Saturday, March 23, 2013

Madame-Von-Diarrhea-of-the-Mouth

It has been way too long since I posted here.  I've been so so busy getting my business reconfigured with the new website, new all natural soaps and new name: Absolute Soap!  The new website took 6 weeks to create.  My husband, and business partner, did it all.  He took a basic template and tweaked it until it was all to his liking, and the results show.  I took all the photographs of the soaps and scrubs and I'm happy with them, too.  I love photography, so it made my job easy because I love doing it.

Making business goals and achieving them isn't easy and I, for one, have a hard time focusing.  I'm like Doug in the movie UP.  "...Squirrel!"  And I'm outta there.  I have amazing focus, actually, but as soon as I think of or see something that needs to be addressed, I switch my energies to the new thing (which always is important, too).  Imagine me in a room.  I am working on one end of the room and turn to get something.  I spot something else that needs to be put away or filed, and so I put down task A and quickly attend to task B, which would normally be fine, but when I return to the room, I forget what I was doing or see something else that needs work, or remember something needs to be researched or achieved, and I go off to deal with task C.  You see, I am a hard worker and work long hours, but sometimes I feel like I don't get things done.  Some may say that I have attention deficit disorder (ADD), not the hyperactivity part, because if you knew me, you'd laugh if someone told me I had me attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) because you know I am pretty low key, kind of mellow and love to sleep.  I'm patient, understanding and most of all genuine, but sometimes I must look like I lost chicken with its head cut off.  But not in the running around kind of way.

Make sense?

It's important to look at our own shortcomings, so we can improve, or at least understand them.  Mine is attention.  So get this.  My doctor says to me, "well, it sounds like you have ADD.  Let's try Adderall."  Did nothing.  N-o-t-h-i-n-g.  Honestly, I don't even get why kids these days use these pills for speed ?!?!?  Guess what?  I took a three hour nap.  Speed, please.

Back to soap.  I love to soap and I love this community.  LOVE YOU GUYS.  I am so excited for the  Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild conference in Raleigh, North Carolina this May.  If you don't already know, I am doing a demo on hassle-free milk soapmaking, which is crazy.  Who am I to have been asked to be a "speaker" at this well known and highly esteemed conference?  Totally blown away and so honored.  Thank goodness for Leigh, the director, who convinced me that people would be interested in it, because I was all...like... ummm, I think people know this technique and it's no new thing.... and she tells me that people like to see easier ways of doing things with shortcuts.  So I was picked.  :D  Could I argue?  Not really.  I have never been to the conferences and I've always wanted to go.  But, I am in shock how quickly the last four months sped by and now it is right around the corner.  Soooo... yeah. I feel self conscious at a large table of people let alone being in front of 100 or more people, but I will figure it out and know that I have people out there who are supportive and I will be imagining all of you in there naked, so watch out.

Part of the reason I felt the need to share my attention problem is that I don't write these posts and then edit them.  I am sort of a Madame-Von-Diarrhea-of-the-Mouth kind of writer, and it shows. I am not deluded by thinking I am some writer, because I have never claimed to be.  My husband is a writer!  I make grammatical errors all the time, my thought process is kind of all over the place, and I often just linger and never return to the original thought, like right now.... but that's the way I like to write because if I try to make it perfectly written or grammatically correct, my thoughts come out guarded and that's not who I am or what I think you all want from me.  I imagine that you want my guts, my thoughts and my honesty.  Most of you probably don't mind my run-on sentences and flighty conversation.

OR... I could be totally wrong and I annoy the crap out of you.  Either way, I am who I am and I thank all of you for being here with me as I grow over the last 6 years!

Sorry I have been MIA...

xoxo
Jo

11 comments:

Deedee said...

My gosh, you sound like me with that attention thing. Easily distracted. Too easily.I start to say something and forget where I was going with it somewhere in the middle. It's terrible! Not an age thing though since I've always done this.

I wish I could attend the Guild conference this year since it's practically in my backyard, and see your demo there, but it will be fun, you'll do great so relax, enjoy yourself and make loads of new friends and memories!

The Lazy Lacquerist said...

Squirrels!

Mianra Artisan Soaps said...

Hi Joanna,

I think many of us share your way of working! So easy to jump from A to B and be distracted all of the time. In the meantime the list is running longer and longer and we are getting more and more exhausted by it all. I have just very recently discovered GTD and thought I would share this brilliant video on GETTING THINGS DONE! Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sTMZwlsCJk
Hajni

BumbleBee Lane SoapWorks said...

It's not ADD, it's NAD....Need Another Day. Seriously, we all need another day in the week just to get done everything that needs to be done, never mind everything we want to get done! You just described me perfectly....I "squirrel" all over the place, and feel like I'm getting nowhere fast. I recently started following flylady.net in an attempt to get the laundry/dishes/housework cycle under control. We'll see :) Hang in there, and good luck in Raleigh...you're gonna be great. Wish I could be there to see it, but will look forward to all the feedback from the community later!

The Chandler's Rose said...

Your blog is the reason that I decided to give CP soaping a go! I love your work and dedication. I love reading your blog. Go get 'em, Tiger, Rwar!

Nicolé Thompson said...

Wow! Love the bare honesty of this post. I'm sure that if you take that same authenticity with you to the conference, you'll absolutely rock. Blessings!

Amber said...

Love you lady, and your mouth poop. New website looks fantastic! xo

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

Thought I would leave my first comment. I do not know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.
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anonymoususer.cleveland@gmail.com said...

Love your style.
Will

Joanna Schmidt said...

Thank you!

I love all your comments!