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Melissa Lindberg
Expert Guru
Writing has always been in my blood. In college I studied English and earned a Bachelors degree in English. Upon graduation I did not know what to do with my degree and I entered into a civil servant position, spending the next ten years working for the local city government.
Realizing that this was not the career path for me, I began attending night classes at a local college. After three years of full time employment and full time college courses at night, I earned my teaching license.
As a fan of children’s literature and someone who enjoys working with small children, I applied for a job as a kindergarten teacher and was hired at my first interview. After three and one-half years and the birth of two sons, I decided it was time to remain home to raise my own children.
Currently I am building a freelance writing career, which provides the creative outlet that is so much a part of my personality. As a research person by nature, I am always seeking new information and discovering new ways of looking at the world.
In addition to the freelance writing career, I also own a small party planning business. Party Planning began as a hobby but grew to be so popular that I decided to create a business. In addition to planning parties, I also teach party planning classes for a local community education program.
My personal mantra is “live with intention”. Every day I choose to make my life happen rather than to watch it pass me by. I make sure that at the end of the day I have done something to challenge, educate or improve myself. I don’t want to waste one day of my life.
Testimonial
I am very excited about the opportunity to work with the staff and writers at LifeTips. I have enjoyed a variety of different careers and have found that Freelance Writing is my most favorite one. Using my ability to create new ideas, share old ideas and create a world with words is amazing to me. After years of writing for a hobby, it is a dream come true to actually be getting paid for having fun.
Interview
What books have most influenced your life? Out of Africa By Isak Dinesen Our Town by Thornton Wilder Living, Loving and Learning by Leo Buscaglia
Who are your favorite music artists? I do not have one particular favorite musician or music style. I enjoy country music from Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney on hot summer nights, Opera and Gospel on Sunday mornings or while I am cooking dinner. Jazz or the Blues always make a cold rainy November night seem just a bit cozier. Steve Tyrell has the voice that I love to listen to when I am researching projects or work ideas.
What are your favorite websites and why? Since my businesses are about writing and party planning, I spend most of my time researching other ideas, creative opportunities or scouting for new jobs. I enjoy finding new facts, information and researching different topics in search of new story ideas, futher details for story ideas I am working on or just learning more about the world around me.
Where else can people find you on the web? Currently I am working on two different web pages. The first is for my freelance writing business and the second is for my party planning business. At the current time, Lifetips.com is my only online location.
What are your professional highlights? I have just recently become involved in freelance writing as a career path. I have worked primarily for one company outside of Lifetips.com, having written over two hundred keyword articles, an ebook and specializing in research articles for one specific client. I have an English degree and a teaching license, each have offered many different opportunties to complete writing projects. However, it is only since I began freelance work that I have considered writing as a career path of its own.
What advice do you have for the journey of life? "live with intention" is the phrase for my life. I tell my family that this is the phrase I want on my tombstone. So many people let life pass them by; getting up, going to work, going to bed...only to repeat the entire pattern the next day. I believe that we should each make our life be an example of our dreams and take each opportunity to increase the joy of living on a daily basis. Instead of saying, Oh, I am too old, I can't do that", I say "If I can still attempt it, Then I am going to give it a try." After watching my sons play soccer and karate, I have decided that I should know what it is like on the field and the mat. So at 42 years of age, I am an official beginner at two sports I have never tried in my life. Some friends asked me if I did not think I was a little old for those two activities and I told them, "I am not dead yet." I want to live my life and know when I die that I really did have fun and that I did my best to make my dreams come true.
What are you most passionate about in life? My children are my passion. They show me how to enjoy life, laugh at my mistakes and keep trying when I fall down. My husband and I had our children later in life and I have found such a new appreciation for childhood and all of its drama and excitement. My kids keep me young and laughing. I am lucky.
What ticks you off? Bad Manners really tick me off.
Any thoughts or ideas on living a greener life? As a family we reduce, reuse and recycle. I think it is important to give back to a planet that gives so much.
What would people be surprised to know about you? How truly strong I am.
Philosophy
"live with intention" is my life quote. Life is so easy to slip into and then suddenly find yourself in a rut. Taking the time to make choices with each new day - to find something new that you enjoy, learn something you did not know yesterday or to challenge yourself to try something that is beyond your comfort zone. In my opinion, that is what "living with intention" is all about. In fact, that phrase is what prompted me to I became a freelance writer. After spending years working on books and writing ideas that I was always afraid to share, I answered a "writer needed" job posting and got hired immediately upon sending in a writing sample. Within one week I was promoted to a Senior writer and I now do specialized work for that same company. "living with intention" is my personal mantra and guiding force in my life.
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Channel Experience
Family/Safety B2B/Business
Career Experience
Web Writer
Project Experience
Keyword Research Articles Brochures Direct Mail Book
Industry Experience
Educational
3 Tips from Melissa Lindberg
Planning Early Can Save You Money
Always pay attention to the special interests of your child. In our house, birthday party themes are planned well in advance, this early planning allows me to take great advantage of clearance sales, special prices and discontinued items. Pay close attention to end caps and clearance sales when in department and toy stores; a great deal of money can be saved just making a quick check the toy clearance isles during a shopping trip. It is taking the time, often just an additional few minutes to look for sales that can make all the difference in your budget. So many people tell me that they don't have the time, but when you consider all the money that you can save, how could you not make the time.
Shop after Holiday Sales for Basics
After Holiday Sales in grocery and department stores can save you a considerable amount of money. There are always incredible sales in grocery stores after the holiday has passed and often times the money you save can be in the hundreds of dollars. As a party planner, I am always looking for good sales that I can pass on to my customer. Last Halloween, I was able to purchase over $500 worth of Halloween decorations for $35. I happened to be in a grocery store that wanted to sell all of their Halloween decorations as quickly as possible; they offered a sale of $5 for a bag of decorations, whatever you fit in the bag, you paid $5 for the whole thing. I was able to buy hundreds of napkins, silverware, tablecloths, candles, decorations, etc. The colors were in black and orange but that is not a problem. Many party themes, in addition to Halloween, use these colors so I will have more than enough opportunity to utalize all the items that I purchased.
When Planning Games, Remember Your Age Group
It is important when planning a party to focus on the ages of the invitees. What may seem like an extremely simple game to an adult could prove to be quite complicated to a small child. Remember that the simple, repetative games are often the most popular for kids because they are familiar with the routine and experience a high success rate. The party games should focus on enjoyment for the entire group and not only on providing competition for one or two winners.
Family/Safety
Web Writer
Keyword Research
Brochures
Educational
