Monthly Archives: May 2012

Secrets Secrets or Not Really

Posted in Break Free, GenYus by

So today was hysterical. Oh social media how I love thee…

Today we posted a highly emotional and authentic article  on our passion project website. The post was written by one of our dear friends as she retold the story of giving her three week’s notice and breaking up with the company she served for seven years.

It was beautifully written love story, that ends with both parties agreeing to see other people :-)

Much to our friend’s surprise…this blog post was printed out and handed to her when she walked into work this morning. Yikes!  Did I  forget to mention that my friend and co-founder of this passion project also work at the same company of our friend who resigned!?! Double yikes!

*Cue three nervous girls on a conference call freaking out about who else within the walls of our organization would: read this post, share it across regions via e-mail (like this guy did), or even scarier… click on the  ‘contact us’ link and expose us (fellow employees) for the truth preachers that we are? It was so crazy. Would we get a call from HR?  What would happen next?

Nothing.

Except a few ‘likes,’ and confused text messages and e-mails from folks trying to figure out who really quit.

I guess good news  still travels really fast (thanks to Facebook); especially prior to 8am. It seems like Corporate America can still be like high school…or is reading published news about a break up just that hard to keep your hand off of?

 

Feel the Fear & Do It Anyway

Posted in How to Grow, Purpose by

Tonight I participated in a random yet intentional meeting of the souls. My life-coach (Jacob Sokol) and one of his great friends and fellow coaches (Dave Ursillo), opened up the lines for 20+ souls to  pose questions regarding living on purpose on a one hour conference call. There was no formal agenda, just an open line and two eager souls willing to listen, share, and give of themselves so selflessly. Simply put, the call was magical. Nervousness, shaky voices, authenticity, and pure emotion rocked the air waves for an hour and forty minutes! Yeah…it ran over.

Part way through the call there was silence…then I took a deep breath, pressed *6 and prepared to ask my question.

Here goes… I asked  “when you’re running after those good feelings that come with living on purpose, what do you do when it’s time to face your demons?” I mean seriously. You’re 72 hours away from launching your first for free product; yet there is something inside of you that makes you restless, filled with anxiety, and excitement that feels border line painful as thoughts like, I can’t believe this is really happening, repeatedly flash across your mind. I had been feeling so crazy, and just had to get this question off my chest. I was Amped up. Really tired. Eating cheesecake (and chicken wings) and blaming that on mother nature. Good thing during the second hour of the call I was able to lace up my sneakers, pop in my ear phones and get in my hour walk.

Before walking off the cheesecake, and after sharing my latest fear about demons that paralyze me from practicing my craft every day. Both coaches explained how what I was feeling was totally normal; especially if I was planning on doing big things and living on purpose. Dave put it best when he simply said, “feel the fear and do it anyway.”

My response…will do.

Life is meant to be lived despite the fears that paralyze us…but with a little encouragement and focus, our fears can be overcome.

My Moment of Truth in Corporate America

Posted in GenYus, Purpose by

The phone rang…it was my boss. I could tell by her tone that something was really bothering her, so I immediately asked her, “what’s wrong?” Hoping she wasn’t about to oust me for not having one of my clients  download and print their marketing materials.  Luckily, that wasn’t what she wanted to talk to me about. She explained to me how there were a series of things that were getting on her nerves, one of which had to do with me. I listened intently as she went on…”Nathan (our regional manager who we shall call Nathan) e-mailed me last night, and the subject line of his e-mail read “Theresa Campbell.” My heart jumped into my throat for a moment as I said, “…and?” trying not to sound not too concerned.

She proceed to tell me how a position was available back in Detroit, Michigan and he was wondering if they should, serve me up as a candidate to interview for this promotion. Besides the fact that I’m not even technically up next on the “next up list,” she proceeded to tell him that based on all of my conversations, with her and other upper level managers, the opportunity he was thinking about having me interview for would not be a good fit based on my interests at this point in time.

The best part about this entire conversation with my boss, is that I didn’t really do much talking. She did. She explained with conviction how she told Nathan that this would not be a good idea, and although he continued to come back to her with “what if,” statements concerning my future with the company she was able to, with confidence, fight for me.

