DanyelleLittle.com

Digital Debutante

Ego.

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ego: the opinion that you have about yourself.

An ego can be a tricky thing. It can have you feeling yourself even when it isn’t warranted. It can have you believing that you are the bomb dot org, net, com, info, tv, etc.—which can be a good thing, because if you don’t believe it, who will? But the ego can also have you wrapped up in mistruths about yourself that you go on believing for years only to find out that in reality, it’s not true.

The ego can be a gift and a curse.

When you do what I do, you’ve got to have a strong ego. You are constantly selling yourself. Come to my website, read my content, come to hear me speak, download my book, follow me online, recommend me to others, listen to my podcast—all of this requires that you have a positive opinion about who you are. And it is that very feeling that can get you caught up into believing your own hype and playing into our delusions on grandeur.

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A hard head makes a soft …

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A hard head makes a soft (a… shut your mouth).

My dad used to say this to me upon certain occasions as I was growing up. I didn’t fully understand what he meant until recently. I mean, I got the point he was trying to make with his crass and sometimes foul mouth and tone, but I didn’t comprehend the actuality that he was doing his best to express when I was younger. Now that I have been doing a lot of reflecting and soul-searching as of late (I think it’s because I am approaching 40 and stuff and this is the type of behavior that you indulge in as you step closer to middle age), I’ve found myself thinking about this old school saying and wondering to myself, why? What does this all mean?

We’ve all heard the saying, supposedly spoken by Albert Einstein (Benjamin Franklin and Unknown has been attributed to this quote as well): “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. Of course, insanity in its medical definition is hardly that easy to describe. But I do get the meaning behind the madness. If you keep repeating behaviors that don’t get you anywhere (or least, don’t get you where you want to be), why repeat them? Why not try something new? Why not charge it to the game and move on to hopefully greener and more fruitful pastures?

Because, as humans, I think we like pain. I think we like the whole whoa is me scenario when it benefits us. And when it doesn’t, why many of us just cry foul.

I am one of those many people.

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I need to do better.

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When I first launched this site as a personal companion to TheCubicleChick.com, I had every intention of updating it on a regular basis while giving those who cared a more authentic look into this life of mine. When my other site became more of a magazine format with other voices contributing content, I wanted a place where I could shoot the breeze without deadlines or time constraints. TCC is the breadwinner and the flagship—my labor of love. But this was supposed to be a place where it didn’t matter how much traffic I received, or if a post went viral or not. It was supposed to be a place where I could discuss projects, thoughts, feelings, personal anecdotes, etc.

Then somehow, on my watch, it went left.

Let me be completely honest. I had no idea what I wanted this site to be. I was advised that I needed to secure my name in the domain format and put something up for my brand. So I did what I was told and thought—just do it. But the problem with just doing it is that if you don’t have a plan of action, just doing it becomes counterproductive. Because you aren’t really doing anything. Because you have no plan. Because you are just following the masses and doing what others said you should do. Because they are the experts and they did it. And it worked for them so it should work for you.

All that BS is wrong on so many levels.

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My New eBook Mentioned in the Pittsburgh Post Dispatch: Download it for FREE

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My, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted on this site. Please forgive me. With so much going on these days, I get bogged down. But I must admit, I need to do a better job updating this site!

If you haven’t heard, I’ve written and released a new eBook earlier this week called SHINE: 10 Tips For Effective Work Life Balance. It is a guidebook to help you better balance work and life, something I think we all can use. We are all entrenched in our digital worlds and heavily saturated with tasks galore. SHINE: 10 Tips For Effective Work Life Balance helps you better navigate the murky waters of work, life, and play.

SHINE: 10 Tips For Effective Work Life Balance

In a recent article written in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, I was quoted about the importance of work life balance and how technology can help but also hinder the juggling act. You can read the entire piece, entitled Smartphone, computer access has power to change 40-hour week by clicking this link.

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A Life Or Death Situation…

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We were on our way to the Social Fabric Conference being held in Rogers, Arkansas near the home of Walmart. The weather was less than stellar, as we had been driving on the road for over two hours in constant rain. The new decked out Kia Soul we were loaned was full of technological advances, so we are listening to tunes on Spotify via iPhone being sent through the car’s speakers with a techy wire. Everything seemed great; two close friends taking a road trip together to get some learning and networking done. Then all of a sudden, things took a turn…

We hit a slick spot on the road while going about 55 miles per hour during a steady rain. The car begins to spin as you feel like you are losing control of the vehicle. We are spinning and spinning—you don’t hear anything. It’s pitch black—no lights, no nothing, just darkness. There’s no noise other than the music coming from the speakers. My friend was mostly silent with an occasional grunt or moan. No screams, no yells of help. The road is black and desolate. And we are spinning and spinning  and spinning out of control. It seems like an eternity and you just want the car to make impact if it’s going to. We both are bracing for it because, at any second, we going to hit something. Or a car coming our way is going to hit us.

More spinning. You try not to panic but you know it’s not looking good. You can’t think straight because this may be the end of your life.

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