Shigei Gebremedhin climbs Mt. Kilimanjaro
Some people dream. Others dream big. While others accomplish the big dreams that inspire and empower us into action. Meet Shigei Gebrmedhin. An Eritrean woman who recently climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. For Shigei, this was far more than just an adventurous feat. She used the climb as an opportunity to raise funds for Voluntary Service Overseas and their community development efforts in Kenya. I’ve known Shigei for nearly 15 years and continue to be inspired by her determination, passion for life, and her strong Eritrean pride.
Check out her story below as she chronicles her journey from the arrival in Nairobi, the ascent to the summit point, and some of her reflections about the trek. Thanks Shigei for sharing your story!
“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” – Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr.
20 hours and 5 in-flight movies later, I finally arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. I stood at the baggage claim, praying that my checked-in duffle bag would roll down the conveyor belt, as my experience has taught me that this is not a guarantee when it comes to international flights. As I stood there, I saw a tall man donned with brand new hiking boots and an overstuffed backpack, and my intuition told me Read more…
One Year Later: Baby Steps Toward Progress
One year ago today, ‘Work In Progress’ was born as an attempt to accomplish my only New Years Resolution for 2010: To get my voice back. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what that meant. I just knew that I wanted to make sure I was living a balanced life that included more than just working and paying the bills. I wanted to get back to a place where I was able to share my gifts, talents, thoughts and perspectives with the world. Through the blog I wanted share the books to read and people to meet who work to bring about progress in the lives of others.
One year later, this site has become more than just a hobby for me. It has served as a platform for me to connect with people from my past and present, as well as a countless bloggers who have shared their feedback and expertise in helping the site gain visibility and recognition.
As I mentioned in my post at the Six Month Mark, I am indebted to several key bloggers who inspired me with their work. There are new bloggers that I’ve come across that I definitely need to add to the list of those who inspire me:
My most beneficial experience as a blogger this past year was participating in the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog experience spearheaded by Rosetta Thurman. It forced me to think and complete the necessary steps to build out my blog with the intent of building my brand as a blogger. Participating alongside both veteran and novice bloggers created a network of peers I was grateful to connect with. I have to admit, it was pretty tough fitting all the assignments in, and I know there are a few I still need to complete. But the experience definitely made me appreciate the level of discipline bloggers put into building and maintaining their web presence and their overall brand.
In addition to the bloggers, I owe a huge thanks to Pooja A. Regmi, Noah Stephens, Raven Jones, Chanda Long, Kim Brooks, and Matt Hickey for taking time out of their schedules and responding to my interview questions, even when the idea of the blog was still pretty half-baked. And I owe a special thanks to my first featured blogger, Latasha Johnson.
Also, a huge shout-out to the people: the friends, relatives, former colleagues, co-workers, and random websurfers who read, commented on, and even shared the blog with others. In looking at the stats, it still blows me away that folks continue to read postings I wrote nearly 8 months ago.
And last but not least, I have to thank the subscribers. Those faithful folks who trusted and believed in me enough to offer their email addresses in order to receive my postings delivered straight to their inbox. I truly appreciate your support.
What’s Next? Similar to the start of 2010, this year begins with more baby steps toward progress. This time, it will be in the form of an internet radio station developed and hosted in partnership with a longtime friend, Omega Supreme.
HNET Radio will pay homage to the hip-hop culture in its most authentic form. The pilot show, Hip-Hop’s Great Expectations for 2011, will air on Friday, January 21, 2010 at 11:00pm EST on Blogtalkradio. And this is only the beginning.
Be sure to connect with HNET on both Facebook and Twitter for more details!
I am also putting the final touches on the build-out of my professional page, which will launch on January 31st. As with 2010, I’m sure 2011 will bring plenty of unexpected victories and lessons, and I welcome them both. After all, it definitely gives me something to blog about!
Lead The Change
As I am wrapping up 2010, I’m reflecting on the only resolution I had this year: To Get My Voice Back. And I am grateful for the many people: faithful friends, awesome colleagues, & loving family members who have been there along my journey.
