We're halfway through the year (happy July)! Around this time, I tend to go back and reflect on my goals that I wrote on page one of a new journal six months ago. I think about what I've been able to accomplish, and what I still want to do before it’s New Year’s Eve, again! I also long for the momentum I had in January. If I’m honest with myself, some of it has dropped as the months flew by. But for the third year, around this time I have also received a burst of new motivation and drive after attending The Great Girlfriends Conference!
CEOs and podcast co-hosts Brandice Daniel and Sybil Amuti have curated three days of women connecting, inspiring one another, forming relationships and pouring into each other in the middle of New York City each summer! I attended this conference June 21–23 and left feeling like I can do anything. I am still so full and had countless amazing encounters. However, there are four key moments that gave me what I needed to tackle the rest of the year:
1. Watching a successful powerful woman being honored.
Thursday evening, on June 21, the conference kicked off with a reception at the W Hotel, which is one of the reasons this is not your average conference! At #TGGCON18 it’s wasn’t all listening and note taking. We sipped wine, danced, laughed and took pictures for the 'Gram! At the reception, Tiffany the Budgetnista received The Great Girlfriend of the Year award! During her speech Tiffany shared how the girlfriends in her life showed up when she needed them, and she, in turn, is dedicated to helping women. Tiffany’s whole story is #goals! She openly shares on her platforms her journey of going from broke to a seven figure salary!
2. Being told by Mikki Taylor to create an empire!
Day two of Doers and Disrupters we all gathered at WeWork Bryant Park for a day of panels, masterminds, dance breaks, selfies, shopping and so much more. One of the first speakers we heard from was the author of Editor in Chic, Mikki Taylor, who delivered the morning power up! Mikki captivated the room by opening with, “You came to do something right? You better wake up!” Those of us who weren’t feeling our morning coffee, yet, definitely perked up under the sound of Mikki’s enthusiasm. Ms. Taylor continued to drop wisdom, and what stuck with me the most was when she said, “Your gift was given to you to create an empire, not a paycheck … be empire inspired not revenue inspired.” While I know I will achieve certain levels of success, I don’t think prior to hearing these words did I ever process that I can create an empire. GAME CHANGER!
3. Being told to get it done!
A couple of hours into the morning was a panel entitled “Enough Talking, Get it Done!” This is a tough call to make, but I am going to go ahead and say this was my favorite panel. If you think about all the lists you’ve made, the goals set, vision boards crafted, Facebook statuses declaring a “new year, new you,” how much of the actual real work have you put into achieving said dreams? I mean REAL work that could change your life if you remained consistent with it. This was a message I needed to hear. Camara Aunique, Dorinda Walker and Dawn Chavous all shared thier “do it” career moments. These are pivotal times that each one of these ladies let their faith outweigh their fear and took a leap into their destiny. For Dawn, this meant leaving her secure and well paid government job because she knew there was greater in store for her. When she took this leap, she did not yet have the client that thankfully called her the next day. But she did know she had become complacent.
Getting comfortable in a good or OK lifestyle is dangerous, no matter how good things can at times seem. This panel was a good reminder that I can have great!
4. By learning how to be a disrupter
A disrupter interrupts something from continuing as expected. Before we began our masterminds, brand strategist, Tieko Nejon shared with us her thoughts around being a disrupter, and I realized this is exactly what I have to do — disrupt the rest of 2018! Tieko explained to us that we can be doing what seems like a lot of work, but if we're not doing something that causes an effect, then we are just busy. I began to think about whether I have been a disrupter this year, or just busy doing a bunch of tasks. Tieko reminded us to know who we are and what we are capable of, because there is an effect that only each of us can have!
It is not too late in the year, 2018 can still be bodied! We can make so much progress in six months if we start disrupting now. Let me know how your 2018 goals have been going and I hope to see you at #TGGCON next year!
