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

LIVING THE GONEGIRLGO LIFE: RA'NESHA

It's been a while, I know, since I last posted something on the blog. Being a consistent blogger is a challenge, especially when you are trying to maintain a bias toward action.The movement is not gonegirlwrite. (It could be though, now that I think about. You make meaning of this movement for yourself. Your "go" is action - whatever that action is supposed to be then go ahead and do it!) Anyway, I wish I could write all day long, but at some point, I have to execute; I have to push forward and go. 


So I am executing this thing, right? I've married the movement with my purpose and passion which has resulted in the development of a niche training program. I've held two Kick-Off sessions of the Challenge Me to Grow Blended Learning Experience. The pilot of Challenge Me to Grow actually starts in a couple of weeks. There are about 10 women ready to go. The website is in the works and there are some other goodies in development that make me way too excited.

While all of this is happening, I can't help but notice the women who I am encountering on a regular. They are really my inspiration. Observing and listening to them, gives me a reason to do what I do. Some are ready to go. There are others whose pilot lights are just being ignited. While others are already taking action.  They are determined, energetic, and motivated. They want to be a blessing to others. They want to leave behind a legacy that their children can be proud of. They are gonegirlgo personified. 


These next series of posts will feature women who are living the gonegirlgo life. I believe that the power of their stories will definitely encourage others to push forward and go. 


Meet Ra'Nesha Wilson, a University of Akron graduate who has her own consulting firm, The Springer Group, LLC. At some point in her life she wanted to make a change and do something different. She wanted to push forward her idea so that she could go impact the world. This is her story.

Zoe: What idea popped into your head?

I am free-spirited. I believe that
 nothing in life is hard when you live life
to the fullest and end everyday with a
smile despite circumstance. I believe it is
important to pray first than take action.
Ra'Nesha Wilson

Ra’Nesha: It was time for me to invest more into the community. I was not placed on this earth to be selfish and be all about me. I became involved in an annual community action project of Dress for Success Cleveland called the Prom Project “Once in a Lifetime”. The goal of the project is to give two deserving female high school students the most memorable prom regardless of their families’ financial hardships. We secured donations from successful entrepreneurs in the Cleveland area including, gift cards, spa gift baskets filled with tons of goodies and surprises, hair and nails done by Anntwinette as Salon Productions, a senior photo shoot by Joseph White of Studio J. Photography, Box Bag Purses donated by Michelle Crawford, Mary Kay lip gloss and fragrances donated by Clotea Mack, strawberries donated by Ronnie, the owner of The Pink Strawberry, and a full facial makeover with Shannon Hamilton of Mary Kay. In addition, each young woman will be presented with a check to purchase their prom dress and other accessories.

Zoe: What were some of the questions that you asked yourself that helped you dig a little deeper to explore the possibilities of your idea? 

The Five Essential Actions of
Challenge Me to Grow

Ra’Nesha: What is the need? How can I be an asset to others? Would I rather be part of the solution or the person who only complains without action? I remain focused and motivated by realizing that some things are bigger than me and it is not always about me. It is about the person whose life I can change by giving a small token of my time.

Zoe: What process did you use to map it out and get yourself organized?

Ra’Nesha: I created a vision board because it is a simple yet powerful visualization tool that activates the universal law of attraction to begin manifesting your dreams into reality.

Zoe: Who did you share your idea with?

Ra’Nesha: I shared my idea with Joandra Wilson (sister), Lauren Miller (mentor), Jeffrey Springer (boyfriend), Marlin Martin (friend), Howard Payton (family member/mentor), Carmen Hawkins (past delegate of Dress for Success). They supported me in various ways by helping me clearly define my vision and providing monetary support. 

I pray that my idea will have a positive impact and motivate others to give. I must say the ability to assist someone in need is truly a blessing and very fulfilling to me. So far I have received many calls from people I don’t know thanking me and letting me know they are praying for me.

Zoe: What does executing your idea feel like?

Ra’Nesha: Unbelievable. I am so graciously thankful.

If you are interested in donating to the Prom Project, click this link
http://www.dressforsuccess.org/affiliate.aspx?sisid=19&pageid=22. Click the PayPal link and make sure to type “CAP” as the Purpose so that your contribution is applied to the Prom Project.


See. There's no reason to be fearful about that idea that popped into your head. Your idea contributes to the greater good and it inspires someone else. Live the gonegirlgo life. Push forward and go.