For the past 3 years, I’ve had the following article on my bulletin board at work. It is from the March 2007 issue of Essence, one of the last articles written by Susan L. Taylor while serving as Editor in Chief of the magazine. The first time I read it, I was on the job hunt, becoming frustrated with the whole process. After reading the article, it helped me find the strength necessary to persist in my search not just for a job, but for a renewed sense of purpose.
As 2010 is coming to a close, I am once again reflecting on my purpose, and hoping that 2011 will provide me with more opportunities to continue reclaiming my voice through my work, my relationships, and my life experiences. To do so, I’m not only re-reading this article, but also sharing it with others hoping that it will empower someone else to Lead The Change in their lives. ENJOY!
It’s a great blessing to do work that is meaningful, enjoyable and so in tune with your spirit that you arise excited to greet the day. Work is love. It’s one of the ways in which we contribute to life and grow in grace and greatness. But look at the weary faces in your family, your workplace, and perhaps in the mirror. We spend most of our waking hours earning a living, and many of us feel miserable doing it. We stay in jobs that aren’t satisfying, complaining that we are undervalued, overworked and underpaid, all because we fear change.
Life is change. Welcome it! Every unhappy day that passes without your taking steps toward reinventing your life roots you more deeply in misery. It doesnt help that so many of us, immersed in a culture of celebrity, see fame and fortune as the goal. We even celebrate stars who behave badly, who are the poorest role models for our children. Instead, lets lift up those who are leading change, fighting against hunger, HIV/AIDS and violence in our world. At the end of the day, how much you’ve earned, how many homes and diamonds we’ve acquired, are no comfort. The true source of our peace is knowing that we are exercising our power and resources to help those less fortunate, that we are using what we have at hand to be a leader for change.
Start at home. Take the leadership role in your life and career. This is where your strategic advantage lies — in following your heart and preparing for what is nourishing to your spirit. Don’t sweat where you are right now; it’s your blessed entry point. Fashion a plan to help you leap forward boldly in this rapidly changing global economy, rather than reacting after the act to events forced upon you by shrinking Social Security, health and pension benefits.
Plan now! No matter how much you believe your organization values you today, your tomorrows are vulnerable. Pressed to increase profits every year and forevermore, the also-vulnerable, ever-changing guard at the top is forced to make shortsighted changes that will stunt the lives of unprepared workers. And yet your tomorrows are also full of promise and opportunity. Enter into a covenant with yourself and create new streams of income, including ventures you will profit from through retirement and pass along to coming generations. Ask yourself, Where do I want to go next? Identify what’s not working and visualize the life you want to be living by summer, at year’s end, five years from now. Hold steady your vision, and no matter what, don’t give up.
Assemble your dream team, your supporters, your board of directors, your confidantes, who can help you build the life of your intentions: the financial mind who’ll help you up your money and put the right digits in the right columns, the mentor who’s a star in the field you want to succeed in, the retired veteran who can help you tackle the tasks, and your counselor or spiritual guide — seek and welcome their strategies and advice that are right with your soul.
Step toward your greatness as an honor to God. Join the vanguard of visionaries who are redefining success and the purpose of work from solely making money to making a better society. Pursue your highest aspirations, and by the power of your trust and faith, the walls will tumble and the way will open wide. The new life you want is waiting for you.
– Susan L. Taylor
Essence, March 2007
What Has Been My Progress?
A lot can happen in 3 months. And as I think about how much has occurred since the last time I’ve written a post on the blog, this definitely holds true for me. I’m glad I participated in the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog back in August because it helped me begin to think more strategically about building out and maintaining my blog in an effort to build my personal brand. The tough part, however, has been carving out the necessary time to keep the blog current. Sure its simple to say, ‘I’m soooo busy!’ But then I see people like Dan Schawbel, or Peter Bregman who keep pretty hectic schedules and still find time to blog consistently. So what’s my excuse? I really don’t have one. And even though I’ve slowed down the content on the blog over the past 3 months, the time is always ripe to get back into the swing of things. Since I haven’t been posting to the blog, what has been my progress over the past 3 months?
- Walked away from my senior management position with a national nonprofit to establish my own consulting business.