For the longest time I have been sharing with our leaders that work-life-integration is only one piece of the, “what does it take to retain a millennial?,” puzzle. The reality is…many of us want to do work that is meaningful, that makes us come alive, and allows us to live out our purpose with endless resolve and heart. The opportunities are available in my Fortune 10 company; however, it will take a new breed of leaders to recognize that the days of having employees work jobs that they don’t necessarily have an interest in just to be promoted, will be few and far between. The companies that will win in the future, will be those that position their employees in areas of the organization where they can leverage their strengths for the greater good of the organization and themselves. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, “just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean that’s what you’re supposed to be doing.”

This phone call from my boss was a defining moment in my corporate career. It was a moment of truth. My truth being told by someone else. It was a moment where I was so proud of myself, for having taken the time to really determine what it is that I wanted for not just my career, but for my life. Not only this…I was proud of the fact that I was able to clearly articulate what I wanted, to the point where someone else got me. My boss…she knew my truth.

I will remember this conversation with my boss for the rest of my life. I’ll remember, what it felt like to have someone fight for me, and let me tell you…it felt damn good.

Stretch Your Mind

Posted in GenYus, How to Grow, Purpose by

Yesterday something amazing happened. I was talking to my dear friend and fellow GenYus co-founder Brandi, and she posed a question that was a catalyst for not just bigger thinking, but bigger dreaming. She was speaking with a mentor of sorts who simply asked her the question, “…and what would you do with GenYus if you have $500,000.00?”

Brandi and I have visions for where we see the GenYus revolution heading; however, all of our thoughts about how to get there have been through a slow, methodical, calculated and organic growth model. You know…winning one subscriber at a time and staying true to our message. But this question, “what would you do with $500,000.00?” forced us to not only dream, but dream in color.  To take it a step further, he also dismantled our assumption that the $500,000.00 would be in the form of a loan from an angel investor. He clarified that the money would come in the form of a donated gift from someone who expected not a single financial return on their investment. The only return expected would be for us to accelerate the advancement of our mission and our message. The idea…give GenYus a financial boost so we can serve as  many people as possible – helping them break free.

In reflecting on this, I realized that this question…this exercise… truly stretched my mind and stirred up a new truth that could only be discovered with this type of deep and honest questioning for clarity.

While a gift of $500,000.00 would be effin’ awesome…I think the true gift was the question itself.

What this question allowed us to do was  explore parts of our imagination that we didn’t realize we did not need permission to access. Just the right question to unlock this chamber of possibilities.

 

 

Fits & Starts Fooled Us Again!

Posted in Compound Effect by

There’s something about fits and starts that fool us into believing that we are where we are because of these periods of mad sprints. We dash after our dreams, adrenaline pumping through our systems until we slowly taper down to a walk. It is during the walk, where we get our wits about us, find our breath and eventually stop.

I would like to challenge the assumption that success over time is the result of fits and starts. I am not saying that this is not how we all operate from time-to-time out of fear, deadlines, or necessity.  I’m just suggesting that we need to stick to our daily disciplines to realize great success over time. Sure fits and starts will get you somewhere…but consistently executing the fundamentals overtime will reveal unimaginable treasures not just down the road, but throughout your entire journey.

Pay attention to yourself and how you are working. Stop and ask yourself WHY you are doing what you are doing. Commit to your daily disciplines and if you spend a great deal of time on anything else, it should be:  mastering the fundamentals of your craft. This way…at the end of your successful sprint, when the reporter comes out and asks you, the “over-night” success how you did it? How you sprinted past the others in your field, leaning into that tape, securing your first place finish. You can humbly say…”I just stayed focused and executed the fundamentals.”

The secret: this isn’t your first race. You have spent countless hours practicing, breathing, training for your moment. Enough from me…go master the fundamentals of your craft.

Make Today Count!

Do What You Say You’re Going to Do

Posted in Break Free, Uncategorized by

Seth Godin calls it “shipping.” Couples call it “commitment.” Friends call it “trust.” Either way…when you do what you say you’re going to do life just feels better.

Is this something I need to work on? Absolutely!

In the past I didn’t really focus on keeping up with my commitments because while I was overextended, believe it or not, I still had the bandwidth to do what I needed to do, and do it very well.  These days, I’ve been working a ton on my passion project…you know, the work that makes me come alive. The work that I can get lost in for hours, and I’m not even getting paid to do. My calling. While this is great…the time I use on my passion project spills over into the time I have allocated for other things; and as a result,  I’ve found myself slipping.

