A New Home - www.gonegirlgo.com

The past few months have been amazing. I started this journey in January 2012 not sure of where I would go or what would be.

I never thought in a million years that a simple phrase would come to mean so much.

I remember when I started designing the logo. I had the idea that these words would have energy and movement behind them. I'm no graphic designer, but I was determined to keep communicating, designing, and sharing until it became what it was supposed to become.

Initial Logo

Current Logo

When I look back at the first draft of the logo, I laugh but I also smile. You gotta start somewhere.  

The emergence and growth of GoneGirlGo signified a turning point in my life. It was time for me to do things differently. It was time for me stop being scared. It was time for me to lean into discomfort. It was time for  me to challenge myself to grow.

My hope is that GoneGirlGo has come to mean something to you as well. You may not have participated in the learning experience Challenge Me to Grow. You may have only read one blog post. You may skimmed some of my tweets or Facebook posts. You may have wondered what was this all about. You may have thought it was not for you. But somewhere in your wondering, you got something. Something stuck. You made a connection. You felt what I feel every time I say GoneGirlGo.

Well, I couldn't stop here. I had to keep going. God put more in my heart about this than I realized.  I've been working on clarifying the message. I've been working on creating a virtual home for the movement. I have been working on something just for you.

I am honored to share with you the GoneGirlGo website.

Blogspot was a proving ground for me. I have never done anything like this before, but because I was eager to learn and do something new, I began to feel confident that I could advance to another level. I am using WordPress for the new site and it has been a journey. I'm not a web developer or all that technical so some of this was hard. But once I got over my fear, I was able to figure things out. (Well at least enough so I could actually publish a basic website.)

Right now the website contains just a few tools to encourage you to push forward your ideas and go impact the world.

• There's a calendar with strategies to make your M-W-F a GoneGirlGo kind of day.
• There's a Challenge Me to Grow Resource of the Month for you to download for free.
• There's all of the blog posts from this site.

And there's much more to come. You can look forward to more content, more connection, more community. There's even a Facebook page where we can extend our dialogue, share our stories, encourage one another, and challenge each other to grow.

Do me a favor. Keep this in mind. I'm still trying to figure things out. This is a work that will always be in progress. It will never be finished. And that's o.k. with me. (Cause when it's finished it's over.) Do me another favor. When you visit the new site, make sure to subscribe by email. It's simple.

So explore the new home of GoneGirlGo. Click, read, suggest, think, explore, comment, connect, and share. It's a place where you are welcome to be and become who you are.

Peace

This site will remain open, but I will no longer post anything here after this. (I'm kinda sad...)

LIVING THE GONEGIRLGO LIFE: LATORIA

I started Cleveland State University’s Diversity Management Program back in 2000 with DMP 3. Needless to say, I didn’t finish until 2007. I was distracted a little by life. I got the urge to go back so I ended up taking my last class with DMP 10. That’s when I met Tori. She was and still is a firecracker. Her energy, enthusiasm, and love for God, makes me smile. I wanna be like Tori when I grow up.  Enough said. Here’s her story:

In 2007, Cultivating Pearl, LLC was just a vision to a young lady in her early 20’s. I could literally see communities of women looking to live a life free from their past, who were ready and relentless to pursue authenticity. Although my vision lived inside of me, it never seemed to actually come forward. It took me years after my first attempt to launch Cultivating Pearl.

My first proposal was to my ministry leader at the church I attended at the time. She passed my proposal to our First Lady which I just knew was a good sign. That meeting left me very discouraged. I was told I wasn’t ready to take on something so big, and to be honest, at that time they were right.

I went on years after, steady writing and planning to someday see my burning passion birthed. It seemed that every time I attempted to move forward in what I knew was purposed to do, I ran into brick wall after brick wall. I was told everything from my vision was too big to we’re not going to be able to help you.

One day it hit me! I was looking for validation from people and organizations that had absolutely nothing to do with what I was responsible for contributing to the world. It wasn’t until I realized that my vision was just that….MINE. No one else would be able to see it quite the way I do because it belonged to me. I had to sit down and have a heart to heart with myself. It went something like this:

“Alright Tori listen, not only do you have the credentials to do this but you have the experience, your heart is in the right place, and you are passionate about what you do. Tori you can do this! Stop looking for people to validate you.”

