What I Know About: Action + Passion

In the current economic climate a great deal of impact is placed on what we make and how we stay afloat however there is more to life than that. If you are accountant, a receptionist or waitress your passions might not be fulfilled in the same place where you earn your paycheck.

I have a friend who knows how to turn her passion into action. . .She is one of the most interesting and talented people I know. She inspires me and proves the case that there is nothing you can't do if you want to do it.

She is passionate about 2 things; writing, and producing events. In the past few years she has taken time off from both work and passion to give birth to and raise her youngest children. They are getting to the age where they are not as dependent on her, so she began to look for a job. Then, the bottom fell out of the economy, and she has not quite found a job yet.

So she is still at home, in need of a job she could have gotten desperate or frustrated, but instead she got passionate, and wrote and produced her first play.

In producing that play she gave a dozen people who's passion is acting a chance to express their passion. She staged it as a dinner theater, so that she gave her sister who's dream is to cater a chance to express her passion to cook. Long story...short her simple act of expressing her passion to pass time while looking for a job ended up supporting the passions of many other people, and inspiring and entertaining and feeding everyone who had the good fortune of buying a ticket to see "Transforming Gina".

If you are lucky enough to be near Brockton Massachusetts on March 14th stop into the theater at Lincoln Church and see what happens when you put action behind your passion.

Check out the Event on Facebook

What I Know About: Writing New Years Blog Posts

Around this time of year I usually write a post about what I am going to do next year. I can say usually because this is the third New Years post I have written for I’m Every Woman… Where has the time gone!

It has been a stellar year for me. It has been the kind of year that would have played well on a reality show. Full of ups and downs… elation and sadness… surprises and just plain weirdness.

So let me recap

Career
Dec 18 of 2007 stepped through the door to my new office, not really knowing what would come of this new job. 12 months later The work I have done on some just really fun projects have earned me the privilege of being a featured speaker or panelist six times, I have been quoted in 3 publications including Business Week, and I even won a national award. I LOVE THIS JOB!

Babies
One of my friends had all her prayers answered and she had a baby boy… my godson. Then… about 3 weeks later my brother who swore he would never have any children welcomed is daughter into the world…my niece.

Travel
Between work and play this year I went to San Jose, OC/LA, Boston, New York, Austin, Dallas, Rome, Venice and London… It sure was fun but boy am I tired!

I also celebrated year one in my house, bought a new car, dropped my oldest daughter off for her first day of high school, I was consumed by the election and so excited about our new president.

After this year I feel like anything can happen. I am for the first time in a long time excited about the possibilities. So what am I gonna do next year? I really don’t know. I am sure that the year will be filled with all kinds of crazy adventures and new opportunities. But while all that is going on…

A- I am going to loose this 20 pounds that I put on this year, plus hopefully a little more. I guess all the excitement made me hungry! I am going to be passionate about my health in 2009

B- I am going to go back to school. I found what I think is the right masters program for me. I am going to apply go, and hopefully finish before I have to drop my daughter off at college

C- I am going to be even more diligent about my finances. I have this dream of getting 2 mortgage payments in the bank

D- I want to try and get all of the anger and hate and animosity that I held for the people that have done me wrong out of my heart. Clean slates for everyone in 2009

I like the new year because it gives you place to reflect on how far you have come, and it gives you a natural place to call a re-do on anything you need improve on.

What are you going to do in 2009? What have you been through and what do you need to call a re-do on?

What I know about: "Good Enough"

In my life it seems to be the season of work and career. I have been doing alot of speaking and training in my area of knowledge. I am in the middle of performance review season, and even , my friends have begun to step up and take on more responsibly in their careers or career aspirations, and have come to me for support and advice.

Today I spent some time ( 9 hrs) In a process improvement training seminar. I learned a great deal... and some of it went right over my head. But one thing stuck right in the middle of my forhead. The faclitator said somthing to the affect of "Why would you want to be good enough when you could be one the best"? This has kind of been my modus opperandi for some time now. Career wise I really try to do the best I can. I try and do my work like I am working for God directly. Like it does not matter what they say on my performace review... I am trying to work like my performance review is happening every day. I think of it this way. It was 2 years ago last week when my prayers were answered and I walked through the doors of my new job. I had been looking a job for weeks, I interviewed on every call and prayed daily that I would find the job that I needed to support my family. If I belive that God answered my pray and put me in position to recive that job then aren't I technically working for Him? He kinda hired me... right?

So I want to make Him proud and show my gratitude for making it possible. So every day I go into work and try my damndest to bring my A game. I cannot take for granted any bit of it. Especially in this economy it is not the time to... if you are fortunate enough to have a job and have the ablity to take care of you and your family...offer anything but your best to your blessing.

Additionally if your path is not the traditional 9-5 and you have been given gifts to produce a product or service. Don't you owe it to Him to do that. Not everyone has your gifting. To be unmotivated to follow your gifting is kinda wrong too.

All I know is Good enough is not good enough.

What I know about: Getting out of a Bad Situation

I do not subscribe to going when the going gets tough but I do think that you should not let you health, sanity and well being be put in jeopardy. I know there are reasons why we convince ourselves to stay in bad situations, but the reasons are generally based on short term thinking.

