Life Lessons I Learned From My Cat

This vintage typwriter is our featured image.

Hi everyone —

Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. Unfortunately it has been a hectic — and frankly extremely sad — few weeks here at In Brief Legal Writing Services. As many of you already know, our mascot, Eli “The Cat” Bogdanovic, passed away a week ago at age 13.

He was fine when I got back from London — or at least he seemed fine. But during the first week of June we noticed he no longer wanted any kibble, which was highly unusual. Gradually he lost interest in his food altogether, but was still drinking. After a harrowing weekend, I took him to the veterinarian on Monday, June 10.

Eli the cat.
In Brief Legal Writing Services mascot, Eli the cat. 1/1/06 – 6/17/19

To make a long story short, his initial assessment showed evidence of significant dental issues and alarmingly elevated kidney values. He was hospitalized for four days and I visited him twice during that time. We brought him home on Friday, June 14 and he seemed to be doing well. But the next morning, he made it clear that he no longer wanted any medical intervention, even here at home.

So we made the incredibly difficult decision to let him leave us on his terms here at home, with us, where he knew he was loved. And that’s exactly what he did.

Life won’t be the same without him.

He was more than a mascot for my business. He was my best friend. He never let met down. He was a great listener. In fact, he was my officially unofficial “therapy cat.” He was a great teacher. I learned so much from him. I learned:

  1. Don’t give up on people, no matter how many times you’ve been betrayed or how badly they let you down.
  2. Once you do find someone you can trust completely, you’ll realize everything else was worth it.
  3. A true friend will always stand up for you no matter what.
  4. Live life on your own terms.
  5. When all else fails, turn on the charm.
  6. Sometimes, silence speaks volumes.
  7. Loyalty is one of the most precious commodities on earth.
  8. Those that you love most fiercely are the ones who need it most.
  9. If you get a second chance at anything, make the most of it.
  10. Life is wonderful, but it is incredibly unpredictable and incredibly short, so make the most of every day.

Alexandra Bogdanovic is a paralegal and the owner/founder of In Brief Legal Writing Services. She is also an award-winning author and journalist whose interests include animal welfare and animal law. All opinions expressed in this forum are her own. Any information pertaining to legal matters is intended solely for general audiences and should not be regarded as legal advice.

Why I haven’t I created a Facebook page for In Brief Legal Writing Services — yet

This vintage typwriter is our featured image.

As a new business owner, I’ve had a lot to do over the past year.

I created this website, and began blogging regularly. I opened a Twitter account. I have a (minimal) presence on Google+. I am building a client base through Upwork.com.

The only thing I haven’t done is start a Facebook page. Some people — including “the experts– (whoever they are) say it’s the single most important thing all new business owners should do. “They” are probably right (whoever “they” are).

Alexandra Bogdanovic
Founder/owner of In Brief Legal Writing Services, Alexandra Bogdanovic. Photo by N. Bogdanovic

So why haven’t I done it? Why wasn’t it my first priority?

Call me a rebel. Call me an individualist. Call me a big fan of critical thinking. Call me stubborn. Call me obstinate. Call me pig-headed. Call me an idiot. Call me anything you’d like.

It won’t change how I feel about Facebook. I hate it. I always have — and I always will.

I hate it because I value my privacy. I hate it because it seems inane. I hate it because “everyone” participates — although I must confess, I don’t know who “everyone” is.

I hate Facebook because I had to post stories (or links to stories) there when I worked at various newspapers. It was time-consuming and it was a pain in the butt — to put it nicely.

I hate Facebook so much that I never created a page to promote my book, Truth Be Told: Adam Becomes Audrey, even though “everybody” insisted that I should. I suppose “everyone” will say that I would have sold more books if I had started a Facebook page to promote my memoir. But here’s a newsflash: I don’t really care.

All of that being stated, I suppose I will have to put my personal feelings aside sooner or later. After all, this is about business.

So yes, I am planning on creating a Facebook page for In Brief Legal Writing Services. I’m determined to do it by the end of the year. And when I do, I hope to see you there.

The key to success

This vintage typwriter is our featured image.

In my seemingly endless quest for knowledge, I’ve just started another continuing education class. This one is all about Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.

I am sure you already know what that is. Or at least you’ve probably heard about it. If you haven’t, it isn’t all that hard to understand. It’s just a fancy bunch of techno-babble having to do with the ways that search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, and so-forth find and rank new and existing websites.

SEO blog illustrationOnce you know how the search engines work, then you can learn how to use that to your advantage. So for the next few weeks, I’ll be learning all about keywords and key phrases and other such things. And when all is said and done, I’ll know the “secrets” to achieving top rankings on the most important search engines – without resorting to anything underhanded or sneaky. Or that’s the plan, anyway.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m doing all of this after I’ve already built and launched my website. The answer is simple. I’m not doing it for myself. I’m doing it for you. After all, a website that’s easy to find will help any attorney attract clients. A website that’s packed with exciting and engaging content will do the same.

Of course, I haven’t gotten to the best part yet. I saved that for last. The best part is that I’ll be doing all the heavy lifting. And you’ll have one less thing to worry about.

 

Starting from scratch

This vintage typwriter is our featured image.

I did it.

On Tuesday afternoon, I set up a new Twitter account to be used solely for my business. It makes sense. It was the right thing to do.

This will eliminate the confusion that resulted when I tweeted about business matters from my personal account. As I mentioned on Monday, I created that account when I was building my brand as an author and promoting my book. I also use that account to post photographs, chat with friends, share meaningful quotations and so forth. So you can see why it caused some consternation when I started tweeting about something entirely different out of the blue.

Alexandra Bogdanovic
Founder/owner Alexandra Bogdanovic

Speaking of confusion, I must admit I’m having a hard time setting up my new Google+ page, navigating all the nuances of Google My Business, etc. I don’t know why that’s the case. I had no trouble with the set up for my personal page. At any rate, I appreciate your patience and hope you’ll bear with me until I get everything sorted out.

I’m still debating whether or not to build a Facebook page. I’ve heard it’s a good idea, but I’m not convinced it’s the right thing to do. As I said on Monday, I’ve got my hands full as it is.

I’ll let you know what I decide to do. In the meantime, please feel free to follow me @InBriefLegalWS on Twitter if you’re already there. You can also view my profile by clicking on the link at the bottom of my website.