And with one dry cough - things will never be the same.

Wow. Covid-19 is sweeping across the globe in a terrible and horrifying way.

Firstly, I just want to say, I hope all my fellow WA peeps are safe and well, my thoughts and good vibes are with you during these unsettled times.

Secondly, ... hey I'm back!!! Did you even miss me? Or even notice that I haven't been around? Possibly not. But hey thats okay. The Wealthy Affiliate platform is a bit like a comfortable slipper, you can take them off and put on some kick 4rse boots to explore the world. But WA is always there to come back to for some tried and trusted home truths, coupled with the occassional stern word, when returning to the straight and narrow is needed.

For the past year, I've been busy wih our motel on the West Coast of the South Island, New Zealand. Additionally I was lucky to land a great job as a Recruitment Consultant, which allowed me the luxury of working from home. Essentially I am a contractor, so I have been busy building up my own client base with some considerable success. I've been applying much of the knowledge learned here to my recruitment work; especially around lead generation and email marketing.

It was so successful in fact, that the big boss rang me personally and asked me to "take my foot off the gas for a while", as the consultants couldn't keep up with the work I was generating.

So I sat on my hands for two weeks, which was annoying, as that was two weeks that I could have been out getting new clients and building up my commission pipeline. Anyway, I digress. The point I wanted to make was things were ticking along brilliantly! And finally I could see the way clear to start making some decent money, working from home, with nothing more than my laptop, my phone and a tool kit of skills - many learned from WA over the years.

Then along came COVID-19. FARRRR&K

In one dry cough, things would never be the same.

I have watched my kiwisaver plummet (retirement savings) as the glabal sharemarket sh$t itself, all of our April motel bookings were cancelled in the course of a day, and you guessed it - NO ONE NEEDS A RECRUITMENT CONSULTANT right now. No one is hiring.

New Zealand is now two weeks into a four week compulsary lock down. We are only allowed to leave the house to take exercise locally (dogs are enjoying the extra walks), and to buy essential supplies. We are not allowed to be in contact with anyone outside our immediate bubble. My husband is my bubble. Boy, I've wanted to pop that bubble a few times!

So I've been sitting here thinking far out, it could take years for the NZ tourism industry to fully recover from this, our life savings are tied up in a motel full of empty rooms, and the job I thought I had, is no longer.

What's a girl to do?

Well I've been getting busy. I'm about to soft launch my new website mynewjob.nz and I'm here to re-start all the wonderful training at Wealthy Affiliate to make sure there's nothing I've missed along the way. In fact, I'm just about to head over to Jaaxy right now to do some more SEO keyword research :)

I hope everyone here is doing okay, please feel free to drop me a comment and let me know how you're getting on with the whole Covid-19 pandemic. I'm looking forward to reconnecting with all my WA peeps and any new faces here since I was last hanging out on here.

It feels like I've limped back through the door with a stubbed toe and a bloodied knee, but nonetheless it's good to be back!

Take care everyone, Karen x