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There are many great benefits about Iowa, but for me, having grown up here, the true heart of this state lies in its ‘Iowa Nice’ and small-town communities that make it feel like home.

I am a runner. Those are words that have been tough for me to say. This may sound strange because I do run daily, but sometimes I judge myself with that ‘title’ because of my speed and miles thinking I am not a ‘true’ runner. But nevertheless, I am a runner. I haven’t always been a runner. It wasn’t something I took an interest in, in fact, I would see people running and wonder “Why would they choose to run? A bike seems more fun and easier”. Yes, it’s exercise, but it isn’t that for me, even though I appreciate that perk for my health. I started running in March of 2020, when much of the world shut down all things due to the pandemic, keeping us inside our 4 walls more than ever. After the first week of a weekend that never ended, I needed out of the house more. Don’t get it wrong, I love my family, but I’m a true introvert who also needs alone time, so I went looking for creative ways to make that happen. I started walking more often, checking out new areas and places around the neighborhoods. During this time, a beautiful neighborhood next to me was being built and developed. As I walked the sidewalks I gravitated to this uphill sidewalk that went by some beautiful homes, and for some unknown reason, this hill invited me to run it. Why? No idea, I blame the pandemic, and I did it. And I did it again the next day, and the next. I created my new routine for the pandemic; walk and run a hill. 🤷🏼‍♀️ And then I began to wonder, how far am I running with that hill? I started to track it with my watch. It was not a full mile so I started to run that hill plus some until I had a full mile, and once that went well, I added to it, again and again until I was running a full 5K. I am a 5K runner. As I made my way to the 3.10686 miles (yes, I round that to 3.2 miles) I found big mental clarity with this run each day. It was my peace, my time to think and plan so many things. I didn’t need a longer distance or faster speed, I just needed the run. I started to feel like a runner, and that title started to feel more true, just as the Iowa winter arrived. Having been a self-trained runner with no seasons under my belt, I learned a lesson the hard way. Apparently, white crosswalk paint can be a little frosty and slick in the winter mornings. Long story short, I tore my meniscus. It required surgery. 😑 #tookatumble On surgery day the anesthesiologist called me an athlete as he walked me to the surgery room, and it hit me, “Maybe I am one?” Even though sports have always been a part of my life, I never played them, I was not an athlete. I am a fan full of competitiveness, and with my running, I compete against myself. To date, I have run one ‘virtual’ 5K race, submitting my time to the race via an app. I have never ran with anyone. The run for me is all about mental clarity. I started it for the quiet, clear space of time for myself and have kept it that way. I run early in the morning when there is less traffic on the roads and more sounds of nature. I listen to music, but I truly use each run as a time to decompose my thoughts and plan my day. It’s almost like a morning coffee for me, you don’t want to talk to me until I have my run. ☕️ 🙂 It was tough when I was down for my surgery recovery, but I ran a 5K exactly one month after. My mind is what runs the distance now, if more time is needed to think and plan, I will advance over the 5K, currently sitting at an average of 4 daily miles, but it could be 5 sometimes. So while I say it’s not about the distance and time for me, it doesn’t mean I don’t see those either. 🙂 I use those to push my levels but they are also just a ‘side note’ in my running life. I am a runner, without all the ‘normal’ running details.

I never planned to be a small business owner, but as my life changed, it opened the door and I haven’t looked back. It was meant to be.

Whether change is thrust upon us or something we decide to do to grow business and achieve new goals, it is best to be open to the changes, and more prepared so we can adapt to them and improve our lives for the better because time keeps moving life forward whether we are ready or not.

Consistency is a need in business, but sometimes you need to stop listening to the consistency they say will grow your business and look to what consistency YOU can do.

Time is valuable, and many wish for more of it. Could you use an extra hour in your day?

While business hours are the #1 update you should be doing on your Google Listing to keep your customers walking through the door, UPDATED photos and posts come in right behind.

Do you remember life before social media? I know some of you haven’t had that experience, and I am putting a ‘date’ on myself here, but I didn’t have social media in school, and in college we were just getting cell phones. Life wasn’t ‘technically’ driven back when I was younger, and it is sometimes hard to even remember. Our social game was actually having to call and talk with friends 🗣️ and you wrote letters to those who lived outside your area code otherwise you were charged long-distance fees, happy mail was an actual thing then. Email was also slowly coming around in my college years when the internet connection was ‘that sound’ … eeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhhh … meaning the actual snail mail letter was quicker. 😄 We watched TV shows that only had new episodes each week and listened to a radio station when in the car, no playlists. When I think about it all now, it really was a different life, was more ‘in-person’ back then. Social media is now the new “social”, which can be read in many different ways, a lot of real life and not-real life, some funny, some honest, but regardless we all love to scroll and see what’s going on.

What is a Virtual Assistant? Think about your day-to-day tasks and those that are consuming your time. Now think about those tasks being done without you doing it.