4. The biggest challenges beget best work
I lived in fear that Steve would tell me that I, or my work, was crap. In public. This fear was a big challenge. Competing with IBM and then Microsoft was a big challenge. Changing the world was a big challenge. I, and Apple employees before me and after me, did our best work because we had to do our best work to meet the big challenges.
12. Marketing boils down to providing unique value
Think of a two-by-two matrix. The vertical axis measures how your product differs from the competition. The horizontal axis measures the value of your product. Bottom right: valuable but not unique--you'll have to compete on price. Top left: unique but not valuable--you'll own a market that doesn't exist. Bottom left: not unique and not valuable--you're a bozo. Top right: unique and valuable--this is where you make margin, money, and history. For example, the iPod was unique and valuable because it was the only way to legally, inexpensively, and easily download music from the six biggest record labels.
...is unexpected and can't always be planned no matter how hard you try
...takes you on a remarkable journey
...allows you to find people who will place indelible prints on your heart
...can be confusing sometimes
...is rewarding if you allow it to be
...is change
...is about discovery
...is growing and evolving to be better each day
...has led me to this place
...is a legacy and a future
...is love.
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It's been awhile since I've blogged. I apologize for my absence, but as I stated above, life can't be planned so it got away from me for a little bit. As you know from previous entries, Mr. O and I are expecting our first baby. Well, it's come down to the wire and our little bundle of joy could be here any day really. I'm currently 38.5-wks pregnant which means the countdown is definitely on.
I thought I'd take this quiet period to write about my experience so far. I know once baby comes it'll probably be awhile before I write again until I develop a good routine. And, as a first time Mom, that may be easier said than done.
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Let's just say Mr. O and I had made some pretty big plans that would change our lives and financial situation significantly in order to progress another goal to finish faster. This was to take place March 2011. That same month, we were also going to take a trip to Japan. Well, Baby O had other plans. On Jan 3, 2011, we found out we were pregnant. And from those moments of disbelief as we both stared at those double pink lines, we knew all those previous plans were no longer going to happen, at least not on the original timeline. And aren't we happy we became pregnant before we had made those changes. Also, the Japan earthquake/tsunami occurred at the same time we were planning on visiting. Baby O knew and protected us.
But those twin lines held so much fear and anxiety about the future. Were those lines true? Were we really pregnant? Were we really ready for what was to come? Was I ready? How was our life about to change? Was the baby healthy? Etc etc etc!!! I'm sure every couple goes through these worries when presented with such a great change. I fortunately was able to find a good doctor and on Jan 12, 2011, not only was it confirmed that we were indeed 8.5-wks pregnant, but for the first time, we saw our little peanut and a heartbeat. I was still filled with so much disbelief that there was a life inside of me, but I also knew I would do everything in my power to protect that life.
We have been very fortunate. Our pregnancy has not been plagued by many issues. I didn't have any morning sickness. Yes, we did have some ups/downs when it came to test results, but when investigated more thoroughly, many tests have high false positive results, especially when age is a factor. We took everything in stride, and sometimes worry on my side, but Mr. O was the rock I needed to know it would be okay. I didn't have gestational diabetes, which was a big worry of mine because it is hereditary and my Mom had it with us. That made me happy to know I didn't have to worry about that.
Work near the end was probably my biggest hurdle. Work used to be my purpose; the place I'd go to prove myself and always excel. Well, during pregnancy was no different. I attacked work with ferocity. I knew I'd be gone and wanted to make sure everything was taken care of while I was gone. However, that fever pitch of effort started taking its toll. People just demanded more, and I was only one person...who happened to be 9-mo pregnant. In the end, I was always stressed out and working way too many hours. My blood pressure started acting up and my doc took me out of work for "home rest". It's like bed rest except I don't have to be in a bed or in the house if I keep calm and don't do too much of anything.
So far so good...my blood pressure is still a tiny bit high, but not escalating, and my blood tests have been normal so far. This means, I could make it to the actual due date...or whenever Baby O decides he's had enough of his current home. Oh yeah, we're having a BOY. =) No names will be released on this blog yet. You'll have to wait like everyone else.
In my last few days/weeks of pregnancy, what do I want to remember?
I don't know what the future holds for us, but as Life takes us on our new adventure, I know it will be filled with everything we need to succeed. As long as I have faith in that, I know it will work out. Yes, I am nervous as I wait for the tell-tale signs that Baby O is ready to come, but we've prepared for this, and I know millions of women do this all the time. In the end, I will join the ranks of "mom" and will be welcomed by a group of women who know exactly what I am going through. Mr. O and I are lucky to be surrounded by such support from everyone, and we'll get our Parent-legs in no time.
If you don't hear from me in awhile, say a little happy thought of encouragement into the wind and I will catch it while I am sleep deprived and tearing my hair out, but loving every minute of it. ;)
Hope you're all doing well.
Love you all,
Mrs. Oshimbo
So that's what's going on. Hopefully I'll get some good pics from the shower and will blog about it when I return. Hope you have a wonderful week!
- Mr. O finished the semester at school and is taking the summer off so I have enjoyed spending time with him
- We are going to re-do ALL the floors in our house in preparation for the baby. Not because the baby will notice, but because it's a good time to re-do them before the baby comes. Plus, we'll get to enjoy them and hopefully housing prices will rebound in a few years and we'll reap "some" benefit from the upgrades done now. We are currently vetting contractors to find a good deal and time.
- We are reorganizing the whole house for baby.
- Current guest room = Baby Oshimbo's room
- Exercise room = Guest room #1 (Monet room)
- Office = Guest room #2 (Degas room)
- Formal living room (i.e., room we never use) = New Office
- Garage = Place we need to figure out how to put a futon and exercise equipment in
- In order to get all that done, we are doing lots of donations (Salvation Army & Friends), trash, organizing, and finagling the house that used to seem too big into one that seems like it's running out of space and baby isn't even here yet. [And don't worry...I'm not doing ANY heavy lifting. That's poor Mr. O's job]
- We're going, going, back, back, to Cali, Cali...for the weekend. My Mom, Sister-in-Law, Sister, and Niece are hosting a baby shower for Baby Oshimbo. We have to do it early because soon I will be in the third tri and planes don't want me on them then. I'm excited to see some old high school friends I haven't seen since high school time. I'm also super excited my BFF is coming to the shower. It means a lot that she'd come share this with us. I luv her. It means a lot that my family is hosting this for us as well. I luv them too. =)
I didn't expect the A-Z Blogging Challenge to be as difficult as it proved to be to complete. While I have made all my entries, I can only say that about a third of them were made on time. There were days where I wrote 3-4 entries in one day to catch up. However, I found the experience most rewarding and it really allowed me to express a part of me that I love...music. I hope you learned about some new artists you didn't know about in the process.