social media – Sherri Ross

24
Nov
2019

My Top 5 Distractions

I looooove to procrastinate when it comes to chores and not-so-fun things I have to do or deal with on a personal level. My dad knows this, Daniel knows this, anyone close to me knows this. I’m not proud of it, but I am working on it. I thought I’d share my top 5 distractions these days and how I’m working on combatting them when they arise.

Sleeping. This is my number one distraction, by far. I’m not sure if it’s due to a medical condition/conditions or what, but I’m working through that theory. Hence my surgery this week. So, that’s how I’m combatting that distraction…going down the line of possibilities and trying to eliminate them. Sinus infections/issues, hormones, Sjogrens, Hashimoto’s, etc. ALL THE THINGS. I use my weekends to catch up on sleep. You’d think I had triplets or something as much as I like to sleep on the weekends. This is another reason it’s taking me forever to unpack.
Social Media is probably number 2. It’s not as bad as it used to be, thankfully, but I can still get lost on Instagram or TikTok for far longer than I’d like to admit. When I find myself spending too much time on them I put down the phone or close the computer and pick up something substantial – either my Kindle (if I’m still in a mind mood) or laundry or a box to unpack if I need to do something with my hands.
Television is almost as bad as social media for me. Thankfully we don’t have cable or I fear it would be a lot worse. But we do have all of the digital stuff – Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, Disney+, and a lot of other channels on the Roku that suck me in too many hours that I’d like to admit. I allow myself some TV time, but I try hard not to watch too much “fluff” TV, which is my favorite. If I find myself starting down that path I try to at least change to something educational like a documentary or the like. Baby steps, ya know? lol.
Shopping (window). I love to window shop online. I can spend hours looking at things I’d love to buy, but never do. Clothes, shoes, things for the home, places I want to go, etc. I put tons of things in my cart just for fun, but never check out. The only time I actually shop is if I have a coupon or someone is having a huge sale. If I am spending too long window shopping and I have something I need to get done I close my tab and lose my cart. It’s so sad and all my stuff is gone. lol.
Literally anything else than what I need to do. lol. I am just a procrastinator. But, the reality is that when I finally do whatever it is that I need(ed) to do I’m so happy it’s over with that I’m ecstatic. WHY DON’T I JUST DO IT AND GET IT OVER WITH? I am my father’s daughter. lol. It runs in our family. 🙂 So, yes, we’ll still be unpacking boxes in 2 years from our move and we *might* invite you over in like 5 years to our *new* place. Hold your breath.

15
Nov
2019

My Epic Week

categories: #bloglikecrazy, ASL, music

First off, confession: I didn’t get my blog post up last night because I fell asleep on the bed while writing it, so today you get two! I’m trying hard to keep up with and complete #bloglikecrazy this year! 🙂

I have had an epic week, despite feeling crummy for part of it (female problem, ick!). I’m usually pretty chill during the week because I’m working and such, and I tend to have my fun on the weekends. But not this week. This week has been jam packed with stuff and it’s still going. I’ve been to two concerts, a Silent Dinner, and a social media and marketing conference.

Daniel and I saw AJR earlier this week and lost our collective minds. We love this trio of brothers and try to see them any time they are in the area. We just found out they are coming back in March for part 2 of their tour and CANNOT WAIT! Already! And we just saw them! They always put on a high energy, enlightening, intensely entertaining show.

Then I suckered him into seeing the Jonas Brothers with me on Wednesday night (hehehe, get it? Suckered?) He was a wonderful sport and I’m extremely grateful for his sense of humor. I’ve taken a shining (LOL!) to their new material and had a small, almost comedic, inkling to see them since I heard they were coming. But I wasn’t about to dish out real (aka good) money to see them. If I happened to get tickets or something I would go. Well, I checked Stubhub like 2 hours before the show and saw 4th row center tickets for stupid cheap and asked Daniel if he would humor me. It was definitely an experience. The Jonas Brothers were great – talented and catering to their young fan base. They were so cute in their Crayola suits. But what fascinated me the most were the fans. I really felt like that was what it must have been like in the 60’s around the Beatles. My ears could barely handle the decibels of screaming girls. I’ve never heard anything like it and I’ve seen Taylor Swift and Beyonce. Twice.

The next evening Daniel was kind enough to accompany me to the Silent Dinner that the Birmingham regional office of the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind (AIDB) hosts around town each month. I haven’t been in years and they can be very intimidating for a hearing person who is new to ASL (which yes, I still am because I am slow and not proficient in the least). A lot of deaf and hard of hearing people attend the dinners and they tend to sign very fast so I can’t understand what they are saying or asking me and I get flustered and overwhelmed quickly and then want to leave. Thankfully, this time I had Daniel with me who was also new and we helped each other throughout the evening. Daniel has asked me to teach him ASL. So as I learn new things I teach him, which is perfect because it helps me practice. It also helps me realize I know more than I think I do. Baby steps.

Today was the Southern Social Summit at the Haven. It was a wonderful conference about social media marketing with speakers from every background. My favorite part of it was the women-led panel. Those were some powerful women up there giving some great advice!