Peace

A Push Forward: The Birth of a Trademark

gonegirlgo_™

As I entered into another season of my life, I stumbled upon this trademark and it really does signify my current state of being. It is an internal proclamation of freedom, a declaration of independence, a statement of progress, and a call of forward movement. Starting in 2012 and going forward, I have decided to give myself permission to go on and go.

So how did I come to this conclusion? Last summer I had an epiphany that I was a middle aged woman. I had to laugh because the picture I had in my mind of who that woman was certainly did not resemble me! When I shared this with my dad, or “G” (short for G-Dad), as we so fondly call him, he simply stated, “Yea Zo, I guess you are.” My recognition of that reality and my dad’s confirmation of that reality rang in my ear for the rest of the summer. I am in the middle – the middle of my life, the middle of my career, the middle of my journey. As the oldest of three girls, I have never been in the middle before so it was hard trying to relate. (S/O to all of the middle sisters in the world, including mine!) This sudden realization of my median position ignited a pilot light in me!  Call it middle age crisis or call it what you want, all I knew was that I needed to do something before my time was up!

As I consider the timeline of my life, I cannot go back and redo anything. But I can go forward…wait a minute…what if I decided to go forward a little differently than I had in the first half of my timeline? What would happen if I pushed all of my energy forward? What would happen if I interrupted my life with a new trajectory?  (This is my confession: You see, I was a dreamer who was always afraid that my dreams would turn into nightmares and haunt me. I had ideas, I mean great big ideas, but I wasn’t able to see them as reality. I contemplated, walked with trepidation, analyzed, and second guessed myself out of believing that I had worthy ideas and dreams.) There was just something about being in the middle that compelled me to engage my ideas and dreams and push them forward. 

I thought that writing a blog would be easy because I kept a journal since I was 15 years old. You would be cracking up at how many times I backed up, scratched out, and deleted my words. I wanted the words to flow easy like they did in my head. They didn’t when I wanted them to at first...only at the most inopportune time which turned out to be the best time. The pilot light was lit so I had to go. 

gonegirlgo_™

Not only did my trademark surface because of my middle condition, but because of the current condition of many women that I know. I have witnessed how we have walked with trepidation, ignored our calling, gave others the power to talk us out of our dreams, second-guessed ourselves, downplayed our strengths, and kept ourselves constricted and confined to our own little box.  I was not created to live by default, but that’s how I was living because I refused to step out of my box.

My trademark was actually born on Facebook.  Whenever I read a female’s post that seemed to be a cry for forward movement, I would respond "Gone girl go!". I thought, “Wait a minute! That means something and I’ve got to do something with it!” Because I had this habit of thinking a lot, and not moving forward with my thoughts, I was in new territory. (Uh oh - my mind started with that ole negative self-talk again. Would I fail? I’m not ready. That’s just stupid. Who cares anyway?) Nope! I wasn’t giving in to it this time. I remembered my middle position and pushed forward.

The first step that I took was to share my thoughts with a few close friends. I was shocked when as soon as I said it, they got it. They understood immediately what I was talking about. They encouraged me to explore the concept so I just had to move.

During this time, another fascinating thing was happening to me. I was being surrounded by other women whose pilot light was ignited as well. I got a chance to see firsthand what happens to a woman when she pushes forward, engages her ideas, and lives her dreams. Again, I just had to move.

On my nightstand.

On the floor.

To organize my thoughts, I created this mind map. It was rough, but from it I was able to see what my trademark was all about. Then I started drafting the blog. This rough sketch of the mind map and blog sat on my nightstand for about 3 weeks. It ended up on the floor at some point and stayed there for another week. I finally put it in my bag to take to work.  It sat there for 2 more weeks. When I pulled it out again, I said “Go. What are you waiting for?” The mind map got dolled up in Visio. With some tweaks here and a few more edits there, it was good and I was determined to finish this blog. Now…

 gonegirlgo_™

There are four components to services that I will offer based on my trademark:

1.    Define your own forward movement

2.    Refuse to live by default

3.    Push against self-imposed limits

4.    Be a reformed procrastinator



All dolled up.



I’m not sure how this will all unfold, but I am excited about pushing it out there. So stay tuned! I will use this blog as an accountability tool to let you know of my progress pushing forward. This should be fun but hard! Y’all with me…let's go!