It: How to Have the Perfect VA-Client Relationship” – check it out at www.createspace.com/3448474). I started this process about a year ago – and finally am seeing the results. And I have realized something – starting the book isn’t the end; writing the book isn’t the end; editing and formatting the book isn’t the end. You have to get it out there to see the results of your labor. There are several options to get it published and I’d like to talk about the one I chose – self-publishing.

There are several factors to consider when deciding how to get your book out to the masses. They could include: what is your goal? Do you want to use your book as a form of passive income? Do you want your book to become your “signature?” Do you want it to be seen by as many people as possible? Or do you have a specific target market you are looking at? The answers to these questions can help you decide whether to self-publish or not.

I decided what I wanted to do was to get some new information out to my industry and my clients. I also decided that because it was a specific niche, I didn’t need to spend a ton of money getting it out to the people who would benefit most. One of the great things about self-publishing is that you don’t have to choose to have a specific amount of books printed. Each book is printed on demand.

I decided on a company called CreateSpace. One of the reasons I chose them was that my dear friend, Andrea Howe, used them to publish her book. As we all know, there is nothing better than a referral from a friend. So that went a long way toward my decision. Another reason was that they are very user-friendly. It was so easy to go to their website and create an account. Once I did that, it was just a matter of uploading the PDF files to my account.

They did a good job of explaining their process. They also had an extensive Help section, with different categories according to the type of media you are using. Some of the benefits of their site include a Preview Gallery, where you upload portions of your product to be reviewed by members of the community; a Community which is basically a forum to ask questions, make comments, and get general help; and they provide as much (or as little) help in getting the actual book done as possible. You can choose templates for your book design and they also provide editing and marketing services. You also have the choice to have the book populated on just a few sites (such as the CreateSpace site and amazon.com) or through many additional distribution channels.

Basically, here are the steps toward self-publishing. First, get yourself an ISBN. Because I had 3 colleagues who were also interested in writing books, we went in together and bought 10 for a really good price. If you don’t have that option, you can also have CreateSpace get your ISBN for you (another nice benefit of theirs). Once I finished writing my book, using a template from Donna Kozik’s Write a Book in a Weekend course (check it out at https://donnakozik.infusionsoft.com/go/wab-writewithdonna/vturley), I had a colleague who specializes in assisting authors do the editing. I then used another colleague who specializes in graphics to create my graphics and do the actual formatting. Once I reviewed the book for a final time, all that was left to do was create the title in CreateSpace, answer a few questions that tells them where to populate the book (category, etc), then upload the files to my account. The company then reviews the files and sends messages as to any changes that may need to be made. If there aren’t any, you are ready to order a proof.

Obviously, self-publishing is only one option and may not be the best for you. But if you decide it is the way to go, I highly recommend using CreateSpace. Not only are they user-friendly and have many benefits, their royalties are very high. Once you have approved the Proof copy, your book is given a link for people to order directly from CreateSpace (which provides the highest royalty) and is then populated to amazon.com. All you have to do is sit back and enjoy watching your sales.

Vickie