WHAT'S IN MY TREASURE-TROVE

I have been pushing forward this movement a little over six months. I still struggle with a few things. You know those self-imposed barriers that I have to unlearn before I can learn new habits?  Six months hasn't been long enough for me to overcome procrastination and follow-through, those biggies that I must continue to push out of my way.

I can say that I have learned a lot by connecting with people and being an avid explorer of the World Wide Web. There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t come across a cool resource, tool, or person.  So I thought I would share with you 5 GOLDEN NUGGETS that are in my treasure-trove.

1. The 99%  – In February, I goggled how to make your ideas happen and was led to this book, Making Ideas Happen. After I read the free portions of the book, I ordered it without hesitation. I was blown away by Scott Belsky and his ability to capture my thinking about pushing ideas forward. I clicked another link and ended up on The 99% - the think tank of Behance. The 99% is a treasure trove of articles, tips, and videos on topics that are relevant and meaningful to this movement. It’s definitely my #1, go to Web site.
2. The Action Method – It’s a tool created by Behance and explained extensively in Making Ideas Happen. Because I have so many projects on my plate, I need to maintain organization at all times. Once I step away from a system, I’m all out of whack. This is a system that works for me. (I just have to stick to using it.) As a matter of fact, I’m going to order the Action Journal  as soon as I’m done writing this post.
3. Diigo.com – I needed an online bookmarking tool to keep track of my web resources. I found a list of social bookmarking tools and checked them all out. Diigo stood out because it had very cool features like the ability to highlight text, take notes, upload images, connect with communities, and create groups. It was also easy to use. I created the gonegirlgo Virtual Resource Library (VRL) which currently contains over 75 web resources related to the movement and will be accessible only to Challenge Me to Grow participants this fall.
4. Blogs have become a necessary component of my personal learning network, especially in the area of social media and entrepreneurship. Keeping up with them is overwhelming at times because there’s so much to make meaning of. Every once in a while, I come across a blog written just for me. Today I came across this one by Matt Ruddman - How to Blog to Discover your Profitable Ideas. He’s got something here, at least something that I found valuable. I met Matt at a coaching showcase presented by the Cleveland Coach Federation. He’s a social media strategist and coach. He hosts a Social Media Call every Wednesday at 12 p.m. est. Trust me, he’s a go-to for all things social media.
5. This TEDTalk is one of my favorites. Eve Ensler, writer of the play, The Vagina Monologue, speaks eloquently about the power of being a girl. She suggests that “being a girl is so powerful that we had to train everyone not to be that.” She also shares the stories of girls from around the world who have overcome some overwhelming odds. This video is very befitting of this movement so I included it as a curriculum resource of Challenge Me to Grow.

In my past time, I create inspirational messages that define gonegirlgo. You may have noticed them if you are my Facebook friend or follow me on Twitter @zoelyf1. The one that I repeat to myself frequently is - How will you know unless you push forward and go? It’s so true.  I wouldn’t have found these 5 golden nuggets, if I hadn’t of embarked on this journey. I wonder what golden nuggets you will find when you embark on yours.

Peace

A NEW RITUAL

At the end of Challenge Me to Grow two weeks ago, I asked the group to sum up their experience by sharing lessons that they are learning, lessons that they have learned, and lessons that they want to teach others. It's an evaluation strategy that promotes self-reflection by examining learning progress and outcomes, and generating teachable moments. I was encouraged to hear the group share how they wanted to continue growing, be more transparent, and build their capacity to push their ideas forward.

Anything that I have the group do, I do it myself. It’s good for me to put myself in the participants’ shoes during this pilot phase. I can learn how the group experiences the activities. It helps me consider if the activities are worthwhile and accomplish what I intend them to. And based on this formative evaluation process, I can tweak whatever needs to be tweaked. So I shared a lesson that I’m learning just to get a taste of the experience. It felt good to engage in some healthy disclosure with the group and put my instruction to the test.

A few days after the session, I couldn’t help but think about this activity and the potential it had to help me gain some clarity about this movement. Based on my experiences pushing gonegirlgo forward so far, here’s some personal disclosure about the lessons that I'm learning, lessons that I've learned, and a lesson that I want to teach others.

