Ageless Passions by Karen Putz

Tag: blogging

  • The Growing Bolder Lifestyle

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    Back in 2011, I discovered an awesome website called Growing Bolder.  I stumbled upon the Growing Bolder segment on Banana George while doing some research for the Gliding Soles, Lessons from a Life on Water book I was writing at the time. “It’s not about age, it’s about attitude,” was the Growing Bolder tagline.  “It’s an attitude. A mission. A passion. A team of people who believe in the power of hope, inspiration and possibility.”  The site was filled with one inspiring story after another featuring people living passionate lives.  Marc Middleton, the founder and CEO, left his job as a reporter in 2006 to form Bolder Media Group.  He was tired of constantly reporting news that was physically, emotionally, and mentally draining day after day.

    Intrigued, energized, and inspired by all the stories, I connected with Bill Shafer, the Executive Vice President and introduced myself.  Like Marc, Bill also left his job as a reporter and shared the same mission and vision of creating positive, uplifting content.  I boldly invited Bill and his crew to come to the World Barefoot Center. We ended up having a great time together and Growing Bolder produced two segments which were shown on PBS stations:

    A Mom Who Walks on Water

    The Barefoot Competitor

    I loved the mission and vision of Growing Bolder so much that I told Bill, “I want to come and work for Growing Bolder.”

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    And now I’m the lucky one. I recently joined the Growing Bolder Blogging team. I get to share inspirational stories, thoughts, and ramblings with a passionate group of Growing Bolder Elite Bloggers.  Of course, it was only fitting that I introduced Judy Myers, The Barefoot Competitor, in my first blog post.  Four years ago, Judy was pivotal in helping me to unwrap my passion for barefoot water skiing again. I want to pay it forward in encouraging others to pursue their passions, no matter the age.

    If you’re at a point in your life where you’ve become stuck in the “same old, same old” routine, I invite you to come over to Growing Bolder and hang out with some truly amazing people, because as Jim Rohn says, “You’re the average of the five people you hang out with.”   Get a daily dose of passion on the Growing Bolder Facebook page.  Adopt the Growing Bolder lifestyle.  You don’t have to settle for growing older. Grow bolder instead.

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  • Karen Putz and Amy Derby Do Lunch

     I don’t remember who suggested it first, but I found myself writing down “lunch with Amy Derby” on my calendar last week.   Yesterday, I headed out to her town to pick her up.

    I’m bad with directions, she wrote.  You might want to Mapquest it.

    I’ve got a navigator in my van,  I told her.  I’m sure I can find it.

    I dutifully followed the directions and found myself lost.  The numbers didn’t match up.  Thank goodness for good ‘ole texting, as I found Amy a quarter mile away, standing on a street corner hammering away at her iPhone.

    Meeting someone for the first time is often awkward, but I think Amy and I hit it off pretty quickly.  For one thing, we instantly bonded over hearing aid batteries.  She needed a hearing aid battery and I had a stash of different sizes in my purse.  We headed over to Chilis, but because I was driving and reading lips at the same time, we ended up in the Baker’s Square parking lot.  Neither of us noticed, until we swung open the doors and saw a showcase of pies facing us.  We laughed, and walked next door to Chilis.

    It was heaven to connect with another writer and talk about the daily stuff that’s involved with churning out words.    Heaven to bounce ideas off of someone who could give an honest answer (even if it was, “I don’t know”).  And boy, was it fun to talk about all the people we know on the ‘net and how we got to know them.

    So, if you don’t know Amy Derby, head on over to her blog, Write From Home and take a moment to get to know this sassy, talented writer.

  • Once Upon A Time… I Started Blogging

    On a fine summer day, two years ago in July, I sat down in front of some blogging software. Blogger, it was called. “Why don’t I start my own blog!” I said to myself. I figured it would be nothing more than an online journal where I could entertain my family and my friends.

    Blogger prompted me to select a name to be part of the www.—–.blogspot.com domain. I wanted something unique, something easy to remember and something that would stand out.

    “Putzworld!” I said to myself. “There’s not too many people out there with a last name like Putz!”

    And that’s how www.putzworld.blogspot.com was born.

    Ok, so that wasn’t exactly a brilliant move back then, but you have to admit, it was memorable, wasn’t it? Who forgets a Putz?

    In the last two years, I’ve been having fun with this blog. I’ve been able to share bits and pieces of my life, such as my family’s story of discovering a deaf gene, or how about some waterskiing memories and the fun of raising my kids.   When I had the drive-thru window closed in my face and service denied at the Bolingbrook Steak ‘n Shake, I shared the frustration here on this blog and it spread to many other websites and blogs.

    Along the way, the blog became a little bit of something more. I met so many wonderful people, both online and face-to-face as a result of this blog.  Every morning, I get the chance to Twitter to hundreds of people.  It’s like having a virtual water cooler conversation– something that I don’t normally have access to when conversing in groups without an interpreter.

    The blog opened up some writing opportunities for me. I worked for a writing company for a year, dipping my toes into a whole new kind of writing.  I went to work as a copywriting freelancer for a real estate company, and lasted through just one project and a tiny grammar mistake before I was kindly “let go.”  I still see that real estate company looking for copywriters all the time.

    Last fall, out of the blue, I was contacted by an employee of a new, soon-to-be launched website, Disaboom. Would I come and write for them, they wanted to know. I’ve been writing for Disaboom since they launched and I regularly write feature articles for the site.  Having my own blog also led to writing for Parenting Squad and the Chicago Moms Blog.  My recent article at Chicago Moms Blog, Camp is Over, It’s Back to the Real World, was syndicated in several newspaper websites.  I also have another blog that focuses on deaf and hard of hearing people in different Jobs, Careers and Callings.

    So here it is, two years later and I love writing more than ever and I plan to continue this blog for many more years.   So I’m turning to my readers to learn more about you.  What brings you here?  What keeps you coming back?  Is there something you’d like me to share more of? 

    Let’s talk!