Life Lessons:
Linda Carlson
*Are you happy at the moment?
Yes!
*If you could go back and say anything to your 16-year-old self now – what would it be?
Take more risks.
*What’s the most important thing you’ve learned this year?
Adapt! Adapt! Adapt!
*What do you most want to achieve in the next 12 months?
Continue to grow intellectually and make new friends.
*What’s your secret to happiness?
Make the effort to stay in touch (or reconnect) with old friends, and to make the first move with potential new acquaintances.
*What one ritual or practice keeps you grounded?
I row at dawn twice weekly when weather permits. Just me, two oars, a shell, the ducks and the geese as the sun rises and the city wakes up.
*What’s your biggest regret?
That I didn’t take more risks in my 20s.
*What’s the most important lesson you’ve taught your kid(s)?
Develop a strong work ethic and don’t go into debt.
*What bad habit would you most like to change about yourself?
Inserting foot in mouth due to lack to tact or forethought.
*Aside from motherhood/fatherhood and marriage what are you most proud of in your life?
I’ve written 15 books, one of which is a history that may be in print forever.
*When were you happiest?
Probably when I was pregnant with my first child—I was so absorbed in what was happening that little else worried or irritated me.
*What ten words best describe you?
Creative, takes initiative, detail-oriented, outgoing, outspoken, sense of humor, hard-working…
Linda Carlson is a Seattle marketing consultant and the author of “Company Towns in the Pacific Northwest” (University of Washington Press) and several business titles, including the popular 1990s series, “How to Find a Good Job in Seattle.” A graduate of Washington State University’s journalism program and the Harvard Business School, she sold her first article to a daily paper as a college freshman and her first book, a small business marketing guide, to a Boston publisher at age 29. Her posts on small business marketing appear on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/pub/linda-carlson/1/239/223. Information about her books is at lindacarlson.com. She is the mother of two, both born after age 35. In her free time, she takes a daily Norwegian class and she blogs at lindacarlsoncreates.blogspot.com.