- Served as the Volunteer Coordinator for TEDxFlint.
- Secured contracts with nonprofit organizations located in Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Michigan.
- Supported organizations with various projects including grant writing, strategic planning, program development, and web design.
- Broadened my client base to include for-profit companies operating in my home state Michigan; each heavily focused on creating jobs for Michiganders.
Yeah, I’m pretty jazzed about my progress over the past few months. but I need to make sure I’m also putting forth the effort to become a consistent blogger. It is hard to believe that one month from now, this blog will be one year old. Time flies! And just thinking about that fact sets my gears in motion to crank out a few more posts before the year is up.
Work is in progress for my homestate: Mi
Work is in progress for my homestate: Michigan leads US in new #jobs http://ow.ly/2y1S3
Work In Progress – At the Half
This post is the assignment for Day 15: Assess Your Blog’s Progress, part of the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog Challenge
It’s halftime! Time to check the stats for Work In Progress for the past 2 weeks. Because I am still maintaining a WordPress.com site, I can’t assess my site using Google Analytics. But there are a few items I can review to see just how much progress I’ve made thus far. Based on the stats in the chart below, it looks like I’m moving along!
| Category | July 1-15 | August 1-15 |
| Number of posts written | 2 | 4 |
| Number of blog comments received | 1 | 13 |
| Number of blog subscribers | 2 | 4 |
| Number of pageviews | 71 | 339 |
| Traffic sources | Blogging For Branding, Facebook | |
| Keywords | Raven Jones | Noah Stephens & Detroit |
| Most popular posts | Kim Brooks: Author | Top 10 Books That Changed My Life |
But beyond the numbers, there are a couple of other things I am excited about from participating in the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog Challenge thus far:
- Opportunity to meet new bloggers and potential for collaboration on future blog posts. Looking forward to working with fellow blogger Kimberlee Stiens, author of the blog Business for Good, Not Evil.
- Build-out of my professional blog, www.tanyasimpson.com. I’m am currently working on an editorial calendar to make sure I am posting consistently about emergent issues, useful resources, and the development of my consulting work. Got feedback? Email me: tanya (at) tanyasimpson.com
This has been a great experience so far, and I look forward to seeing what Rosetta has brewing for us over the next 15 days. Stay tuned!
How To Conduct A Blog Interview
This Post is the assignment for Day 9: Write A ‘How To’ Post, part of the 31 Days to a Brand New Blog Challenge.
In high school, I had dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist. Following in the footsteps of Carmen Harlan, Asha Blake, Robin Roberts, and Ms. Winfrey, I believed that broadcast journalism was the ideal career for me to utilize my love for public speaking. In fact, the reason why I chose Michigan State was because of its top-notch journalism program. While in my first weed-out class freshman year, I barely broke the binding on the textbook before I decided to walk away from journalism. Honestly, I wasn’t interested in the field. I just enjoyed interviewing people, becoming inspired, and sharing their stories with the rest of the world.
It took me 15 years to rediscover my love for interviewing others through the People To Meet section of my blog, and I’m glad I did. Over the past 7 months I’ve had the honor of interviewing some of the people in my life who have inspired me through their desire to follow their purpose. Thus far, the People To Meet section has been the most popular part of my blog based on overall traffic, comments posted, and informal feedback. So for me, I’m convinced that conducting blog interviews are a great strategy for me share great stories, and to help people (including me) stay inspired.
Below are a few pointers I’ve learned about conducting a blog interview, all based on experience over the past several months. (Sorry, no textbook jargon! I never broke the binding on the journalism textbook, remember?)
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- Do Your Homework! Whether you are interviewing an old high school friend, or a new colleague make sure you’ve done your research on their current happenings. Show that you’ve taken a genuine interest in their story.
- Ask the questions your blog readers will want to ask, and your guests will want to answer. Your readers are looking for new insights. Your guests want to share their perspectives with a welcoming audience. Make sure your questions are consistent with the purpose of the blog, and are well received by both your readers and guests. For my blog, I always ask for feedback on the questions beforehand, to make sure the guests feel comfortable responding to each question.
