Nice Try!

We made through another month. I hope you were able to start your "Things I Want to Try" list. And, I hope you were able to try at least one new thing; even if the one thing didn't turn out to be what you originally intended. That was the case with me, and I celebrate what I accomplished.

Also, congrats to Pat D. who tried a new healthier eating regimen and attitude. She has successfully lost a few inches and, hopefully, a few stressors.

NICE TRY EVERYONE!! 

What Have You Tried So Far?

We are approaching the middle of the month and I confess that I haven't made much progress on the things I said I wanted to try from my last post. However, I have added something else to my list of "Things I Want to Try" -- Try being a better blogger and increase my blogging frequency.

The benefits of blogging continue to be proven time and time again for businesses of all sizes. I even took an online class to refresh my knowledge of and gain new best practices on blogging for the occasional blogger or even the novice. Here are a few:

- Produce content that has value.

The bottom line is that a blog is a value-creation tool for your readers or customers. Give them content that is useful.

- Keep your blog layout uncluttered and functional.

Don't over-complicate the layout. Two-column blogs are the most common with a header and sidebar. In addition to branding information, leverage the header with navigation buttons like "Contact Us" or "How to Subscribe".

- Always address commenters by first name.

When responding to a comment, keep the personal touch by using the person's first name.

- Don't start blogging if you can't blog regularly.

The worst thing you can do is start blogging and fail to maintain it.

(I'm telling on myself now. If you look back at the dates of my blog posts, you can see that I am guilty of that; but I'm changing that THIS MONTH.)

So, while I've not yet done what I initially said I was going to try; I am succeeding at trying something new. What have you tried this month?

________________

Want to take the online course "How to Blog Effectively for Business" with professors Ann Handley and Mark Collier? Check out the video below.

How to Blog Effectively for Business (GF101)

Commit to Try

I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.
Nikki Giovanni





(I sent this message to the Executive Committee of my college alumnae association and wanted to share it here, as well.)

As we begin the second month of this new year I hope you have already logged many things into your journal of “Things to be Thankful For”. This month, I encourage you to take some time to create another journal—a “Things I Want to Try” journal. We all have them—things we’ve always wanted to do, or try to do, but haven’t quite gotten to them yet. Let’s commit to starting at least one of those things in February—start learning a new language, volunteer to work on a political campaign, write a page of a book, take one dance lesson, sign up for one cooking class... I know we are all SUPER busy, so just commit to try.


What is your one thing you will try in February?


Here are 2 of mine:
- actively participate in the fundraising efforts for my upcoming 20-year class Reunion
- practice with Spanish language audio 20-mins 1x/week