Imagine my surprise - dismay - frustration (INSERT several other emotions here) - last night as I prepared to write my weekly post and my website had disappeared! WHERE DID IT GO?
I found myself going through the 7 stages of negative change very quickly. I spent the longest time in the denial phase as I continually typed www.drjdavidson.com into the search bar and watched the same message "server not found" come up. After several minutes of this fruitless effort, I moved on and tried to figure out where it had gone. Given my extreme lack of techno savvy, this was another bit of wasted energy. Now I began to get angry! I sent a couple of emails to my server hosts asking them where it had gone. I have no idea why I thought they would be responding to emails at 10 p.m. on a Tuesday night, but when one is angry and baffled, logic does not play a large part. After awhile, I just slumped down in my chair at my desk and suffered defeat. I was so sad because I had made a commitment to all of you and myself that I would post something thought provoking every Tuesday. I had let myself down. I tried to convince myself that I had let you down, and then the negative thoughts screamed in - "they don't notice if you don't post on Tuesdays ... or each week" - that was a very depressing thought. At some point, I realized that my energies could be put to better use elsewhere and I shut things down and moved on. I must admit that when I awoke and checked my email this morning, I was a little saddened to see that no one had sent a message to me asking "WHERE IS YOUR POST? I cannot end my Tuesday or start my Wednesday without your post." After brushing my teeth and having a tall glass of cold water, I snapped out of it and convinced myself that you are very busy during the week and you just savor my little blog post notification in your inbox until the weekend. At that point it is like a little Happy Hour or Saturday Afternoon Delight or Sunday Treat.
About 10 a.m. I received an email from my hosting guys telling me it was fixed and all was right with the world, except I had now begun to wonder if anyone would miss my weekly ramblings. Please don't confuse this as a plea for comments or accolades; I just wanted to share the thoughts that went on in my head during a 12 hour period and let you see how a typically logical and rational woman can have delusional thoughts and make gigantic assumptions and get stuck during times of unexpected negative change.
What can we take from this week's ramblings?
#1 I would like for you to tell me what you want to read about. I have endless books, quotes, thoughts, tips, inquiries and experiences that I think could be of interest to someone who is trying to stretch themselves in their career or personal life. I would love it if I knew that I was sharing items that can address your needs and your questions.
#2 How do you react when a negative change unexpectedly shows up on your doorstep? and what is important for you to remember during those times?
