Sonia Marsh - Gutsy Living

Two women with passion: LadyFi and Annabel Candy

January 6, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

I like to think of my blog as a community of friends who care about one another, so before Christmas, I decided to offer support to two women who are passionate about what they do.

1). Fiona Hugosson-Miller or LadyFi, to those of you who are familiar with her beautiful photography. I purchased one of Fiona’s prints which is called: Soul Food. You can see Fiona’s matted print on my living room wall. To view her work, please click on Red Bubble button at the bottom of her blog.

Soul Food by Fiona Hugosson-Miller

I asked Fiona to describe “Soul Food.”

“It was taken on the evening of May 28 2010 at about 8.45 pm, so no doubt I ran out to take this shot in my dressing gown!

After a long winter, it was so lovely to see the sky in all its glory again. This jetty is just one minute from our house and I can peek out of the kitchen window or my daughter’s bedroom to see the lake. Naturally I saw the sky lit up like a stained glass window so ran outside and took a few shots of this miraculous sky. So, it was a spontaneous photo shoot if you like – as are most of my shots.

I used my Canon 500D for the shot and was shooting on a large aperture to let in the light: f/5.6 – the shutter speed was: 1/250.

I didn’t take that many pictures but stood gazing at the sunset for ages. I felt inspired and nourished, which is why I called the shot: Soul Food.”

2). Annabel Candy from GetintheHotSpot.

I mentioned Annabel Candy in one of my previous posts.

I’m wearing Getinthehotspot T-shirt to support Annabel Candy’s wonderful blog.

Annabel is a Gutsy business woman. As she puts it: “I delved into the sordid world of shameless self-promotion. Why? Mainly because I’m not good at it and it scares me. You see, I work hard to promote my blog and do stuff that scares me, so practicing the fine art of shameless self-promotion seemed like a good way to combine those two things.”

I found Annabel’s, “Successful Blogging in Twelve Simple Steps,” to be extremely helpful and am still learning as I read each chapter and case study. I decided to support her blog by wearing her logo for inspiration.

Here’s to a year full of passion and inspiration. What is yours?

How to become an Influencer

January 3, 2011 by Sonia Marsh

Are you an influencer? You may be one without realizing it among your circle of friends or you may be trying to become one in your professional life.

What does it take to become an influencer?

A different way of thinking and expressing yourself
Adapting to things early on
Embracing all forms of culture
Creating new ideas
Inventing new things
Recognizing what the next thing is
Taking an idea, a brand, a concept into mainstream consciousness

INFLUENCERS TRAILER from R+I creative on Vimeo.
A video on influencers in the entertainment and fashion world, but this information relates to all aspects of becoming an influencer.

Here is your opportunity to become an influencer.

As you may know I’m a huge fan of Chris Guillebeau, an influencer I admire. Here is a chance for you to become an influencer with a huge following, through sharing your story. Chris is looking for case studies of people who started a business after being fired, laid off, deciding to quit a conventional job, or some other major life change. The more unconventional or interesting the story, the better. Your success story might be selected in Chris Guillebeau’s next book which is to be published by Random House.

So if you, or someone you know, wishes to have a chance at getting their success story published in the AONC book sequel, please take a look at this.

Do you consider yourself an influencer? If so, in what way? At home, at work, at the gym, as a mom, a dad, a mentor, a blogger?

Do you have a vision for 2011?

December 30, 2010 by Sonia Marsh

Photo

Do you feel pressured to change something about yourself? Whether it’s your health, your work, your life, your marriage or your location, when the New Year is staring you in the face.

I don’t know about you, but there seems to be more pressure this year, than ever before. Perhaps I’m reading more blogs related to goal setting, making things happen or listening to the media, however I feel bombarded with messages on how to:

structure your day
organize your work
become more efficient
take baby-steps to reach your goals
make to-do lists
make short -term goals
make long-term goals
add five minutes to your walk a day and you’ll soon be able to run a marathon

As most of us know, January is the month when we make resolutions, and February is the one when most of us break them. Of course, this does not apply to you and me.

I try to set my goals based on a clear vision of where I want my life to go. For example:

In the next year, my goal is to have an agent and/or a publisher for my memoir.
In the next year, I want to launch my improved blog and website.
In the next 2-3 years I plan on moving to our house in Naples, Florida.
In the next 5-7 years I want to do 27 months of Peace Corps work.

