#92khrs Challenge-Mad Skills & The Ideal Job

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the #92khrs challenge I committed to.  Well, I missed week 2's post of my skill set (life is getting its way with me lately and I'm a bit behind). Now week 3's post about my ideal job is due.  So..... 

I've always been a hard worker.  Not sure if it was my parent's influence, the Mid-Western mentality (as some say), my entire family of factory workers and waitresses, or that trip to the grocery store with my "fiance" when I was 18 (yeah, I know...I wised up.) shopping in the discounted food section of bent cans and partially opened boxes (he was on welfare) that got me.  Something resonated with me for sure though. I decided early on, that I would work hard, make it TO & THROUGH college and move out of the poor neighborhood I grew up in. (that's my childhood house on the left)

I focused on business classes even back in high school.

Typing, accounting, and "computers" were three of my favorite subjects at the time.  So I guess I became pretty good at a few things that I consider my MAD SKILLS :

• Project management
• New product development ideas
• Organizing
• Attention to detail
• Quality control
• Follow-Up
• Problem solving
• Creative thinking
• Strong negotiator
• Reliable
• Self-motivated

I've been able to use these strengths/skills to completely change my life and achieve what is for me pretty close to the IDEAL JOB DESCRIPTION;

• Developing a lifestyle brand that offers modern products to hip parents

 

While that is it in very general terms, it means, going to work everyday to do something you love, something you believe in, something that makes a difference in some way.

I feel like I have been blessed in doing something that I love to do on a daily basis.  I wake up every morning excited to start my day (sometimes as early as 4:30am) and find it hard to shut down at night.  I suppose being an entrepreneur, those are just the side effects of the job.  You work 24/7 towards building your brand with a passion that is unbridled.   Constantly thinking of new ideas, networking and selling your brand to whom ever will listen.  The joy comes from the feedback and recognition you get that this "thing" that you're so damn impassioned with is of value to others too!

Imagine, Champion & Relish in your ideas!

xo
-Lisa

My Little Man

Last Friday I did a last minute fill-in photo shoot for Saurette at Brooklyn's Leffert's House in Prospect Park. What a great location!  Fantastic old wood fences, a cool old wagon and a working water pump.

The day was pretty gloomy and started to pour rain as it was time to head out to meet the team for the day.  I have to say, I was a bit worried not only about the clothes getting ruined on the way (I'd just spent 2 hours steaming to perfection), but whether or not we'd be able to even do the shoot....which was planned for outdoors.

Despite the rain, we turned out some great photos with the help of some of the cutest models under age 8 in NYC & the talented Anna Maftser of Candy Kid Photography.

If you are unfamiliar with Anna's work, as I was before last week, be sure to check out her facebook pages and personal website.  She has a special ability to capture those key moments and great expressions that you'll want to recall years from now.

My youngest son, Ryder happened to tag along on the Saurette shoot with me that day, and Anna took a few shots of my little man that I'm just dying over.  This was his very first "modeling" job and I was so impressed with his ability to follow directions and desire to please the photographer.  I just had to share the photos here because they are so fantastic!

 It's amazing how different professional photography is from your standard snapshots.  Having been around high quality photos and photoshoots for many years due to my work in the fashion industry, I didn't truly realize what I was missing in my personal life by not having professional shots of my own kids.  If you've got the opportunity, be sure to document these very special memories with the best photography you can afford.  You'll be so glad you did!

xoxo

Lisa

#92khrs Challenge-When I Grow Up

Two weeks ago, I attended this super inspirational branding meeting in NYC called Brand Camp University.  Hajj Flemings, a fellow Detroiter, BCU founder, and personal brand strategist, gathered some great leaders together for a one day conference to share their stories and tips on brand building.  Great advise, business leads, new friends, motivation and the #92khrs challenge were key measurables that I came away with that day.

The significance of the 92k hours is as follows:  The average person lives 78 years in the United States or 683,200 hours. If a person works from age 21 until age 65 at 40-hours per week that's 92,000 hours in their lifetime.  The 92khrs challenge is a method to get people (Human Brands) to re-think our life work (or what we were designed to do.)  Week 1's challenge is to blog about what you wanted to be when you grew up.  So, here goes...

Growing up in Detroit (the actual city, not the suburb as so many people really mean when they say they are from Detroit), I always dreamed of bigger and better things for myself.  I lived in a poor neighborhood with tons of crime, drugs, fighting, guns, burned down houses, and high school drop-outs due to the unsafe public schools in our neighborhood.

Thankfully, my parents scraped up just enough money to send me to private schools in order for me to complete high school, "get out" of my bad neighborhood and go on to graduate college. It wasn't an easy ride though.  My neighborhood friends were really tough and thought I was a bit prissy, while my suburban private school friends saw me as their poor friend.  I guess it was this constant push/pull that made me strive to better my life and search for something that impassioned me.

When I was little, I was going to be a rock star.  No, I didn't WANT to be a rock star, I KNEW I was going to be a rock star!  I started two of my own girl groups, each one with a different set of all girl cousins (before Beyonce did it..lol). I was the correographer, lead singer and spent hours writing my own songs. Every weekend when our parents would get together to socialize, we would hit the bedroom to practice our moves, sing our songs and prepare for our eventual stardom.   I knew that one day I would be a star, I just wasn't sure when or how, but I was determined and committed to reach my goal.

I never became a famous singer or dancer, and admittedly, can't carry much of a tune these days, but I still love the term Rock Star and use it quite often to refer to my friends and colleagues that are doing amazing things in their lives and with their businesses.  I believe in the power of positive thought, pursuing your dreams, believing in yourself, and paying it forward.  I think that makes me a Rock Star !