LESSONS THAT I AM LEARNING

·     It is important for me to build the capacity to be a focused, disciplined, logistical, and rational dreamer. It's one thing to generate ideas; it's a whole entirely different game to execute them. I must commit myself to stick with my system for idea execution. The Action Method works for me, but I got a little lazy and stopped using it. Because I am the creative, dreamer type, I have to force myself to be relentless about organizing the movement as a project and focusing on action items that I need to accomplish. The bottom line is I need to stay on point. Things can get out of hand pretty quickly if and when I don’t stick to the system.

·    Procrastinating, stinking thinking, and operating without a purpose are barriers that I created within myself; therefore, I can work to eliminate them within myself. I have an issue with external barriers. I am learning how not to let them defeat me. Here’s my short list of things that I am learning to do when I’m pushing an idea forward and the odds seem against me:

1.    be patient

2.    go back and read the notes I took months ago to refocus

3.    devise a plan to overcome the odds, if they are scalable

4.    if the odds aren’t scalable, let that idea go

5.    lay down and take a nap

·    Never in a million years did I think I would get this bug, but I got it. It’s called entrepreneurship. I used to shun the word and anything associated with it. Now, I am more open to exploring opportunities. I am also learning that I always had it in me. Circumstances like unemployment and survival brought it out. But for me it’s not just about becoming monetized. It’s also about making impact, making a difference, and doing my part to make this world better. gonegirlgo came from a good place and I had no clue that it would lead me down the entrepreneurial path. So every time an idea or opportunity to promote the movement pops into my head, I remind myself where the movement came from - A GOOD PLACE.

LESSONS THAT I’VE LEARNED

·    I think that I can gauge interest through social media, but I have learned that I can’t gauge commitment through it. Let me explain. I won’t put in the time or energy to create an event in FB. If I send out an invite to 174 people, and 50 say they are coming, I shouldn’t get excited because 12 are going to show up. I have learned that the FB “join” sometimes means “I’m happy to see you doing something” and FB “like” sometimes means “I’m curious”. It helps to consider how to add a personal touch to an invite or FB connection. Inbox, phone calls, and email follow up helps. Just because people click like, doesn’t mean that they are ready to commit.

·    Experience has taught me that community is one of the most powerful tools that exist to help me push my ideas forward.  Do you agree? It’s one way for me to maintain a system of checks and balances. I am more inclined to push forward my ideas when I am a part of a community that encourages, offers help, and provides feedback. I used to believe that all I needed was a cheerleader on my team. Cheerleader types are great for encouragement, but it’s the coach types who keep you on your toes by asking you the hard questions. Scott Belsky writes about the dreamer, the doer, and the incrementalist in his book, Making Ideas Happen. The dreamer needs the doer the help her follow through. The doer needs the dreamer to help her dream of new ideas. The incrementalist plays both roles, but can be involved in too many projects “simply because they can”.  The point is, if I am going to push forward my ideas, forge partnerships, and create effective collaborations, I need a dreamer, doer, and incrementalist in my life.

A LESSON THAT I WANT TO TEACH

·    We all know the term “hater” (if you don’t, click here for the definition). I don’t think that we would admit that we are haters, but because we are human, we all have the potential and propensity to hate on someone else. Whatever our reasons are for being a hater (especially those of us who are haters on the down low), we need to deal with them. I want to help by designing a learning experience that influences us to transcend those feelings of envy, jealousy, and hate. (Please note: I am fighting the urge to call this experience Turning Hateration into Inspiration because it rhymes.) 

It’s been almost 6 months since the movement began and I'm happy to report that I still have room for growth. I know that  I’m definitely different than I used to be. I still have the passion to challenge others to grow through  gonegirlgo .  And I especially like the idea of making these three poignant questions a ritual of the process:

1. What lessons am I learning? 
2. What lessons have I learned?
3. What lessons do I want to teach others?

I think I’ll also ask myself these questions on a regular too.

Peace