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Month: February 2019

The reason I love turning 54

Joan Koehne 2 Comments

I celebrated my birthday on Friday. It wasn’t one of those milestone birthdays. I’m past the half-century mark, but I haven’t reached the 55-mph speed limit yet. I turned 54. You’d think there’s nothing special about turning 54. No big deal, right?

Treasuring moment at Birthday celebration
Celebrating my birthday with my husband, Bill, on the cross-country ski trail.

Turning 54 is a big deal

Well, I’ve had some experiences this year that make turning 54 a BIG DEAL. The message that truly hit home this year is this: Nothing is guaranteed. Friends move away, literally or figuratively. Marriages fail. People get sick. Loved ones pass away. It seems like doom and gloom all around. Sometimes, that’s how life appears.

Fortunately, it’s not the end of the story. New friendships blossom. Couples fall in love and marry. People get well. Babies are born.

I’ve experienced both extremes this year.

Experiencing life’s extremes

I said goodbye to 2 aunts and an uncle, but I also welcomed a niece into the family. (Finally, we have another Marcks girl to carry on the proud family tradition.)

I’ve watched the marriage of someone close to me crumble, but I’ve also been swept into the whirlwind of planning a wedding. With great excitement, we will welcome a son-in-law into the family this spring.

And what about sickness? Today, I saw the doctor for my annual physical. I’m not in perfect health, but I’m better off than the guy I saw when I left the clinic. He was holding his chest and struggling for breath. He definitely belonged in the emergency room. I walked out of the clinic on my own two feet, while the nurse rushed to get a wheelchair for the poor guy.

Treasuring the moment

No, nothing in life is guaranteed. I guess that’s why it’s so important to stop every once-in-a-while and appreciate what we have in life. That’s one good reason to celebrate a birthday.

I call it treasuring the moment. You freeze time and experience the special moment a little longer. Then, you tuck the treasured moment away, into your memory.

My birthday was filled with treasured moments.

My husband, Bill, said the sweetest things at dinner. It made me treasure our love even more. My nieces, Chelsea and Sara, said the funniest things when I opened my gifts. My sister, Cathy, gave me a script from a 1970s play. I was about 12 years old at the time, and I had a part in the high school play. When I dramatically read a few lines, Chelsea said, “It’s like no time has passed.” When I opened 3 pairs of pajamas, Sara said, “Now you can go shopping at Walmart.” We all laughed. It really made me treasure the love of my family.


Celebrating a birthday

Turning 54 has changed me for the better. Thanks to everyone who helped me celebrate. We’ll celebrate again when I hit 55.

blogging

The Secret to Blogging Success

Joan Koehne Leave a comment

As an experienced professional blogger, I have discovered the secret to blogging success. Commitment. Blogging isn’t a flash-in-the-pan experience. Instead, it’s an ongoing campaign that takes time, energy, and resources. Simply put, a successful blog takes work. That’s why it helps to partner with a professional like Writer to the Rescue. We are your accountability buddy, motivating you to stay on track.

Envisioning the outcome

There are lots of good reasons to blog. For example, blogging is a great way to express your brand’s identity through images and storytelling. Blogs help you separate yourself from the competition by explaining what’s uniquely you. Plus, you can share your company culture. Give readers insight into how and why you do what you do. This helps you attract good employees.

blogging

Increasing traffic

If your company is active on social media, it’s smart to amplify the reach of your blog by posting it to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You share your original content while building relationships with your social media fans. Fans go from your social media networks to your website. In this way, blogging increases traffic to your website where visitors are converted to customers.

Striking the right chord

You want fans to think: “How interesting.” “What a great read.” Then you’re hitting on the right cylinders. Your blogs are readable and informative. Plus, they demonstrate your authority on a topic of interest. Who doesn’t want to be known as an expert in their field? As a go-to resource when a person needs your product or service? In a blog, you can announce changes to your location or services, promote upcoming events, introduce new products, or celebrate milestones.

Getting noticed online

Surprisingly, blogs aren’t written just for the human eye. They also get the attention of search bots on the web. Blogs add depth to a website, further cementing your company’s authority and digital presence. If optimized properly, blogs can be rich in keywords, links, and images, thereby helping to improve a website’s organic ranking. Bottom line: Blogs help you get found on the internet as an essential part of SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Trusting a blogging professional

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