About Change

The last six months have been the biggest transition of my entire life. I have experienced more change in that span than I could ever imagine.

In this time I have gone from a college student to a professional, I have gone from working in a nonprofit atmosphere to an agency environment, I have moved from Austin, Texas to Washington D.C., I have gone from financially dependent to completely self sustainable. On top of all those things, one of my best friends got married, my parents sold the house that I grew up in, and I just found out that I am going to be an uncle (congrats Steve).

All of this change is a bit overwhelming at times. You struggle to find places where you feel comfortable, the people you are around are completely different, and at times, yeah, you do miss the sanctity of what you once called home.

But then I remember the reason why all of these changes occurred; opportunity. My brother is starting down a family path, my parents are selling their house to grow their business, my friend wants to be with the one he loves forever, and I…

Well I was given a chance.

From my personal experience, I can say that change brings on a completely new set of challenges. But the question that always puts change into perspective is “what about the alternative?”

What if I, or the people around me, never took the leap?

I plan to use this to drive me further in the future. Change can be scary, and for those of you who can see change in front of you, do what you can with it! Because change isn’t there to force you to be something you’re not, it is there to drive you to what you can be.

My story has had some fun and interesting plot twists over the past few months, but it is nothing compared to your story, I can’t wait for you to share it with me.

Starting Down the Career Path

When you do the whole intern thing, they never tell you about what it is like to be actually hired. That whole transitional period is almost deemed irrelevant to new hires. Most would reply “I’m just happy I have a job now.”

But there is indeed a transition time.

When you intern, you are so focused on proving yourself and your abilities, you do not really think about anything else. You push, and push, and drive to show your talent. When that pressure to prove yourself is removed, and you have the job, it is real easy to fall flat on your face.

Once you get your foot in the door, it is important to realize that it is no longer about proving anything; you’ve already done that. If you keep that work pattern, you’ll come off as arrogant or just plain overbearing.

The transition is more than just what kind of work you do; what kind of responsibilities you have. When you enter your first real occupation, you must shift your mentality. It is no longer about finding opportunity, it is now about doing something with that opportunity you have discovered.

The first few months of work can set the tempo for the rest of your career. So it is important to think about those next steps. It is that attention to detail that will help you grow.

And the Answer is…

More questions.

Because what is fun about knowing all of the answers?

When I was in college, my favorite classes were the ones that I felt comfortable asking questions in. There were certain classes that were structured to be a forum; an ongoing conversation. In those classes, I felt the most engaged and would go the extra mile to find out what questions I should be asking. By finding out what those questions were, I was able to discover the answers that really matter.

When I started my job hunt, I asked the professionals I knew for advice and guidance. In fact, at my last college internship, I emailed the entire office with a list of “lingering questions” before I left. I was searching for the right questions to ask, so that come time to interview, I would have the right answers.

Now that I am officially a communications professional, working in the real world, I am searching; Not for answers, but again, for the right questions.

Voltaire once said “Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” And that is an adage I want to live by. As I take that next step in my career, I will not forget what got me here. I will wear that Voltaire quote on my sleeve, and I will also remember a little tidbit Socrates mentioned: “Question Everything.”

I believe those two quotes will guide me to success.

So what is your best question? I’d like to hear it.

Happy Blogday.

My blog  just turned 40.

Like most that experience age 40, my blog is questioning itself in a weird mesh of reflection and bewilderment.

“How has there already been 40 posts?”

“Ugh, those paragraphs aren’t as tight as they used to be.” 

“Have I, after 40 posts, been successful?”

The interesting thing is that I feel a forty-year old would come to terms with the above comments much like I am coming to terms with this blog. A lot has happened over the time period of those 40 posts. The writing may not be as ambitious or written with the same intellectual vigor, but it has developed a tone; it now has structure. And yes it has been successful. It may not have won any awards, but it has carried a message, and has been received well by people.

So… am I supposed to buy a Corvette now or something?

Well, my blog is 40, not me, so I think the Corvette will have to wait. But in the meantime I do have some ideas for what I am going to do:

       1.     I am going to write to an audience, an audience that will listen.

When I started this blog it was intended to demonstrate that I was familiar to blogging, and meant to be a device to help me develop my writing skills. But I got tired of writing to some mythical job recruiter, and I decided to focus on writing to people who can identify with me. I will continue to offer this blog as a tool to recent graduates, employment seekers, and emerging communications professionals.

       2.     I am going to tell a story.

As I look back on some of my past writing, I realize that my best posts reveal something to the reader, and give them something that they can feel. A persuasive argument has no emotion, but an inspiring story can be quite persuasive and can hit people in the gut, where it really counts.

       3.     I am going to continue to strive for excellence.

While I feel I have made great strides in my writing, I want more. I want to engage a readership. I want to see a conversation take place via comments sparked by a thought-provoking post. I want people to tweet about my posts; to ignite conversations of their own. I want my pursuit of betterment to make other people better.

I do realize that those are some pretty lofty goals. But how else do you achieve greatness other than by setting the bar high?

I am fortunate though, to know what I need to do to achieve those goals: Listen. I will listen to criticism, I will listen to advice, and I will listen to my audience to make my online presence, worth something to others.

There is one more thing that I will try do start doing more frequently; leave with a call-to-action. So I say this to you: write. Write with everything you got. Put your head down on a piece of paper; punch out your thoughts on a keyboard. And if you are already doing that, great. Show me what you got. Share your writing with me, as I share with you. So that by the time you and I turn 40, our achievements will allow us to afford that Corvette.

Who is Your Audience?

If you are in the professional communications field and are worth your salt, you “know your audience.”

You have probably heard that phrase so much that you instinctively nod at the words like one of Pavlov’s dogs. But it isn’t the phrase you need to be worrying about, the thing you should concern yourself with is what that means.

Can you define what it is to know your audience?

What does that mean? Does that mean you know what kind of coffee they drink in the morning? Does that mean you know if they prefer flip-flops or running shoes?

Knowing your audience is a phenomena that extends beyond their superficial preferences. It is something that sticks to their soul. It is not knowing that they like a bold blend of coffee with two french vanilla creamers, it is knowing that they like that because that is what their grandmother drank when she visited every Thursday morning.

Being able to hit the audience on a sensory level creates a bond between you and them. It provides your audience with that feeling “it just feels right.” Whether you are trying to persuade in a political argument or just trying to get hired, it is understanding that feeling your audience gets that is key. You need to know why that person is not in favor of gun control, or why that employer is excited when you said you prefer Linux over Microsoft.

Next time you are communicating with an audience of any kind, remember that you need to be able to do more than just picture that person in your head; their quirks and idiosyncracies. You need to know why they have those ins-and-outs so that you can connect on a completely different level.