No one can permit you to do what you were born to do. As of June 2012 Cultivating Pearl, LLC is no longer kicking me in the middle of the night. It is alive and well. If you are reading this knowing that you have something inside of you that has passed its due date, do the world a favor and GoneGirlGo! We are all waiting to receive what only you have to offer.

Latoria Polite, MA, CDP

Check out Cultivating Pearl at http://cultivatingpearls.onsugar.com/. Tori offers fresh perspective and insight into relationships, pursuing your purpose, esteem, style, and much more. Follow Cultivating Pearl on Twitter @P_E_A_R_Life . She does these Twitter chats that focus on relevant topics (even though I’m Twitter challenged, I try to participate!) Like her on Facebook too at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cultivating-Pearl-llc/186286648078110.

Peace.

SO HERE I AM.

Isn't it amazing the number of seasons we go through during our lifetime?  From the womb to the innocence of childhood, then onto the adventure of adulthood – life is a truly amazing journey. Like I’ve said before, life is fun but hard and I am convinced that in order to fully experience all that life has to offer, you have to have both. The hard parts of life should challenge you to grow.

Recently I have been in a constant cycle of being challenged to grow.  Shifting my career focus has challenged me to grow.  Being a parent to older children has challenged me to grow. Working in an actual office has challenged me to grow. Wrestling with relationships has challenged me to grow. And of course, pushing forward GoneGirlGo has challenged me to grow.

SO HERE I AM. 

In another season of life, being challenged to take what started out as a simple blog to another level. This territory is VERY unknown to me. I'm a fish out of water, but I'm determined to figure it all out. I will be launching gonegirlgo.com very soon. I’m nervous, satisfied, overwhelmed, and curious all at the same time.

1. I’m nervous because I’m new to all of this and I know that I will make some mistakes.
2. I’m satisfied that I haven’t reached my destination yet, but I have embraced where I am on this journey – the beginning.
3. I’m overwhelmed because I have to work a 9 to 5 in order to keep pushing this movement forward.
4. I’m curious to know what is right now unknown. I'm curious to know how you will receive gonegirlgo.com.

I'm packing my bags and getting ready
to move to a new site. 

You can help me deal with all of these emotions by doing me a favor.  I created a brief survey to get your feedback about gonegirlgo.com. Your comments on the blog, Facebook and Twitter have meant a lot to me. I want to make sure that I keep listening to what you say.  Click here to complete the short survey.

I will keep you posted on the move of GoneGirlGo to its new home. It will be within the next couple of weeks. I really want you to continue the journey with me so that we can keep challenging each other to grow. 

As always, peace.

THE PERFECT PLATFORM TO STAND ON

I wrote this in 1996 to describe how I experienced life as a big ideas thinker:

Thoughts explode in my mind while I am trying to sleep causing urges of insomnia.

Guilt collides into my being because of these exploding thoughts that I let turn into duds.

I remember feeling so disappointed in myself because I wouldn’t execute my ideas.  And of course, that disappointment would turn into guilt and shame. It was very difficult walking around with all of that,but for years I chose to live with this because I refused to do anything with all those ideas that I had in my head. As a reformed big ideas thinker, I realize that being realistic is important and having a plan is critical, but being afraid to take an initial risk is ridiculous. My fear kept me bound and caused my big ideas to turn into duds.

What I am learning now is that having an idea isn’t enough. You have to have the guts.You have to have the wherewithal. You have to have stamina. You have to have a lot more than just a love of generating ideas.  Here’s what else I’ve discovered that you have to have to push forward your ideas:

THE PERFECT PLATFORM TO STAND ON!

A PLATFORM. As much as I love shoes, I can honestly say that I’m not referring to my favorite type of shoes (besideswedges, of course) – platforms.  The platform I’m referring to here is a belief that you can stand on. It includesyour message, your principles, your values that you want communicate to others. When I wrote my first blog, I didn’trealize that I was establishing a platform that encouraged idea execution. I was just sharing my experiences pushing forward my ideas. As I continued to explore the concepts and ideas that I came across, I realized that idea execution was my platform. Everything that gonegirlgo stands for relates to this very topic. You may have noticed that some of my Facebook postings and Tweets focus on motivating others to execute their ideas. Having a platform has helped shape the direction of the movement. I am able to focus on a central theme in my work rather than a several themes which for me can be overwhelming.  If you want to learn more about establishing a platform you should check out Michael Hyatt and his book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World.