How was your week?

02
Feb
2016

I finally did it (and a special deal)!

categories: goal

Sorry, I’m a wee bit excited. I finally launched my new site – goal #1 for 2016, CHECK! I’ve been working on it behind the scenes for some time now, but hadn’t been able to put the finishing touches on it quite yet…until tonight. Behold, my new YGR site with my blog, information about Birmingham Girls Club, Birmingham Dance Walks, and my services – technical consulting and social media – all under one pretty purple and green roof!

Please look over the site, take it for a test spin, tell me what you do and don’t like about it, and let’s tweak this puppy! As a special thank you for being loyal readers (and in honor of this LOVELY month), I’m offering a deeply discounted one hour technical consultation called “Date with Your Site” where you can ask me anything you like or have me help you with an issue (or ten! Whatever fits into an hour). You can read more about the special here.

Now for the side-by-side comparison:

Muuuuuch better. Let me know if I can help you with your site!

17
Jan
2016

What’s Your Word for 2016?

categories: goals

My friend Jennifer recently wrote a post about her word for 2016. It’s ‘action.’ I love that! It prompted me to think about what word I would want to represent me in 2016. It’s RESULTS! That is what 2016 is going to be all about from finances to entrepreneurship to my day job to my health.

During Javacia’s #GoalDiggers workshop earlier this year, I really thought about what I wanted for this year and put pen to paper. My big, overall goals are to save some mega bucks and pay down my bills, get in much better shape health-wise, kick off my side gigs of technical consulting and social media training, and really expand the platform I was hired for at work. I put numbers with all those things and have created “Momentum Moves” to help me get there and have my accountability partners checking up on me!

So, my word this year will be results and I plan to have an epic blog post at the end of the year with all those results listed, along with the numbers I have projected for myself. What is your works for 2016? How are you going to get there?

01
Jan
2016

This is My Year

categories: goals

I’ve had an epic 2015, but 2016 is going to be even better. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my share of ups and downs, but haven’t we all? I will admit that I don’t have the greatest short or long term memory – my therapist attributes it to stuff in my childhood – so I don’t remember a lot that happened last year (ha! last year!). That is a big reason why I write my blog. Many people’s blogs are for a specific niche or brand and mine is all over the place – on purpose. I do try to write about the same topics when applicable, but a lot of the time it’s my own online diary to help me remember things later.

I remember verbally setting some goals with my husband at the beginning of the year. And I wrote some on the blog in July (as accountability). My biggest setback for a lot of these was fear, but let’s see how I did:

Walk around Vulcan – Due to my fear of heights, I had not been able to walk around Vulcan yet – our city’s most iconic landmark and one of the best views in town. I had gone up there, but was unable to get off the elevator for more than 1 second. Earlier this year, I walked around Vulcan and took pictures to prove it!
Flying – I used to LOVE flying back and forth from Wisconsin to Alabama between my parents. And then, in 2006, I had a rough flight and the fear set in. It’s manifested itself ever since and I’ve been deathly afraid of flying. I have done it when absolutely required (for work), but I mostly drive everywhere, including cross country. I told myself this was the year I was getting back on a plane, voluntarily. And I did! Las Vegas was awesome!
Tattoo – I’ve always wanted one and have gone a few times throughout my life to get one, only to chicken out every single time. I turned 40 this year and I was intent on doing it. And I did! I love it so much.
Fitness – While I didn’t shave a lot of the scale this year, I was a lot more active than I have been and I’m happy about that. I did a few 5ks, did a lot of dancing, some swimming and other workouts. I’m thankful for the amazing circle of friends who are of the same mindset that I can workout with any time I like.
Donate my hair – Chopped off eleven inches in May and so very happy I did!

I just realized that 2015 also marked the 10 year anniversary of my blog. WHAT THE WHAT? I had no idea! Time flies when you’re having fun. So kick off 2016, here are some goals:

Blog more – I blogged 50 times in 2015. I plan to double that in 2016. This is #1! 🙂
Step outside my comfort zone more with fashion – I have fabulously fashionable friends. Sadly, that doesn’t rub off by osmosis or anything, so I’m going to make a concentrated effort to wear more than just black and more than just loose fitting everything. I have a beautiful shape and I’m going to show off these curves!
Grow my side business – I’ve had a lot of fun doing social media presentations for a few groups locally. I plan to brand and promote that business to fuel my passion and make some extra money to pay down bills more, along with freelance technical work. So if you need social media or technical help, I’m your gal!
Pay down bills – I have hella bills. I finished Financial Peace University not too long ago and would like to pay down my bills by at least 20% this year.
Fitness – I plan to try even more new things in 2016 with my fitness including barre, kickboxing, and different types of yoga to find the best fit for me. I am also hoping to win a competition that will provide 7 months with a personal trainer for free. Fingers crossed!

What are your goals this year? How did 2015 treat you? I had an amazing year and this one is going to be even better! Cheers to the best year of our lives!

Tag: social media