So here’s my first change starting right this minute: I’m going to start smiling more. Why? Not only is it supposed to energize the brain and muscles, but it will make me feel happy and perhaps someone else too.

What about you? Do you have goals for 2011, or do you prefer not to think about it?

Now here’s a job I’d love. What about you?

December 27, 2010 by Sonia Marsh

When I was five, our plane was forced into an emergency landing in a ditch at the end of the runway at Lagos airport, Nigeria. I shall always remember that glass of orange juice I was given by airport staff after the incident.

“Let’s do it again,” I said to my dad.

At eleven, I wanted to be an astronaut, like many kids, perhaps not most girls though, and at fifteen, air traffic controller was the only thing I could think of as a future career.

Planes and airports have always fascinated me and even today, at 53, I look towards the sky every time I see a plane and wonder, “Where’s it going?” For some reason, all planes are heading to a tropical location.

On my way back from the gym this morning, I heard an interview with a British author, Alain de Botton. He applied for a job as a writer in residence at Heathrow Airport. Botton has always had a fascination for airports, and my first thought was, lucky him. What a fantastic project to work on. During his interview on NPR (National Public Radio) he said, “Airports make us raw.” He said people open up and one man told him about his two families, one in Los Angeles, and one in London. How can a man have two separate families for fifteen years?

I love Heathrow airport Terminal 5, if you haven’t been there, I think it’s the coziest terminal I’ve ever experienced. Botton was stationed there and wrote, “A Week at the Airport.”

Another interesting comment Botton made was related to how we stand in line to go through security, and most of us have a vague sense of guilt but feel absolved once we make it through. Have you felt that? I know I have.

I just signed up for the World Domination Summit in Portland, Oregon to meet other adventure seekers like myself. This is my new adventure for 2011, Chris Guillebeau, Leo Babauta, and more exciting people are attending. Life is full of Gutsy Adventures, and I’m going to make it happen.

What would you like to work on that’s exciting for you in 2011?

Should you give presents at this time of year?

December 20, 2010 by Sonia Marsh

Pine tree from Flickr

In December last year, I wrote about my challenges of buying gifts for my husband.

Now, only a week away from Christmas, I’d like to talk about the concept of buying Christmas presents.

With only five days left before Christmas, I have nothing to give my three sons, 23, 20 and 16. Clothes don’t interest them, or perhaps I should say, they don’t seem to appreciate clothes the way most women would.Whenever, I ask, “What would you like for Christmas?” they say, “Nothing.”

A few weeks ago, my oldest son mentioned a Kindle. He then ended up using his birthday money from Grandma, and bought his own.

My middle son ordered his own present on e-bay with money he’s been saving since Kindergarten, (yes, he’s great at saving money from Grandpa and Grandma since birth.)

My youngest son says he wants nothing more than for us to allow him to enlist in the Army and attend West Point. (I’m not going to touch this subject right now.)

I know I should be grateful they don’t ask for presents, and part of me likes to believe that our year of frugal living in Belize shifted their attitudes towards acquiring less, however, this does bring out the “guilt factor” of having a tree with nothing underneath it.

Mega-blogger, in terms of having 200,000 subscribers, Leo Babauta has a blog post on, “The Case Against Buying Christmas Presents,”

When I read Leo’s comment, “I don’t love Christmas shopping, or the over consumption, frenzied malls, consumer debt, environmental waste, wasted time wrapping, and over-accumulation of needless stuff that goes with it,” I could relate. As Leo says, “Giving is great, but buying is not the solution.”

I sense a shift in the overall tone and message of the world economy. With a 14 trillion dollar debt in the U.S., people will have to keep working until they’re 69, before social security kicks in. I wonder how long before the population realizes we cannot keep living a “pretend” life of over-consumerism, and recognize the need to live more frugally, the way Leo Babauta, advocates.

So this Christmas I shall bake, cook, have parties, listen to my boys, give them hugs when they want them, and perhaps, if they’re lucky, knit a scarf they can use in the cold weather of Michigan, and New Mexico. I shall also buy a black T-shirt from a blogger I admire: Annabel Candy, “GetintheHotspot,” and some beautiful postcards based on the nature photography of my blogger friend LadyFi in Sweden. Finally I shall give a gift of sight to a child through the Fred Hollows Foundation.

What are you doing for your family, friends and the world this Christmas?