- Keep it Short, But Thorough. I try to ask my guests no more than 5 questions. I would rather they provide thoughtful responses to a few questions to ensure that readers actually read the entire post. Of course if your interview is conducted via BlogTalkRadio, it makes sense to have more questions included.
- Use Close-Ended Questions Wisely! Guests who are used to being interviewed know how to elaborate on a close-ended question without being asked. But to make sure you get the level of detail you need in your responses try incorporating follow-up questions if necessary.
- Don’t Forget The Links! Ideally, the interview should be a win-win for both you and your guest. Be sure to post links to their websites or other contact info and make sure they return the favor to you. If they aren’t online, be sure to include information regarding any upcoming speaking engagements, publications, or other events worth mentioning.
- Include A Picture. Help your readers make a personal connection with your guests by including a picture as part of your post. Remember, appearing on your blog should be a branding opportunity for your guest!
- Give Thanks With Stats. Show appreciation to your guests long after the interview is posted. Since I started my blog, the posts highlighting Pooja Regmi, Kim Brooks, and Raven Jones have some of the highest views among all posts. My busiest day on record remains Tuesday, February 23rd; the day I created the post about Kim Brooks. I made sure I shared this information with my guests, and they appreciated receiving it.
Looking for some inspiration to start your next blog interview? Check out the book Listening is an Act of Love by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay. This remarkable book includes the memories and historical moments of everyday Americans as they are interviewed by their friends and loved ones. An inspiring read, it demonstrates that each of us has the ability to help capture history by sharing someone else’s story. Check it out!
The Blog Gets A Fix-Up
And the journey continues! For Day 8 in the 31 Days To A Brand New Blog, the assignment is to tweak my blog’s theme. This is actually the second time I’ve changed themes in the past 7 months, and I embrace the change. In choosing a theme I wanted it to be clean, but not sterile. I wanted it to be welcoming, but not cluttered with chaos. Using a theme that aligned with the purpose for the blog was important in the selection process. I also wanted to be certain my viewers could find the information that is most important to them.
So what do you think?
Feedback is much appreciated!
Top 10 Books That Changed My Life
This post is the assignment for Day Four: Write A List Post, part of the 31 Days To A Brand New Blog Challenge.
I grew up in a family that values books. My mom, a Head Start teacher; and my dad, self taught in both linguistics and religious studies, instilled within all of their children the importance of reading everyday as well as the proper way to take care of books. Back in those days, very few toys could be found in the Upthegrove house, but you would be hard-pressed to find a room in the house that did not have some type of book to read.
This love for reading has always been a huge part of my life, and I’m so grateful to have a husband who enjoys reading just as much, if not more, than I do. And just like the Upthegrove house back in the day, in every room of the Simpson’s home you will find a plethora books. In fact, we are almost at capacity and are looking at making a donation to the local library pretty soon.
I primarily read for two reasons: 1) to become informed and 2) to become inspired. Very rarely do I read novels or strictly for entertainment purposes. For me, I’m always on the hunt for the next book that will challenge me to grow personally or professionally. The list below represents (in no particular order) the Top 10 books that changed my life.
NOTE: I did not include the any of the books found in the Bible in this list; for me it is in a class all its own.
SECOND NOTE: Thanks to the feedback from fellow blogger Zone Artis, I’ve added info on when I first read the book, and why it has been influential to provide some context. Read more…
Why Blog?
This post is the assignment for Day 2: Write A Purpose Statement For Your Blog, part of the 31 Days To A Brand New Blog Challenge.
Why do I blog?
To inspire others to live on purpose.
I believe that everyone is just one moment away from greatness. Within each of us there lies the passion, drive, and determination to live our dreams, but most of us are afraid to show it to others. Why? Because you never know when you are in the midst of a dream-wrecker. Maybe it was the high school English teacher who said you couldn’t become a great writer because English was not your first language. Or maybe it is your current boss who is intimidated by your bright ideas and consistently tries to curtail your creativity. Or maybe it’s you. So many of us are not living on purpose because we don’t give ourselves the room to explore the possibilities of our greatness.
My blog was developed to help others create that room. Read more…
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