When competition sparks creativity

This year I threw out a challenge to my chapter leaders to help me get raffle prizes for the conference on May 17.  Proceeds will be going to World Teacher Aid, a worthy cause that builds schools in Kenya.

Little did I know that when I threw down the gauntlet that they would, not only take it seriously, but get competitive about which chapter could pull together the best gift basket. Beyond encouraging them to get their chapter members involved, I gave few instructions.  I also asked them to name their collection.

As a result, between them they have raised over $5,000 in prizes.  Wow.  What is also interesting is that this whole exercise has brought people together and truly sparked their creativity.

Cheron, who is my leader in Winnipeg and just flying in for a couple of days,  is bringing with her a Greetings from the Prairies basket, with all things from out west.

In Simcoe, they asked the women to donate some of their favourite items, calling their basket Gifts from the Heart and the Niagara and Durham chapters are duking it out to see who has raised the most valuable basket.  Toronto and Halton are focusing on pampering which we all love (and deserve).

But the creativity prize needs to go to Anne who currently heads up the Waterloo-Wellington chapter.  She decided to take a more pro-active approach and headed off to downtown Guelph, and did a walking tour of all the stores that appeal to women or are women-owned. 

She not only collected a gift at each store, but gleaned some business wisdom from each of them. She then promised to provide a “Walk and Shop Guelph Tour Guide for Women,” which will be available at the conference and back at the stores. As a result, she has piqued the business owners’  interest in Company of Women and used this opportunity to spread the word about our organization.  Brilliant.

And then there’s the basket from Company of Women to which all the leaders donated.  Can you guess what it is?   A basket of wine.     Whoever wins it... the party is at your place.

Choose three words to live your life by

For the last two years, I have chosen to come up with three words to live my life by, instead of making New Year resolutions that I likely won’t keep.

For 2013 my three words were creativity, energy and connectivity and I did well by these choices.  The prior year, for example I had focused on my health, as I hadn’t been that well, so choosing energy was speaking to the fact that not only did I feel much better, but my energy level was up and I was able to accomplish more.

Creativity should probably be an ongoing word for me, because when I am not able to be creative, I feel stifled and boxed in.  Being able to tap into my creativity is therefore essential and boosts my energy level no end. 

Our 2013 conference, Journey 2 Success, was by far the most successful – partly because of the rich content and the introduction of our making the pitch contest which challenged my members’ creativity but also because of the sponsors we had on board – connectivity at its best.  

We also branched out into further domains, with a new chapter in Winnipeg, connections made in Vancouver and a highly successful Five Days to Feeling Fabulous webinar series that brought thirty health care professionals together and was viewed by over 560 people from around the world.

So all told, I felt I lived up to my three words, which makes choosing them for next year more challenging, but I have.

First is courage.  I want to push myself beyond my comfort zone and start doing more online webinars and programs myself, not just contracting others to do so.  This will mean a huge learning curve, but I know I am a hands-on learner, and the best way for me to learn is to just do it.

My second word is curiosity.  Together with Amy Hunter, I am starting to write another book, but one that is not based on my story, but stories of hundreds of women who fall prey to self-doubt, feeling not good enough or who suffer from the imposter syndrome.  My sense is that thousands of women feel this way at one time or another in their lives, and our goal is to ask questions, dig deep and find some solutions to support women in their quest to being successful on their own terms.

Last but by no means least, the third word is collaboration.  I can’t achieve the above two without collaborating with others, and having learned the hard way, I am being more selective about who I partner up with or with whom I form alliances.  I just know it is the way to go, and I also know myself in that I much prefer to work with people rather than toil away on my own.  You gain such strength, energy and creativity when you work with others who lend their talents to a project.

So, there you have it – the three ‘C’s for my life in 2014 – Courage. Curiosity. Collaboration.

What words would you choose?  I really recommend this approach, it is so much more effective than writing down that you are going to lose weight, be healthy and go to the gym more often.  How long does that last?  They say around six weeks, and then it is back to business as usual.

Change your approach.  Choose your words carefully and create the year you want for yourself. 

Three words to live by

-->

In 2012, instead of making New Year resolutions that I never keep, I decided to pick three words to live my life by.  What were they?   Health, acceptance and authenticity and as I reflect back on the year, I can honestly say it worked.

My choices were very much influenced by a couple of factors.  First I had started the year with some virus that lasted months and so the focus on health and getting better made sense. Frankly I had run myself ragged and needed to listen to my body.

Second, I chose acceptance because I knew, in going back to being a solopreneur, with no staff in the office, I was going to have to streamline or let go of some processes and lower my expectations of what I could achieve on my own. I have been on a steep learning curve on all things technical but have actually been impressed with what I have been able to juggle and do.

As for authenticity, much of that was influenced by my determination to be real, to be true to myself and to say “no” when I needed to.   

So given the success of this year’s three words in shaping my direction, I have decided to give it another try for 2013 and it’s interesting because I am not picking the same three words. 

No, my picks are, once again, indicative of how I am feeling and the stage I am at both professionally and personally.  So this year I am going with energy, creativity and connectivity.

Why?  After a shaky start to the year, I’ve found this fall that I’ve got my mojo back and have renewed enthusiasm and energy for what I am doing, which leads me next to creativity. I love finding new ways to bring people together, and want to facilitate more creative connections in 2013.  On a personal note, I also want to make more time for my writing and who knows, maybe I will start working on my next book.

As for connectivity, I have come to realize that I know a lot of people, but like any relationships, you have to stay in touch, stay connected. So in 2013 I want to build on those relationships, look at ways we can work together and continue to link like-minded women. 

So there you have it.  Of course, you know what I am going to ask - what three words would you choose?  Let me know.