Over the holidays, a calamity struck my business of epic proportions. My world crumbled in a big heap of horrifying disaster as I watched before my eyes my computer crashing and burning. Well, it did crash, but did not burn. But, alas let me take you back in time to December 24, 2010.  Turn on your flux capacitor as I tell you this tale of computer crashing woe, and how the hero(me) managed to overcome the trials and tribulations to successfully thwart the mighty malware empire to learn three very important lessons!

Computer Crashing Tale (You Might Need A Tissue)

Twas the night before Christmas as my wife and I arrived at her parent’s home filled with our final gifts. Not a person was spared, not even our-self. As my wife went to the kitchen to prepare the delectable foods that make me love her even more, I wanted to get out one last email to my business partners wishing them a happy holidays and more. Alas, though, my trusty Lenovo laptop spun into a tizzy, as it kept  restarting my stomach made turns and my head felt dizzy. I cried, “No old friend, what has happened to your determination. Do not let them take you into computer damnation. “Gasp”, said my Lenovo that I had bought for the cheapest of prices at Tiger Direct 2-3 years before and then went out into the blue screen light it emitted and then it was no more.

There I was cradling my dead Lenovo, who had been with me from the start of my social networking adventures. Remember, the first time we followed someone on Twitter. I know that you remember the first Youtube video that I did. And who could forget as we bravely wrote the first words on my site last year when it was called Twitter Goal. The blackness of its interior now matched it’s black, malware forsaken motherboard heart.

For those of you with kleenex’s out,(there should not be a dry eye in the house) dry those teary eyes, however, and feel happy to know that I believe in computer reincarnation. My trusty Lenovo will be repaired at a later time, although it’s memory might be wiped, so I am not sure if Lenovo will recognize me.

Additionally, I have added a new laptop to the Social Networking Schmoozer family: my new Dell Inspiron Flashy! It moves a lot faster than Lenovo ever did, and people even tell me how pretty she is. I have not shown flashy Lenovo’s remains in order to not scare my newborn computer.

3 Lessons From My Computer Crashing

1.Despite them denying my application as an affiliate on Commission Junction, Carbonite saved my butt major time. They are an online computer backup system. It runs on your computer as you work, backing up your documents, and backing up your documents on their secure system, so you do not have to worry about your computer crashing the night before Christmas with all of your information lost forever. Instead, after a week of restoring my information 90% of my information has been successfully restored. I still am having challenges accessing my old emails, but all of my documents are up and running. Emails can be easily replaced, documents containing my business plan and all of the documentation of how to run my business can not.

2. Make sure your business can be mobile and flexible. I did not have a computer for about 2-3 days after this happened. Granted, I did not need one on Christmas, but my laptop is something that I rely upon constantly. Instead, I was able to use my Blackberry to answer emails, and check out my social networks. Aside from a few blog posts that I missed, everything else went off without a hitch. That is the power of mobile marketing, and how in today’s world you can stay connected and on top of your game despite not having access to all of the tools at your disposal.

3. Sometimes better things come along. I have been thinking about getting a new computer for a few months now. My old one was not as fast as it used to be, and I could tell it was only a matter of time. However, without the impetus to change I would not have made the move. So, my computer crashing was the perfect indication that it was time to find something better. That is the way with change. Sometimes, we just need the kick in the butt to make our lives a little better. This computer is not only faster, but also has more memory, and comes with a more advanced office package than what I had before. My 2003 Microsoft Office CD was beginning to rust under the pressure of being used for so long.

Computer Crashing Finale

So, as we enter a new year, I also enter a new phase of change with my entire system of business. Every story has a lesson, and it is when we choose to listen to these lessons that we can truly begin to understand how to be prepared for the new opportunities that await us in the future. That is why a computer crashing sometimes means that something else is getting that much better.