So…to counteract this, I’ve had to whip out the “P” word. PROMISE. I have a handful of people over the last 60 days in all areas of my life that I told I would do something and I haven’t gotten to it yet. Surprisingly, they are not mad. They know what I’ve been doing in my spare time and are so understanding. However, I know that long-term success comes from doing what I say I’m going to do. Shipping the project, keeping that commitment, and honoring the trust that I have worked hard to earn over the years. So if it takes using the “P” word to course correct…I’m game. All the while realizing that in the grand scheme of things this is not a game. My word is my bond and at the end of the day…those words say a lot about my personal integrity. I want to remain whole and it will start and end with honoring my commitments. It really is that simple.

Are you doing what you’re saying your going to do?

Is Your Life Your Message?

Posted in Purpose, Uncategorized by

Every life has a story and in every story there is a message. Every day, whether we realize it or not, we’re continuing our life’s story. Every day we are each granted a pen and a fresh sheet of paper. Each page contributes to the chapters of our lives and  when our lives conclude…all of the pages combined end up telling our story.

My question for you today is, “is your life your message?”

What do you believe? Seriously. We are each storytellers in the sense that we have beliefs about life, love, happiness, wealth, negative circumstances, and those things that are sacred and spiritual.  So when I ask, “is your life your message?” I’m just curious about your life’s story thus far…I want to know that when your book is finished…will you have lived your message? Is the story you have preached, on that you honestly practiced?

Don’t tell me. Show me.

Regardless of if you realize it or not, it’s your story. It’s your life. It’s your message.

Don’t forget…you have the pen.

“Make Today Count” – Rick Bommelje

Are You Celebrating the Small Wins?

Posted in Break Free, How to Grow by

ARE YOU CELEBRATING THE SMALL WINS?

Oftentimes we get too caught up in what our victory should look like that we forget to celebrate the small wins along the way.  While people often say it’s about the journey, it seems like… that while we are making incremental progress towards our big bold goals we find ourselves not unhappy, but not ecstatic either about the small victories we achieve along the way.

Here’s the deal. Success is simply the result of small wins that happen consistently over and extended period of time. So do yourself a favor, when you have a win…no matter how big or small. Think of it as a big one and celebrate!

This will help you enjoy the journey on the way towards achieving the impossible.

Make Today Count!

Just close your eyes…lean in…and

Posted in Break Free, How to Grow by

Did you think I was going to say pucker up? Well save that kiss for yourself  after you’ve finished listening… I mean really having listened… intently. You’ll want to kiss yourself.

The quote, “God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we can hear twice as much as we say,” used to bug me. I honestly can’t tell you why? Probably because I was too busy talking :-)

All jokes aside. This year has turned out to be another great year of coaching for me; however, this year…I am not the coach. If I have learned anything in the first 120 days of this year…it’s that I need to as my dear friend Sporty King gently reminded me to, “shhhhhh shhhhhhhh….you hear that? That’s the train coming into the station shhhhhhhhhh shhhhhhh.” It was his gentle way of saying, be quiet. Stop justifying what you have already told me, and just listen to me.

I have to listen to my personal trainer when he tells me in response to my “I’m a bad billboard for your business” outburst. “T…you’re not a bad billboard. You a great billboard! But you have to listen to me when I tell you, there are things about your diet that you have to change.”

I have to listen when my life coach says, “…your goal is not to quit your job. Your goal is to be your most authentic self on a daily basis.” It’s pretty easy to listen when you’ve been gut punched.

*Loud speaker: Paging  Dr. Rick (Bommelje). Paging  Dr. Rick (Bommelje) You’re needed at yotheresacampbell.com.

The funny thing is, during my Master’s program, I had the privilege of being in Dr. Rick’s Leadership course. This course ended up being all about planting and watering listening seeds for leadership. The great thing about Dr. Rick’s message, is that not only is he a walking billboard for listening leaders; but he preached, that like anything worth having or doing  it was going to take work. Hard work to become and remain a listening leader. There will be a journey, and our job is not simply to enjoy the journey, but to also shut up long enough to not only listen to our guides along the way, but also listen to ourselves. The answers we are searching for lie inside of each of us…we just need to let the train pull into the station and stop (talking) so we can hear what’s about to unload.

Okay, now you can close your eyes…lean in… and kiss yourself for having listened.

Make Today Count!