Welcome to my blog!

This is my first attempt at blogging, and I hope to take you along on my journeys through life, wherever they may lead.

I am surrounded by new technology, new gadgets, new trends, and a new fear of taming it all. Things are moving so quickly, and while I have always had a thirst for new knowledge, I must admit, I feel a bit overwhelmed. I have mastered the Facebook and LinkedIn thing, and I have even trained others on how to use them, but the inner voice is asking a lot of questions like, “Do I really need to blog, do I need a QR code, a Twitter account, a Google+ account, and what about Cloud computing, and gosh, have you seen the new 90″ HDTV, and wouldn’t it be great to have a car without a key that can actually park itself?” As a professional organizer and business consultant, I urge people to simplify their lives not complicate them, but if you do not run out and purchase the latest, greatest _________________(fill in the blank) are you simply left behind?

Sure, it is lots fun to get new things, but the next new shiny object (gadget, technology, trend) is obsolete the day it arrives on your doorstep, and that makes me a bit uncomfortable. This discomfort stems not just the financial standpoint, but also from a practical standpoint. What are we doing with all this stuff? And then I wonder if what we have right now will ever be enough for us? We are so focused on the next thing that we do not take time to be grateful for what we have right now. True happiness does not arrive in boxes from UPS or Amazon.com.  Of that, I am sure.

And so for me, I will continue to move forward learning new technology in drips and dribbles; I will purchase new gadgets here and there, but mostly I will move about my life mindfully, deliberately, and gratefully. I am reminded of Aesop’s Fable “The Tortoise and the Hare,” where the moral of the story is “slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t believe that there are any races to win here, but being mindful and grateful and keeping a steady pace has served me well thus far, and I like it that way.  What are your favorite “shiny objects?”