EVO '10: The Evolution of Me

At the beginning of 2010 I declared this the year of “I can.” So often I’m quick to come up with reasons why I can’t do something which I truly believe is a form of self-sabotage – or protection. If I stay inside my cozy little comfort zone I don’t have to risk being disappointed or even worse, embarrassed. Gasp! It keeps life easy, right? Wrong. There’s a huge problem with that. Little risk = little reward. Come on and say it with me, “Keep doing what you’ve been doing and you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.”

Fast-forward to the past few days I spent in Utah at the EVO ’10 conference – The Evolution of Women in Social Media. Not to be too hokey, ahem, but I believe that things happen for a reason. We are exactly where we need to be when we need to be there. The theme of “evolution” could not have been any more fitting for my mindset. I went into the conference thinking about my evolution and walked out affirmed and inspired.

Change is necessary. It’s a part of life and it happens whether we want it to or not. It can be scary as hell, but the beautiful thing about change is it doesn’t have to bad. Sometimes it happens to you, and sometimes you can make it happen. I’m not sure about you, but I prefer the latter.

At one of the many insightful sessions I attended three powerful, dynamic and memorable women (the super-talented Carol Roth, Liz Strauss and Ghennipher Weeks) challenged us to take what we've learned and figure out how we are going to incorporate it into our lives. One of the many lessons they drilled home is to know your goal and where you are going. Very logical, but so often so many of us forget to take that very important first step.

For me part of that is not letting my New Year’s goal of “I can” fizzle out in the second half of the year. In addition to identifying my business benchmarks, it’s climbing out of my comfort zone, taking risks and evolving. I figured there was no time like the present so at EVO ’10 I …

… took a gondola ride up the side of a mountain even though nosebleed seats in a stadium could easily send me into a panic attack.

… roomed with people I’d never met and stayed up chatting way past my bedtime like we were old college buddies.

… ran outside in the high altitude even though the security of the plush fitness center screamed my name.

… did the famous Ziprider at Park City Mountain Resort flying down the side of a mountain suspended high in the air from a cable at speeds up to 50 mph. Again, the whole-I'm-a-punk-with-heights thing made this HUGE for me.

… danced the "Cupid Shuffle" and the "Hokey Pokey" at the conference’s closing party even though I can’t dance for shit I’m rhythmically challenged. And, no, I wasn’t drunk.

The courageous Mommy Niri and me after stepping off the Ziprider

These may seem like small feats to some but for me they were scary, exciting and fun elements in the evolution of me. And, like the song says, “that’s what it’s all about.”

Winks & Smiles,