I don’t know.

I was trying to think of what to share with my Karen’s Notes list today.

And the truth is, i don’t know.

I’ve never pretended to have all the answers – these notes simply share what I’m thinking and how I’m feeling and I hope they help encourage a few.

But after considering this topic and that topic, and thinking “no I already wrote about that” or “everyone in the world is writing about that” or “that’s not what I want to say”, I sat down and admitted I don’t know what to write.

I don’t know what to say. How to help. What to do, sometimes.

Most days I simply get on with the work before me (which I’m so grateful for). I’ve even begun to settle into a weird new temporary normal which is odd in some of its similarity to my old normal. Quiet times, walking in the mornings, working from home, Zoom calls, Facetimes with friends and family, writing content, helping clients. Some of it is the same, but all of it feels imbued with this strange oddness, this new different which changes every day.

And I am sticking with my pattern of Karen’s Notes, but today I don’t know what to say.

And then I thought about how maybe that’s the message.

I don’t know.

You don’t know.

We all as a world, gloriously in some ways, don’t know.

It’s a collective admission of the unknown. That as much as we plan and consider and try and forecast and analyse based on today, it’s all going to change again tomorrow in ways no human could have foreseen.

And that’s okay.

Because the truth is, we never knew.

We were never these paragons of wisdom and knowledge – and even though we were aware of our own humanity and most of us didn’t pretend we knew it all, still, we felt like we knew a lot. Those of us who are business owners knew the patterns and were able to predict fairly well based on those. Mothers, fathers, government leaders, teachers, nurses – whatever your role, you knew some things. We had expertise and things to base our decisions on and historical patterns and were able to plan.

Now we just take it one day at a time. Our daily bread, as it were.

What do we do today? Whatever is before us. And do that to the best of our ability – whether it’s resting or working or writing or sending emails or playing with the kids or leaving them on screentime or having virtual drinks with friends or reading a book or sitting out in the sunshine (if you have some) and staring at the sky.

And when you catch yourself thinking, for the thousandth time in a week that’s felt like a year, “I really don’t know”…

…welcome.

Welcome to the collective unknown. We’re glad you’re here. I’m glad you’re here.

I know that, for sure.

Follow me

ON THE GRAM

“The biggest mistake accountants make in marketing”….

I’m not usually a big fan of focusing on the negative - the don’ts, the oughts, the shoulds. But I was asked this question at a conference last year and I answered by saying the mistake was to look at marketing as a list of to do’s rather than an identity as an accountant. 

And if you look closely you can see a copy of my book The Accountant Marketer to hand while I was speaking! 

Day 25/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #100days #justkeepgoing #theaccountantmarketer #marketing #video #cpa #conference #accountants
Taking a walk is one of my favourite things to do. It clears the head, connects me to this world, opens the mind, brushes away the cobwebs, helps my breathing, and shows me new kinds of landscapes to enjoy. 

Ironically, today I’m resting from just about everything - swimming  and walking and working and recording a video - because my cold has settled in and my voice is a big creaky! Here’s to getting back to walking again tomorrow 🙏🏻💪🥾

Day 24/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #walking #justgetstarted #justkeepgoing #getoutside #onestepatatime #hikingboots #beach #scotland #northcarolina #london #isleofmull #phoenix #brokenankle #healing #stepoutthefrontdoor
A walk in the sunshine past the river and a whisky distillery naturally makes me think of… marketing! Haha! 

Was a guest on a podcast this week and we talked about the difference between long term marketing efforts and short term quick wins, and it struck me that each is dependent on the other. 

If you only do short term things, like one post or one series of emails or one week of follow up or one event on its own, you can get discouraged. 

But when you do the longer term marketing consistently - showing up, being present, talking about the same topics to the same audience - that helps make your short term efforts more effective. 

Day 22/100 Video Challenge 

#100dayvideochallenge #video #marketing #whisky #clydeside #dailywalk #bytheriver #sunnyday #happysunday #glasgow
Remembering this gorgeous day last year where we took a very long and winding single track road for hours to get to a ferry that… wasn’t running 😆😆 

Glorious day and views, so there was much to be grateful for! But also a good reminder that a picture may be worth a thousand words, but it doesn’t always show the full story. 

Happy restful Sunday. May your views be beautiful AND your ferries be running. 😆❤️✨

#acharacle #windingroads #roadtrip #beautifulday #beach #scotland #travelscotland #viewsfordays #justkeepgoing #sometimesjuststop #rest