As I started this blog I didn’t give myself expectations of how often I would write. I decided at some point (after I felt bad about not writing for a while) that I should write only when truly inspired… And the days of feeling guilty about something like that should be over. After all, I want to keep the interest of those who might be reading (hoping some people would read it!) and in some small way I suppose I want to make a difference with what I write. That might sound a bit obvious, but it only recently occurred to me that this is part of my motivation for writing.

As I study for the entrance exam for the master’s program I’m applying for (the Miller Analogies Test, or MAT), I’m revisiting names of authors I read — or should have read! — as an English major, and I’m reminded that being able to write is a gift. I wonder if it’s a gift I neglected for far too long or if I returned to it just in time within my journey? This blog has been a professional and personal journey so far and I believe it re-stoked my desire to go back to school. It has done that, but it has also done so much more…
 
With hesitation, I let my Mom read the entry I wrote right after my brother Terry passed away in October. I knew it would make her cry. It did. But then she said “Well, maybe it will help someone”, which was something I hadn’t thought a lot about. I wrote it because it was cathartic for me and it was a way to let those people close to me know about something my family and I were going through. I got an email from a close friend this past week who told me that my story about Terry has helped her in her recovery as an alcoholic… Wow. Of course, that made me cry! She said she hoped in some small way that that would give me and my family some peace that his loss was not in vein. It absolutely does.

I’m so excited when I’m inspired to write. And if what I write and my experiences have a positive effect on just one person, then I am truly blessed. I am blessed to have become a writer… Again. I truly hope and pray that I am accepted into this Master of Arts in Communication & Leadership program because I do believe it will help me continue to learn and grow and to make a difference.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to become a Big Sister through the Big Brother/Big Sister program! I put it on my bucket list as something I’d like to do before I turn 40 and time is waning… I think that is really the theme of my bucket list – if not now, when? And WHY NOT now?!

So I headed to the SD BBBS orientation today thinking it is something I really want to do, but that I need to be realistic about whether I have the time and whether it would truly benefit myself and a “Little” given my schedule and the fact that I’m in the process of applying for graduate school. In fact, last night I literally wrote out a list of all the “non-work” and “non-sleep” hours each day to see how much time I would have to dedicate to a “Little” and grad school. Truth be told, there are a lot of hours in a week! If I manage my time well, there is absolutely no reason why I couldn’t do it. I learned today that you have to commit to a minimum of one year and each month we should plan on 2-4 visits that are 2-5 hours each–I really *can* do that!

Today at the orientation we were asked to reflect on what it means to be a mentor and who had been our mentors as we were growing up. I’ll be honest that I could not pluck a name out right away. And the more I think about it, I’ve had people who have influenced me in my life, but I still can’t point to one person who influenced my path in life in a way that a mentor does. I had great teachers in college who taught me how to think critically and helped me to become a better writer, but I can’t really say they were “mentors.” And I’ve had plenty of great bosses over the years who have taught me a TON and have served as guides along my professional path, but I feel I’m still trying to determine where I’m meant to be professionally.

As the youngest of nine children, I think I’ve always wanted to be the “big” of someone! And I’ve been fortunate that my volunteering for Delta Gamma over the years has afforded me the opportunity to give back and be an example to the collegians from my chapter and to other alumnae in San Diego and throughout our region. I’ve become a leader because of these Delta Gamma volunteer experiences and they can’t be matched, but I believe now is the time to mentor someone younger and try to be an example to them like I wish I had growing up. Like anything else in life, you get out of things what you put into them and I’m so excited to become a Big Sister through the San Diego Big Brother/Big Sister program! I’m certain that I’ll get as much, if not more, out of it as my “Little” does.

What a blessing to be able to travel to DC as often as I do. Thankfully, AV Concepts (www.avconcepts.com) understands how bountiful the opportunities are in DC and how many great relationships I’ve established in the more than two years I’ve been traveling there regularly. After realizing I wasn’t going to move there, my boss agreed to a compromise of going there once per month. Now, it hasn’t been that frequent because that would be impossible with all of the other travel I’m doing between actual shows, site visits, industry conferences, etc… I’m on the road about 50% of the time as it is. But I have been to DC 15 times in the last 26 months and I’m so grateful! Tuesday night was the perfect example… I went to a Potomac Meeting Professionals International (www.pmpi.org) recruitment event and was able to both reconnect with people I hadn’t seen in a while and get to know some people better whom I hadn’t spent much time with! Even better? I was able to continue the evening and go out to dinner with four people – three of which are potential clients!! It would be tremendous to get all three as clients, but even if I don’t… I know they are friends. I’m reading a book right now called It’s Not Just Who You Know by Tommy Spaulding and he talks about the concept of Return on Relationship or ROR. Your ROR may come when you expect it, but it could come when you least expect it. There is so much value in making connections with every person you interact with because of that potential for the ROR. Getting a referral from someone who didn’t hire me is a perfect example of that (that happened recently with one of my DC contacts). The more people I meet, the more valuable connections I will make and this will potentially come back to me in the form of new business! Lord knows I love to win, but I’m learning there can absolutely be positives even when I don’t get a “W”.

Of course, it’s not earth shattering news that business is all about relationships, but I think it’s nice to be reminded and this concept of ROR is a fantastic one. I’m so fortunate to have built the relationships I have over the years and those in DC are especially great— all of these connections make me feel like I’m “home” when I’m there. I might not be happy with my sales results as of late (despite being ahead of goal for the 2nd year in-a-row with AVC), but I need to remember that all the work I’ve been doing, and those connections that I’ve made, have established a foundation that WILL pay off :->.

I’m a lucky girl!