I have been seeing sooooo much news about homelessness lately.  Now, I completely accept that the Almighty Google may just be targeting me.  But, when I am encouraged to sign-up for Nextdoor, a "social network for your neighborhood community", and a large percentage are about homeless in the area.  Well, I wonder.  Maybe the world is just changing and seems like very few are truly ready. So, how do I deal?  I write!  And today, I have finally taken the plunge and signed up to be a Creator on Medium. Here is my first post: Beautiful, Brilliant & Talented: Another facet of Homeless life in the PNW My husband & I are currently living out of our 1986 GMC Suburban in Vancouver, WA and became houseless last year near the end of July, because of a predator, a person who was supposed to be family, who claimed to need roommates to help afford his apartment and once discovered that he was illegally subletting low-income housing that he did not qualify for, pr...

Toon Image Source: Ali Solomon - NYC Has anyone ever been treated with "tough love" by a family member? I'm sure most of you have. Myself, I have come to believe that this behavior, while may have good intentions is often detrimental to the mental health and stability of the individual . Take my mother, for instance. She is the single-most sweetest person I have had the pleasure to know. Admittedly, this is partially due to her mental illness, but nevertheless, her quickness to forgive and willingness to sacrifice with a deep concern for others are the parts of my genome that I proudly display on my sleeve. As a result, whenever I encounter opposition, I tend to try to understand and empathize first, compromise and support next, and forgive and forget, if all else fails. But, recently, this modus operandi has been severely challenged. The more I think about this happening, the more I realize how this is not the first time. In fact, there has been a pattern of this a...

Today, I submitted this here : Hello? Universe?  I know I haven't talked to you in a while, but I really need your help. If you recall, the last time I asked for your help, you gave me the strength to leave home at 16 in order to escape my emotionally destructive Aunt and sexual abuse by my cousin.  And I think I have been paying it forward ever since. But, I sometimes wonder if I have done something wrong to anger you.  Just to bring you up to date...  I have been working in software development for quite a few years now (20+) with a focus on the Education industry.  I also serve as a mentor on Codementor.io/tekNorah and love working with creatives, like yourself, to get things done!  About four years ago, I quit my "day job" and started working as an Independent Software Engineer and Project Director for Small to Medium-sized businesses in the Manufacturing, Automation and Integration spaces.  My previous experiences convinced me that Innovation is...

Today, I wrote this response to a recent article on Medium : Yes! Setting boundaries is very important This got me thinking about how most of my opportunities started by helping someone else. For instance, yesterday, near the end of a codementor session , my mentee said: "I know your time is valuable, but..." The story of Beauty and the Beast comes to mind here. Btw, has anyone seen the remake? I wish all remakes honored the original with the same passion. What a cast! But, really, there is a huge lesson in there: The Road to True Wealth is Littered with Obfuscated Golden Opportunities "OK, but, where is this invisible Gold you speak and how do I sniff it out, my sweet Norah?" "Why, it is right under your nose, my good friend!" Here is the secret: Go-to the places where people are looking for your help. Seems too simple, right? Well, it really is! In marketing terms: find out where your target market hangs out. Here is an example: let's say that y...

I don't know about you, but I definitely get exhausted after a day filled with reactive vs proactive work.  There is no doubt that self-management is a challenge and I am always looking for new mental tricks to be as productive as possible.  If any of you are having similar issues, try some of these simple steps: 1. Write down requests (so they out of your head) Many people get caught up trying to use their email communications as a task tracking tool.  However, sooner than later, you will "loose" an email and spend the better part of an afternoon searching for it only to discover that the subject was unrelated to the request and/or expected keywords are missing.  I think everyone has run across one of these cryptic emails once or twice. Instead, try to pivot from reactive to proactive work style by logging requests into a PM tool.  Some awesome existing web tools are Trello , Teamwork , Asana and for the more daring, Podio . 2. Itemize major steps (as...

I never thought my first post on LinkedIn would be about a talent service. But, here I go. I have been a freelance software developer and project manager for almost 3 years. Yay?! My biggest challenge on this journey has been finding clients that can afford to keep me interested. People love to work with me, not because I am a yes person, but because I am patient, friendly and a realist. Unfortunately, this often results in clients that don't live up to my expectations. Often, these clients do not make essential decisions and/or do not provide essential information in order for me to provide the level of quality I have promised. So, I found myself transitioning from Independent Software Developer to Project Manager. Sufficient requirements gathering is hard. But, it also absolutely necessary for success. This is where I hope toptal will fill in the gaps. I myself have thought about starting my own talent agency and/or creating a project management tool the freelancer/small bu...

I never thought my first post on LinkedIn Pulse would be about a talent service. But, here I go. I have been a freelance software developer and project manager for almost 3 years. Yay?! My biggest challenge on this journey has been finding clients that can afford to keep me interested. People love to work with me, not because I am a yes person, but because I am patient, friendly and a realist. Unfortunately, this often results in clients that don't live up to my expectations. Often, these clients do not make essential decisions and/or do not provide essential information in order for me to provide the level of quality I have promised. So, I found myself transitioning from Independent Software Developer to Project Manager. Sufficient requirements gathering is hard. But, it also absolutely necessary for success. This is where I hope toptal will fill in the gaps. I myself have thought about starting my own talent agency and/or creating a project management tool the freelance...