reverb10 - December 21 - Future Self

Today's prompt for reverb10 is Future Self by Jenny Blake: Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead?

This is going to strain my brain. Imagine myself five years from now, when my oldest child has graduated from college and is living G-d knows where, my middle child has graduated from high school and is living G-d knows where and my baby is almost a senior in High School. I'm pretty sure I will be having a mid life crisis and may not be in any condition to give my current self beneficial advice. 

I really like life right now. My oldest is in college just twenty short minutes away and visits us frequently. The other two are in high school and middle school. We still have lots of noise and chaos around the house and that's the way I like it. Since things are going to be monumentally different in five years, maybe I better start preparing for it now. 

Note to self from future self; things are pretty quiet around the house. There isn't nearly as much laundry and a meal can be made from just one pound of chicken instead of two. Your son is so busy with his sports teams and college preparations that he is hardly ever home and you and MJ can go out on a date whenever you feel like it. Believe it or not, you are NOT having a mid life crisis and you are happy with life. Luckily, you planned ahead for what you would like to be doing with your life, all because of a fun writing prompt called reverb10.

Make a plan for the next two years for how you will improve your skills as a genealogist. It doesn't have to be set in stone, but having a list of goals is vital. Pick the educational courses and seminars that will augment your current knowledge and assist you in becoming a professional genealogist. Decide what your specialty(ies) will be. Picking one or two areas and concentrating on those will strengthen your resume. 

Five years from now you will be working full time as a professional genealogist because you have worked hard and stuck to your plan. Yes, your kids will be busy with their own lives, but you will be too. You will be doing what you love, helping others rediscover their family. 

Love Future Scrappy Gen

reverb10 - December 20 - Beyond Avoidance - Certification in 2011?

Have you started thinking about the New Year yet? I found a neat place online today called reverb10. It's an annual virtual event that began in 2009 and includes a series of writing prompts designed to get you reflecting on the year that has passed and thinking about the year to come. In reverb speak; the 'thinking about the year to come' is creating reverberations for the New Year. It sounded intriguing.

Today's prompt by author Jake Nickell is titled Beyond Avoidance; what should you have done this year but didn’t because you were too scared, worried, unsure, busy or otherwise deterred from doing? (Bonus: Will you do it?)

Wow, I think Jake wrote this writing prompt just for me. I am the queen of avoidance. If there is an avoidance syndrome, I have it. Probably the biggest thing I have not done this year is to start the process of becoming approved as a Certified Genealogist through the Board for Certification of Genealogists. I have gone as far as ordering the application packet, but that is where I stopped. Am I scared to start the process? Well, no. Am I worried? Well, yes. It is hard to ignore all of the stories about how difficult it is to be approved. Am I unsure about my abilities? Absolutely! Have I been too busy? Yes and no. As you know I have three kids, one who is in college. This year brought some challenging health issues for two of my kids, but if I am going to be brutally honest with myself, I could have found the time to work on the application. Will I do it in 2011? Probably not. There is more to it, than lack of time.

In the spring of 2009 I completed the Genealogical Research certificate program at Boston University. I loved every minute of the class and thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know the teachers and classmates. Many of my classmates have already started the clock on their application to become a Certified Genealogist and are meeting monthly to support each other in that endeavor. Here is where I start thinking about that age old childhood question; “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” In order to complete the application, an applicant must have a good depth of both knowledge and experience. While I did gain the necessary knowledge during the certificate program, I don’t have the experience I need to do justice to the level of work required for approval. Is that fear or worry talking? I don’t believe so. I think it is practicality talking.

While I won’t be pursuing certification in 2011, I will pursue further education and experience. The Creative Gene blog has issued a call for submissions for its 101st Carnival of Genealogy; My Genealogy Research/Writing Plan for 2011. I am going to take that opportunity to write out my plan for furthering my education and experience.

Thank you to reverb10 and Jake Nickell for providing this writing prompt!

Scrappy Gen