“Hello Kate! It’s good to see you again. How’s things?” Jill began.
Kate smiled. “It’s good to see you, too. Things are fine.”
Things weren’t fine, but Kate felt reluctant to confide in her. After all, Kate didn’t know Jill that well. After all, she’d only met Jill once before, at a big motivational talk event last year. This was an anniversary catch- up event, held in the same conference centre. Kate had received a reminder e-mail. Her mind flew back to the year before…
The speaker was a charismatic, glamorous, highly successful IT business owner called Eleanor Craven. She’d eagerly hung onto Eleanor’s every word. The talk was so inspiring!
When they broke for lunch, Kate found herself in the queue next to Jill in the conference centre’s cafe.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking but what do you think of the talk?” she asked.
“To be honest with you, I only came in to get out of the rain,” she confessed.
“Did you? Hi. I’m Kate.”
“I’m Jill. As for the talk – well, Eleanor certainly makes a good impression,” she went on.
“If you don’t mind me saying, you sound kind of cynical,” Kate remarked.
Jill pulled a face. “Well, these sorts of talks are basic pick-me-ups, aren’t they?”
Kate was taken aback. “How can you say that? I found it totally life changing!”
“How is Eleanor’s speech going to change your life?” Jill enquired.
“I don’t know yet,” she spluttered. “But I’ll be buying Eleanor’s book later on. Why not stay and listen to the second half of the talk? It’s free.”
“Is it still raining out?” Jill asked.
Kate peered out of the window.
“Yes. It’s pouring down,” Kate replied.
So, Jill stayed.
When the talk ended, Kate had tried to find Jill, but she’d melted away in the crowd…never mind. Kate was so fired up with passion and enthusiasm. She was determined to launch a brand-new enterprise! If she worked hard, she was sure to reap the rewards.
Back on the main stage, once again, Eleanor Craven had told everyone they could make their dreams come true… then it was breaktime.
“Do you fancy a coffee?” Jill asked Kate.
Kate nodded and they headed towards the cafe. When Jill went to the counter, Kate reflected. Sadly, all of her grand plans had come to nothing. The online vintage jewellery idea hadn’t generated enough profit, the sandwich delivery business hadn’t got off the ground, and the new art concept had sunk without a trace. She eventually took her parent’s advice and found a proper job, but the admin post bored her to tears. When her boss wasn’t about, Kate had whiled away the hours by setting up an anonymous blog. Titled ‘The tedious life of an office girl’, it had attracted a lot of followers. The social media links placed on the blog had helped spread the word. Even though it was only a small project, Kate had created it herself. She felt proud of her secret success.
As Jill returned, a thought occurred to her. If Jill hadn’t found Eleanor’s original talk helpful or interesting, why was she here today?
“How’s your year been?” Kate began.
“Not bad,” Jill answered. “I’ve been working on an idea.”
“Tell me more.” Kate sipped her coffee.
“Well, I’ve self- published a little e-book,” Jill replied.
“That sounds intriguing. What’s your book about?”
“The second half of Eleanor’s talk left quite an impact on me,” Jill admitted. “I went away and thought about what I’d like to achieve.”
“Go on,” Kate urged.
“I bought her book, too. It inspired me to create and innovate,” Jill went on. “Energise and focus.”
Kate recognised Eleanor’s motivational speak jargon.
“And?” Kate was agog.
Jill reached for her bag, whipped a tablet out, switched it on and showed Kate the screen. “So, I wrote a motivational book of my own! It’s called ‘Words of Wisdom.’ It’s selling quite well. I’m planning a website, and I’d like to set up a blog.”
“That’s brilliant news!” Kate beamed. “Well done.”
Kate was amazed – yet Jill looked thoughtful.
“I don’t suppose you know anyone who’s good on social media and blogging? I need someone to help me promote the book,” she explained. Her spirit soared. Talk about stumbling across an unexpected opportunity! Kate took a deep breath. She needed to sell herself here. She recalled the confidence techniques from Eleanor and launched in.
“I’m familiar with all social media platforms,” Kate replied. “I blog, too. Have you heard of a blog called ‘The tedious life of an office girl?’ That’s me.”
“Really? I’m one of your followers. So, that smart, funny blog writer, is you?” Jill was amazed.
Kate nodded.
