Word! I'm Back! 07/15/2010
 
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I'm back....things have been crazy!   We have more help now so I am carving out more time for writing....whether you like it or not! 

We took the company for a week-long retreat to Belize a couple weeks ago, where we held all of our strategic planning meetings.  Needless to say, it was pretty phenomenal!  Beautiful sand, clear water, turtles, sharks, rays, fish, coral and plenty of stories.  It may have been one of the best things we have done yet!  Everyone had a great time and the fact is, we also got a lot of planning done.  Company culture is very important to me, whether it's our company, a client's or people that make the things I buy.  I think the biggest plus about Spych is the fact I can honestly say I love everything about my job, day after day.  Are there times when I may not be particularly thrilled about crunching numbers, inputting expenses or balancing out the finances? Absolutely, but those are the exceptions and I'm okay with that.

What is it that you could do every day for the rest of your life, and be happy? What is something that could keep you motivated to do your best and keep pushing forward? For me, its conversation. I thrive on great conversation and speaking with people who make me think.  Really think. I guess I kind of got lucky enough to figure it out when I was a little kid, but for some reason I used to always think about when people talked about having "the best day of their life". I'd hear it in music, see it on TV and hear people talk about it in conversations. I eventually ended up on the conclusion that every day had the potential to be the best day of your life. So, I pretty much kept that in mind from then on. I know, i was a strange kiddo, but at least I was an optimistic one!

When you put it into perspective, it's true. How often do we think about it though? We wake up in the morning, scurry along to get ready for work, school, or whatever else our day brings, and we don't think about the potential of the day until something outstandingly positive or negative happens. I'm a person that believes in self-fulfilling prophecies. I know we can control our attitude, and to me, that can shape the majority of situations and conversations that occur throughout our day, or at least how we react to them. What if you wake up and consciously think about the potential for the day to really be the best day of your life? Some days it will end up being average, some below average, but do you think it could affect the progression of the "best" days of your life? I venture to say yes.

I hope tomorrow is the best day of your life...and the next day is even better!

BTW - if you're wondering, I had a pretty dang good day today. Was it the best? Maybe not, but at least it had the chance ;) 
 
 

By now, I think people are beginning to realize that this whole social media craze is not really that much different than traditional networking, dating, or just meeting new friends.  All SM does is give us a platform to expand on the traditional approaches and increase our individual reach.

I am sooo excited to meet with everyone in SF on Thursday for the Tweetup.
Finally meeting Jenny Blake, Jamie Varon and Jun Loayza in person is going to be so much fun!! Plus I am meeting up with one of my best friends for the weekend and we plan on going to tour Napa.  How much better can it get?

Seriously, as I have become more active in my groups/organizations such as QRCA, AMA, and SM communities, I have realized even more that my passion in life is meeting, connecting and sharing with new people.  The ability to introduce someone to another person who will have an impact on their life is absolutely amazing!!

This has been a definitely stressful past few days, but I am quickly reminded of the reasons why I love what I do for a living.  My career is based on meeting new and interesting people and having great coffee shop style conversations with them.  Having them share their insights and opinions and creating a rapport.  To me, this truly is "livin the dream"

Tonight I am in KC for a group and working with a soon to become great friend Abby.  Talking with her tonight I again realized how valuable professional organizations can be.  We are both very active in the QRCA organization and we both seem to get so much from being a part of the group.  I think everyone should have some sort of group/organization that they can feel part of.  The experience is amazing and the way you can mentor and be mentored is extremely comforting.  I'm quickly reminded of a friend of mine, Sydney Owen, who has mastered the art of the mentor and fully taken on the task of changing the way PR operates.  Check out her blog and enjoy the absolutely amazing insights!

All in all:
1) I love people - new people, old people, young people, tweeple - it simply does not matter.  I see the value in making relationships one by one .

2) Loving what you do truly does make life a whole lot easier!  Advice I followed after graduation was given to me at a young age "do something you love and the rest will fall into place"  I have never forgotten those words of wisdom and truly appreciate what success has come from doing something I love completely.

3)  In stressful times, seek first to understand, then be understood. 

4)  Sometimes when you feel completely overwhelmed, take a step back and look at life.  You need to take a breath and soak it all in, so the memories and experiences truly set in.

Alright, off to bed and then early to rise and fly to SF tomorrow!!  Hopefully the weather there is better than the rain we got in Dallas and KC.