Today I have two friends in situations that warrant an escape plan. One is in a marriage that has been on a steady downhill track since the were pronounced man and wife. It just took another big tumble yesterday. The other in a job where no matter what she does, they will find a way to fire her. She just got to the fork in the road this afternoon. Both know that they probably need to get themselves to safer ground, but both hesitate because, of perceived financial, and moral barriers.

Before you make the choice to spend one more day in that bad situation, ask yourself... Is this God's best for me? He is a comforter, support and provider. He plans are for your good and not your harm. Does the situation you are in feel like it is a part of Gods plan?

A friend, @magsmac on twitter sent this video around today, it inspired this post. It reminded me of what my friends are going through. Maybe they will be inspired by this crazy little puppy. If he can do it... They can too. You can almost see the moment before he starts scaling the wall where he asks himself "Is this God's best for me!"



It's true, getting out is not easy. Are you scared of what is on the other side? It is just fear... don't let fear stop your progress. There are lots of things I have done, while afraid. Accept that getting out may be a bit of a challenge, and it may take a little work... your landing might be a little bumpy. But once you get there you have a brand new set of choices.

I Think: Opting Back In

Opting Back In
By: Mia Black
3/14/07

The old age question for the working woman has come into my life once again: How do you find the balance between family and work? I've come to believe there is no perfect balance. There is a definite choice; one or the other is going to come first. Well about six years ago, I made a choice. I put my daughter first. She was my first born and she changed my life in a way that made me feel indebted to her. As though I brought her into this world and I had the obligation to put her and all of her needs ahead of mine no matter what.

But as she grows older and my other daughter approaches two, I want to opt back into the workforce. When my first daughter was born, I had finally reached management level in my career and could have really pushed forth with it. But the company that I previously worked for wasn't parent-friendly and neither was my particular position. Working in the property management industry at a management level creates a 24/7 availability schedule for you. If you get paged at 1 am on your day off, then you come in at 1 am on your day off.

So I opted for a strict Monday-Friday 9-5 desk job, a job that would allow me to leave work at work when I left for the day. A place that would understand if my daughter was sick, I couldn't come in. Or maybe I want to leave early so I can catch her concert at school. I found the perfect job as an administrative assistant at a college. It has truly allowed me the opportunity to start and support my family and was overly compensating to me during my pregnancy with my second child.

So now I want to opt back in. Now that I have my family, I want to be able to support their growth in the long run, i.e.: a house, the camps, the lessons, all the little pets, and eventually the big one, COLLEGE. But as I slowly step into the interview world, my management position that I left just six years ago, doesn't have the weight it did when I left. Meaning if I was looking for a higher management position six years ago, my resume would have definitely gotten me in the door. But now that I have put six years of administrative work under my belt, those management positions are now out of reach…as if I somehow forgot my management training.

At this point I have put it in God’s hands because as He makes me uncomfortable in my current situation, I know through Him and only Him will the right door open for me.

I Think: Having a Baby vs. Being a Parent

By: Mia Black

When I decided to have my daughter, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to have a baby, but I knew I was ready to become a parent (as ready as one can be). I knew that parenthood was the next step I wanted to take in my life. I had the college degree, a job, my own place; a family was my next move. When my daughter came, I was prepared for the sleepless nights, the throw up on my clothes, juggling my budget to now accommodate diapers, daycare and formula, and buckling down to spend time at home with my new baby. I got exactly what I expected. I walked around like a zombie from lack of sleep, wanted to scream when I discovered the foul smelly white goo running down the side of my arm, and half the time didn’t know where the money was going to come from, but nothing could keep me from being with babygirl.

Now let’s examine these two statements:
1) I want to be a parent,
2) I want to have a baby.

They seem to say the same thing, but when examined the meanings are very different.

For me, becoming a parent meant that my life was about to come second to the needs of my child. Hanging out until all hours of the night or going out whenever I felt like it, those times were going to be few and far in between. Hunting for the job that would have me out of the office by five was my new mission. My point being, I was ready to put the party times behind me because I had been there and done that. And if I had to make the career change so that my child wouldn’t be putting in ten-hour days at daycare, so be it. I had already formulated in my mind what kind of parent I wanted to be, before I had my child.

Then there are the people that fit the baby around their lives. The partying doesn’t stop; they put their needs above those of their child; it often gets to the point where the child is calling the daycare provider mommy. They become dependant on babysitters, other siblings, the grandparents, and friends, to take care of this child so they may continue on with the conveniences of their life. They have fulfilled the want of having a baby, but the role of parent has become the responsibility of everyone else.

The most interesting part of this “just have a baby” phenomenon is that it crosses all races, economic classes, and age groups. The obvious example is that of the young teen that gets pregnant, or gets someone pregnant and continues running the streets, and extended family takes on the role of substitute parents. But are they so different from the corporate executives that continue to work the sixty-hour workweek, and depend on everyone else to pick the baby up from daycare.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying don’t go out, don’t have a career, or forsake your entire life. That is absolutely ridiculous. What I’m saying is having a baby comes with the automatic responsibility of becoming a parent. In my opinion, you should want both before your child is here.