A BIAS TOWARD ACTION.  ScottBelsky says “While you may enjoy generating brilliant ideas and imagining new possibilities, you must approach every occasion of creativity with a dose of skepticism and a bias toward action.” I must admit, I’m still developing in this area.  After years of not having a bias toward action, I will continue to say that there a few things that I need to unlearn so that I have a relentless bias toward action.  Here’s what I constantly tell myself - Keep working at it. Keep pursing organization. Keep demanding protection of your time. Keep reflecting on your behaviors. Keep trying to change. Keep honing your focus. Keep developing wherewithal. Keep connecting with others. Keep pushing forward. And of course, gonegirlgo.

A SOCIALMEDIA STRATEGY. I am a member of Generation X, roughly those of us who were born in the late 60’s through the early 80’s. We did not grow up with computers in the classroom. We weren’t even exposed to Myspace in high school like my own kids. Facebook became our social media tool of choice just a few years ago.  Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, but I’m a little late getting on the social media bandwagon. I actually fought against tweeting for 2 years!  Now, I see the potential social media has, especially as an informal learning tool. But I’m still perplexed. How do I wrap my head around so many different social media platforms? Which platform will serve my purpose? When do I have time to use any of these platforms? Because I am exploring how to develop an internet based business, I decided to secure a social media strategist. Matt’s been helping me sort it all out.

I’m on my way. I’m in no rush. I have a platform. I’m developing a relentless bias toward action. I’m considering ways to use social media. I’m pushing forward. And I’m grateful that I can, even now.

Peace 

WHAT'S ON MY HEART AND MY MIND

There are times when I wonder if people really know what this movement is about and do they really get it? My desire is to communicate with clarity and conviction that this movement is for a niche of women who need encouragement, support, resources, and tools to make their ideas happen.  Some may question "why women" or "why ideas"? Both of are connected to my story. If you go back and read my early posts, I think you'll get a sense of why I am so compelled to remain faithful to this niche. I believe that there are so many women out there like me who just need a little push.  A little word of encouragement.  A little spark.  A little peek into the unknown.  I hope these women are saying to themselves, “If Zoe is pushing forward her ideas then so can I.”

What started as a verbal affirmation is evolving into a conduit of support. As time goes by and the more I learn, I see this movement becoming more than what I ever thought it could be.  There’s just something about being in this mode of pushing ideas forward. I see possibilities. I see connections. I see things that I've never seen before.  This isn’t to say that I got it all together or have all the answers.  I get bogged down with my tendency to over analyze situations. I get distracted by my life. I get discouraged when things don’t go as planned.  I hate it when people are mean and find myself channeling Rodney King, “Can we all just get along?” (That’s a lot to carry, but I do and it gets heavy sometimes…anyway).  Despite these hurdles, there’s something that keeps me pushing forward. It’s inside of me and it won’t go away.

I don’t know why I started this post like this. It’s not what I intended to write about initially. I guess when you have something on your heart, no matter how hard you try to ignore that issue it’s bound to come out. Thanks for listening to what's on my heart. Now let me tell you what's on my mind.



THE 5 ESSENTIAL ACTIONS OF
CHALLENGE ME TO GROW



This post is really about a new tool that I found that really excites me. It’s a technique that can be used to address 2 of the Essential Actions of Challenge Me to Grow

• QUESTION THE IDEA
• MAP THE IDEA

It’s called Starbursting and it provides a framework for questioning your idea (or issue, problem, challenge, etc.).  The key to the technique is generating as many questions as you can about your idea without answering them. It’s supposed to help you understand the scope of your idea more fully. Learn more about the technique by clicking here: Starbursting - Brainstorming Techniques from MindTools.com.

I haven’t used it yet, but you know I will. And when I do, I will share my take on it. If you use it, please share your take too because I would love to hear how it helped you push your idea forward.

Peace

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