I Believe…

I believe that people are inherently good.

I believe that it’s time to stop using “because that’s how we’ve always done it” as a reason for anything.

I believe it’s time for to start thinking of new, more efficient ways to work.

I believe in hard work.

I believe that you can have a good balance of work and home life.

I believe in having fun while you work.

I believe in sharing what you know in order to help others.

I believe in trusting others.

I believe in having values and not wavering from them.

I believe in honesty.

I believe in telling those you are closest to the hard truth.  Even if it hurts.

I believe in compassion.

I believe that its time for me to step-up.

I believe that when you find the right people you can accomplish anything.

I believe in great customer service.

I believe in never shutting someone down during a brainstorming session.

I believe in dreams.

I believe that in order to establish trust you need to be willing to share things about yourself.

I believe in grassroots efforts.

I believe in myself.

Tell me what YOU believe in.

A Pledge To Myself

I recently read a post by Scott Ginsberg called “How to Walk Away.”  If  you are struggling with that very decision, either personal or professional, I encourage you to read it.  Please click here.

Scott encourages you to watch out for the warning signs.  He says that people walk away for two reasons, “either because its hard, or because it’s right” and than gives you a list of warning signs to watch for.  One that he doesn’t list, but that has become a sign for me is:  If you’re the only one that can muster any positive energy in your office, it’s time to walk away.

I’ve thought about walking away for a while.  I could give you a list of reasons why I haven’t starting with:  it’s hard.  Really hard.  But the person I’ve become, or the person I can be, is not someone I even like.  I could use the space to tell you all the insanely stupid things that have happened, but anybody can do that.  I don’t want to be that person.  Sure, I still need to vent occasionally, but it feels so much better to keep my chin up, get the work done, and when the time is right – walk away.  I also learned from reading this that while you’re leaving something by walking away, you’re gaining something back in self-respect.  To the end, I decided to write a pledge to myself.

I pledge….

to have respect for myself by speaking up when I have an opinion.

to help find solutions for problems rather then just pointing them out.

to always give it my all.

to be a good listener and open to criticism, even when its hard to hear.

to not be afraid of change or willing to change.

to trust that those who are around me will always do their best.

to walk away from the people who don’t.

to take time for myself and not feel guilty about it.

to trust my gut.  Its usually right.

to be patient.  Remember, things take time.  Do it right.

to own up to mistakes.

to not be afraid to fail.

to laugh every day.

Are you contemplating walking away?  What’s holding you back?  Have you made a personal pledge?

Another T-Shirt? Big Friggin’ Deal.

We are living in an age where everyone is vying for attention. People are bombarded with names and companies and products every day through Facebook, Twitter, the internet, t.v, radio, the list goes on and on.

Sure, you gotta start somewhere. But if the plan is to pass out a t-shirt, I think you’re going to be disappointed when people aren’t coming out of the woodwork to volunteer some time, make a contribution or do whatever it is you think they should be doing. If your goal is to start a real program or have real conversations or have a real relationship with your target group, here are my four quick tips:

1. Start small. Relationships take time. A lot of time. Picture yourself as the rock about to be thrown into the lake. It starts small, and maybe the first 100 times you try, nothing happens. That doesn’t mean your audience isn’t listening or they don’t care. It just means you haven’t talked to the right people yet. Keep talking. Once you’re made those first few connections, they’ll start talking to their friends. Get the picture? That little rock that was just thrown is half way across the lake creating a beautiful ripple effect.

2. Be realistic about time. If your staff is already over committed then maybe its time to look at existing duties and re-prioritize.  Or maybe re-evaluate job descriptions and responsibilities.  If you are unable to cross anything off their list, maybe its time to bring in some extra help. If you can’t do either, then be prepared for what’s happening now to remain exactly the same. Honestly, it’s that simple. There are only so many hours in the day.  To want change, you need to make change.  It just doesn’t happen by talking about it.

3. Figure out where your audience is hanging out. Go there. Listen to the conversation. Join the conversation. Ask questions. What can you help your audience with? What are some of their fondest memories of your organization? Where are they now? Make connections.

4. If you’re wanting to start a relationship with your target market, whoever that may be…look at who is sitting around your table. Look at the people who are going to be ambassadors for your company. Are they people who you’d want to hang out with? Do they have emotional intelligence? I know the saying “different strokes for different folks”, but trust me, having the right people around the table is critical to the success of any good relationship.

Anyone can pass out a t-shirt. The key is getting them to keep wearing it.

What other pieces of advice would you give to someone wanting to start building relationships with their target market??

Wanted: My Baby Girl With Baby “Problems”

I knew it would happen some day.  I just didn’t know when.

Or how hard it would hit.

She’s growing up.

I remember worrying about how much formula she was getting.  Deciding which solid food to give her first.  Her first fever.  Her first cold.  What I wouldn’t give for those to be my worries today.

We had a rough day.  Sure, she’s 6..almost 7.  But, she tested me today.

