As I think of all the December 31st's of my life I have to say this one has been by far the most reflective. To say my life changed this year would be an understatement of biblical proportions. If you would have told me this time last year that I would voluntary walk away from my 16 year career at Sprint, take an 8 month sabbatical from work, turn down job opportunities and then help start a new company I would have told you to take another drink and smoke em' if you got em'. I may have agreed that I might start writing but the majority of major actions I took in my life this year were by and far not even a consideration in my mind just 12 months ago. So, as I wrap-up 2008, I thought I would share those "big moments" that may not have occurred had I stayed comfortable, common, and chicken. My wish for you and me in 2009....focus on ambition, be powerful in action, help others succeed, and design life with confidence.
Big Moment #5
I remember when I made the decision to take VSP....it came after spending a few agonizing schizophrenic weeks going back and forth making my husband crazy as I ran the gamut of "hell yes I'm leaving" to "hell no that would be insane!" My boss was the one who actually thought about leaving first and triggered me to start thinking that life may not only go on without Sprint but would more than likely be a lot better. Then a coffee conversation with my good friend Steve Coker made everything crystal clear....fear was my only inhibitor. So, I grew a pair, told the Chief Network Officer I was grateful for all that I had learned, and then with the biggest cheesiest squinty eyed smile you have ever seen, I pushed the "yes I'll take VSP" button on a Friday morning in February. I'll never forget the emotion and freedom I felt at that very moment...I had grown up and it was time to start a new chapter.
Big Moment #4
This big moment is actually two different days but both of them spent with my son Zachary. Believe it or not he actually asked me to hang out with him at school for a whole day so I could get a feel for a day in the life of a freshman. I only wish I had started the blog back then as that would have been one hell of a funny post recapping what I experienced....let's just say his 7th hour ended up with two girls getting kicked out of class. The 2nd day was a little hiking trip Zach took me on early in summer. I thought it was so cool that a 15 year old boy wanted to take his mom on a trip through the woods to the lake near by. One freaky deer, a mile of chest high brush, a barbed wire fence and thousands of ticks later would provide us a story to share for a lifetime.
Big Moment #3
After lots and lots of discussion and a pretty good softball season, Samantha decided she wanted to try out for competitive softball. Now for those of you with kids, watching your children try-out for something they love and not get picked is as close to torture as you can get. Trying to find the right words of encouragement is more difficult than any writer's block you will ever experience. To watch your child practice, grow, overcome again and again to then have a great performance and finally be selected by an "A" team after all the trials, will fill your heart with unimaginable pride.
Big Moment #2
We experienced a hunting accident this fall that made us stop and realize that life can really change in just a split second. Our friend, Jason Evans lost his eye which needless to say really sucks but considering he had three pellets in his head we are so very thankful he survived with no other life impacting injuries. What is even more amazing is the positive attitude and care Jason has shown for the shooter, which happens to be my dad. I don't think anyone will ever know the pain my dad has experienced since that day but I will tell you that Jason has shown him more love, forgiveness and support than you can imagine and as a daughter who worships her dad as a hero, I am forever grateful. If you are going to hunt, wear your orange, stay in your line and be careful!
Drum Roll.......Big Moment #1
Last night, no doubt about it. The fear was growing, the emotion building, and the reality coming to light that this past year wasn't a dream. I cried. The dam broke and the tears flowed and my wonderful loving husband held me and told me I made the right decision, I was going to be more successful than ever, and that I will make money again, soon. I let the emotion overtake me as I realized how much I grew this year and what I had become....a real honest to goodness bonafide adult woman. I then realized my fear wasn't about if I was going to make money again or being successful. My fear is that as I start making money again will I lose all that I gained this year?
I finally embraced motherhood with both arms and was good at it, I had time to listen to my husband and enjoyed being a "housewife", and I actually started to figure out what I liked vs. what I am good at. I found new interests in writing, community, and connecting. I always told myself and others that I could never be a stay at home mom, that I needed to work, that my work was my identity. What I realized last night is that was bullshit and I cried because I can't get the years back. My fear is going right back to who I was in April and losing all that I have gained. My sadness is I now know when I am back to working I know what I will be missing. In that moment, my big moment of 2008, the journey culminated with a commitment to myself that family is first no matter what and to be in the moment with them every chance I get.
2008 was real and I will forever be blessed and grateful for the opportunity.
Be who you are and learn to be better,
Lisa
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Are we having fun yet?
I love this time of year....you see friends/family from out of town, have holiday parties to attend and get the chance to cuddle with someone you love next to the fire. The holiday pace can be frantic but I truly love the chaos that comes with last minute shopping. I have always been somewhat of a procrastinator...not sure if it is the adrenaline rush, the challenge to overcome or if I just think I deliver better when I'm pushed but the holidays definitely heightens my sense of urgency as I try to do a million things at one time and typically at the last minute.
This year is no different and in some ways is even more intense as I prepare to launch a new company, transition off of the corporate severance package and figure out how to supplement income so the family doesn't experience a hiccup in lifestyle. As I look back on my year I wonder if I could have "planned" better for this transition and minimized my stress.....after a few moments of reflection I confidently decide, "nope." This is exactly how it should be, how I work best, how I will do what I was meant to do....the pressure is what elevates my game, makes me better, stronger, and uncommon. If you find yourself overwhelmed this holiday season don't get down, find a way to make the pressure work for you and use it to push you...we only call it stress if it kick's your ass ....we call it MOTIVATION if you accomplish something you didn't think possible. Be motivated, accomplish the impossible!
