I resolve to…

Close up , colorful pushpins on calendar

Close up , colorful pushpins on calendar

Several years ago I was reflecting, and I had an overall tinge of regret, sensing that I spent too much time reclining in the sidelines and not enough time balls-to-the wall embracing my life.

Sidelined by kids’ schedules, work schedules, the limits of one car for a household of three drivers ,and the limits of my own mind.

This made me uncomfortable. I resolved to do something else. Or eat something else. Or shop for something else. Continue reading

No explanation needed

Person jumping between two bouldersDon’t be deceived into thinking that you owe anyone an explanation for anything you choose to do or not do. Not even yourself.

You don’t have to give anyone a reason for anything you do. I don’t care who they are.

Most of the time it seems like I make decision based on facts, logic or circumstances that point towards a local choice. Other times I don’t know why but I just feel that I should do something. I say just as if the feeling itself isn’t enough. When I’m at my best I go with that feeling. Continue reading

Joy Abounds

falkor from The Neverending StoryThe best part of having survived a shitty childhood is that it makes for a grateful adult. Of course the downside is that you also have a tendency to be anxious ’cause you know what kinds of serious shit can hit the fan. The stuff of movies. The stuff you don’t even see in movies.

So when I heard Brene Brown talk about fear at the World Domination Summit last summer, I got it. Yes, I’m the spouse who said to her partner, what if…? Buzz kill. Continue reading

If you really knew me, you’d know that…

red theater drapes

  • I make good things better.
  • I’m a great editor.
  • I love being the girl behind the scenes. Some people covet the spotlight. That’s not me. I prefer to be the wind beneath that person’s wings.
  • I deconstruct everything, even sitcoms. One of the side effects of being an English major.
  • My super power is that I see the rock star in everyone and mirror it so they can see it too.
  • I’m an introvert, but I play an extrovert most of the time which means I’m an Oscar-worthy actress.
  • Whether Klout recognizes it or not (remember Klout?), I have a lot of influence. When I talk, people pay attention and take action.
  • I’m a third culture kid. When I was nine our family spent a year living abroad in France and Austria.
  • I intuitively know people.
  • I hate jelly beans, amusement parks, scary movies and Vegas.
  • My strengths, as identified by Strengthfinders, are Maximizer, Discipline, Developer, Relator and Individualization.
  • I’m magnetic; people are drawn to me.
  • I can talk to anybody.
  • I’m the ultimate connector. My friends say I’m what you want LinkedIn to be.

Continue reading

I’m grateful to be overwhelmed.

Anyone care to guess why I might be feeling a wee bit overwhelmed today?

Photo of my desk covered in clutter

Yes, my monitor sits on an old Webster’s Dictionary.

While I was blissfully chatting up like-minded people and crafting a nonconventional life for myself at World Domination Summit last weekend, artifacts, most representing to-do’s, have steadily accumulated on my desk, visual cues that I’ve got a crap-ton of piddly-ass shit to do. It’s not that everything is important; in fact very few things are meaningful “big rocks.” But I’m a girl who craves sparse minimalism and needs space, so this kind of visual clutter is overwhelming.

My post-conference modus operandi is to take the day after off to follow up with people I’ve met, review my notes and set action items for myself. And, of course, the desk gets cleared. This system works for me and is one of the methods I use to prevent overwhelm after attending events.

Enter the monkey wrench. Continue reading

Revealing my story with help from Chris Martin

My hatred for being photographed is inordinate. I dread photo sessions like most people dread root canals. Remarkable, award-winning photographers have taken hundreds of photos that yielded only a few satisfactory shots.
So, when I scheduled a photo shoot last month, everyone asked why. They loved the old photo. The white pants. The candy-red patent Via Spiga pumps. (What’s not to love?)

Continue reading

What do you do exceptionally well?

Person jugglingOne thing I’ve learned over the past year is the importance of knowing what you’re good at and working in that sweet spot. Think about it. What do you do exceptionally well?

Me? I am a connector and a community builder. I understand audiences and clients. I know their pain points. I get them. An editor for most of my career, I also love, love, LOVE content and the art  of good story telling. And I know what kinds of content targeted audiences want. These are areas where I am completely kick-off-my-heels comfortable. Continue reading

On the Importance of Wearing White Pants

Photo of me wearing white pants

The infamous white dress pants

I didn’t wear white pants for years. Years. And it’s not, as you might imagine, that I didn’t like white pants. On the contrary. I gazed enviously at women who wore them, longing for a pair of my own.

I dog-eared pages in Real Simple and Vogue, examples, I thought, of white pants worn well. I repeatedly presented them to my besties who never failed to remind me, “You know you can’t wear white pants.” Of course not. No size 12 woman should ever wear white pants. Their unwritten rule became mine.

Until one day I snapped.  Continue reading