As a parent, I think we all want our kids to be good kids.  We want them to be truthful.  We need them to be kind.  We want them to do their best.  We sat down tonight and talked.  She knows what her punishment is and we will stick to it, but more important than that was explaining to her that as a family how important it is to be able to trust one another. I’m sure it won’t be the last time we have this conversation.  I know that this is just the beginning.

To be completely honest though, it wasn’t really what she did that was so bothersome to me.  It was the realization that the days of worrying about what seemed so monumental 6 years ago are over.  Ouch.  Big ouch.

To my little girl:  Be kind, be brave, be truthful, do your best.  And don’t ever, ever, ever lose your smile and that great belly laugh we have all grown to love.

142 Year’s Old? Come on Campbell’s!!

I’m no foodie.

I don’t shop at what I call “fancy pants” grocery stores.

I don’t buy all organic.  (Though, truth be told, I would if I could.)

I consider myself a crock-pot chef.  I don’t have time for “real” cooking.  I’m typing this post while on the toilet, nothing gross, just watching my kids take a bath.  I never, ever thought I would right a review about food.  Ever.  But, what I brought for lunch today was so repulsive, I felt compelled to tell you.

Worst. Soup. Ever.

There were plenty of warning signs.

First, it was soup in a box.

Second, it probably has a shelf life of 6 months, or longer.

Third, it was 90 calories per serving.  (I have over the past year and a half have lost a good amount of weight.  I pay attention to calories, so I’m always looking for some good low-cal options.)

So, yeah, maybe I had it coming.  But, I like V-8 the drink.  So, I thought…this might be pretty tasty.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.  When I poured it into my bowl to microwave, I thought it smelled like baby food.  It looked like chicken broth jelly. I still remained positive.  I heated it up for a minute.  Gave it a stir.  Took my first sip…BLEH.  YUCK.  It not only smelled like baby food, it  tasted just like baby food.  Bad baby food.  I don’t know what kind of parent you are out there, but I tried baby food.  Once.  It’s gross.  Don’t judge, but unless it was a fruit, I didn’t want to taste it.  I had my teeth.

So, I’m no whiner…I came home and made my own Butternut Squash Soup…here’s my recipe.  (Full disclosure:  the recipe originated on allrecipes.com, I’ve adjusted it to my taste.)

Ingredients:

6 Tablespoons chopped onion

4 Tablespoons of butter

2 lbs of Butternut Squash (I usually get 2 medium sized ones)

3 cups of water

4 cups of chicken bouillon (I used the Costco Kirkland Brand boxed chicken broth.)

1/2 tsp. of dried marjoram (tonight I used 1/2 tsp. of curry)

1/4 tsp. of black pepper

1/8 tsp. of cayenne pepper

1 package of light cream cheese (2 if you want a thicker, creamer soup.  I do one to reduce calories)

• Cut squash in half, take out seeds and microwave upside-down on a plate for 8-9 minutes.  Scoop out, put in a blender with cream cheese and puree.

• In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender.  Add water, bouillon, marjoram, black pepper and cayenne pepper.

• Once the onions are tender, add the pureed butternut squash and cream cheese.  Heat until through, don’t bring to a boil.  Yum.

All jokes aside, if I can do this – you can do this.  Enjoy!  And Campbell’s?  Please work on that recipe.  Yikes!!

My Perfect Day

I just got back from my daughter’s soccer game.  It was hard fought.  We didn’t bring home the win, but I don’t think there is anything cuter than a bunch of 6-year old kids playing soccer.

I’m grateful for lots of things in my life, but tonight I just feel lucky.  Lucky that I got to sit by one of my favorite parents.  See, the thing is, she’s not just a cool mom I like to hang out with, no, it’s more than that.  I know I could learn so much from her.

She’s smart.

She’s quick.

She’s easy to talk to.

She’s doing what she wants to be doing.

She’s great at it.

She’s got a heart of gold.

She’s a great mom.  (Trust me, she’s got some of the friendliest and kindest kids.)

We were talking about jobs and happiness and what she’s working on and she gave me the greatest advice.

I have a hard time focusing on the ‘what’ I want to do.  People ask me, I can’t really give them a clear and concise answer.  Instead of focusing on that answer, she told me to start focusing on, and more importantly writing down, what a perfect day would look like for me.

My perfect day would look something like this:

1.Take the kiddos to school/daycare.

2.Go for a run.

3.Meet with a client (I’m picturing small business or non-profit organization) to talk about how to engage more with customers or donors/potential donors using social media as a tool.

4.Work. Hard.

5. Meet back in the middle with the family, have dinner together…

Yeah, making that list just made me realize something.  I’m not asking for much.  This is a completely attainable list.  I will get there.  I truly believe that once you start saying things out loud, somehow, somewhere, someway things will start to happen.  Telling someone your dream makes you stay on track.  Makes you believe that you can (and will!) make it.

Thanks friend, for good conversation, for the advice and for helping me stay focused.  You rock.