Career Journey
The twists and turns never cease to amaze me and what a ride the career journey has been this month. After months of evaluating, interviewing, and negotiating I have decided to balance my efforts between two paths....launching/managing the new company and to pick-up project/consulting contract work to supplement income. Balance may not be the right word as I am more or less bouncing back and forth between the two paths. I continue to seek alignment between the two so I can take care of my family both in the short term as well as long term. I am aware of many people who are trying to find work or preparing to transition jobs so thought I would include a mashable.com link that includes a list of 100 places to seek employment opportunities.
LightThread
Our website is under development but is live with alpha testers. We continue to develop our launch plan and target a 1Q 2009 launch. Our initial focus is helping businesses navigate the social media landscape allowing them to market their services and engage with their clients in a more cost effective manner than traditional advertising/marketing efforts. We will also offer intellectual venture capital/virtual CXO services to start-up, small and mid-size companies. Application and platform development will serve a third focus area once revenues are generated. We are a very excited team and have already started to meet with potential clients! I am including a few links to articles/case studies that show the power of social media for business.
Dell makes $1M in revenues from using twitter
Future of Business and Social Media
A bmighty.com Q&A with Chris Brogan who is considered a social media guru. The article highlights why a business may need help with developing a social media strategy/approach, it is NOT a one size fits all space and can be risky if the approach doesn't meet the business need.
Please contact me at lisa@lightthread if you know a business that might be interested in our service as we are seeking trial customers to practice our processes for a low introductory rate. Our objective is to deliver results for our trial customers prior to formal launch so we can use their testimonial as proof points and enter the marketplace as powerful as possible!
As I wrap up this update, I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009! I very much look forward to getting back to weekly updates in the new year and appreciate your patience as I continue to evolve this forum. In 2009, I will also begin blogging on our lightthread website so I welcome your thoughts on what you find valuable and would like me to focus on with LJ Landing. I am open to shifting this blog to a more personal share space (a day in the life of lisa), or career space (what its like to get a biz off the ground), or general technology space (smart grid, gov't focus, etc), or I can continue to touch on all three areas like I have done up to this point. The lightthread blog will obviously focus on social media so I don't feel the need to replicate in this venue but I'm sure I'll reference it from time to time. Please leave a comment with your advice or email me at lisa@lightthread.com.
Be who you are and learn to be better,
Lisa
This year is no different and in some ways is even more intense as I prepare to launch a new company, transition off of the corporate severance package and figure out how to supplement income so the family doesn't experience a hiccup in lifestyle. As I look back on my year I wonder if I could have "planned" better for this transition and minimized my stress.....after a few moments of reflection I confidently decide, "nope." This is exactly how it should be, how I work best, how I will do what I was meant to do....the pressure is what elevates my game, makes me better, stronger, and uncommon. If you find yourself overwhelmed this holiday season don't get down, find a way to make the pressure work for you and use it to push you...we only call it stress if it kick's your ass ....we call it MOTIVATION if you accomplish something you didn't think possible. Be motivated, accomplish the impossible!
Career Journey
The twists and turns never cease to amaze me and what a ride the career journey has been this month. After months of evaluating, interviewing, and negotiating I have decided to balance my efforts between two paths....launching/managing the new company and to pick-up project/consulting contract work to supplement income. Balance may not be the right word as I am more or less bouncing back and forth between the two paths. I continue to seek alignment between the two so I can take care of my family both in the short term as well as long term. I am aware of many people who are trying to find work or preparing to transition jobs so thought I would include a mashable.com link that includes a list of 100 places to seek employment opportunities.
LightThread
Our website is under development but is live with alpha testers. We continue to develop our launch plan and target a 1Q 2009 launch. Our initial focus is helping businesses navigate the social media landscape allowing them to market their services and engage with their clients in a more cost effective manner than traditional advertising/marketing efforts. We will also offer intellectual venture capital/virtual CXO services to start-up, small and mid-size companies. Application and platform development will serve a third focus area once revenues are generated. We are a very excited team and have already started to meet with potential clients! I am including a few links to articles/case studies that show the power of social media for business.
Dell makes $1M in revenues from using twitter
Future of Business and Social Media
A bmighty.com Q&A with Chris Brogan who is considered a social media guru. The article highlights why a business may need help with developing a social media strategy/approach, it is NOT a one size fits all space and can be risky if the approach doesn't meet the business need.
Please contact me at lisa@lightthread if you know a business that might be interested in our service as we are seeking trial customers to practice our processes for a low introductory rate. Our objective is to deliver results for our trial customers prior to formal launch so we can use their testimonial as proof points and enter the marketplace as powerful as possible!
As I wrap up this update, I want to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2009! I very much look forward to getting back to weekly updates in the new year and appreciate your patience as I continue to evolve this forum. In 2009, I will also begin blogging on our lightthread website so I welcome your thoughts on what you find valuable and would like me to focus on with LJ Landing. I am open to shifting this blog to a more personal share space (a day in the life of lisa), or career space (what its like to get a biz off the ground), or general technology space (smart grid, gov't focus, etc), or I can continue to touch on all three areas like I have done up to this point. The lightthread blog will obviously focus on social media so I don't feel the need to replicate in this venue but I'm sure I'll reference it from time to time. Please leave a comment with your advice or email me at lisa@lightthread.com.
Be who you are and learn to be better,
Lisa
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