Anything Goes

What communities are you involved in?

2010-09-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

Caribou, REI, Cabelas, Starbucks, Woofda!, Archivers, Apple Bee's, Life Time Fitness, Twitter, Facebook, Cub Foods, Fleet Farm, Barnes and Noble, GAP, The Limited, Michaels, Buckhill.

The list goes on and on. What is this list? Well, venture on!

We are each involved in a part of a community that we so choose to be involved with. I think it's vital to pick one, just one if you're unsure of how you feel about which one you want to interact with and pick a minimum of two people you want to get to know better. You can interact with those people weekly whether it's through an e-mail or sending them a private message from your online community group, if that's possible.

Here's why I'm bringing this up.

If I'm not engaging, interacting or talking to people daily or doing something to try better myself every day, this feeling of "I'm getting behind" comes over me and it drives me nuts. That's why I have a white board, two actually, in my room, so I can see everyday what is it I can do to be a better individual. How can I drive and inspire...me? No one else has control over that. If they did, I can guarantee I would not appreciate how they'd tell me how to interact or go about living my life.

Everyday, I try and think of something new I can do or I'll think about the way a company is interacting with their customers/audience and how they can do it better. Or maybe a company isn't quite sure how to interact and need help getting there. That's where the white board comes in among another thing I've creating with a business partner of mine. That business project is still under wraps, but I believe I'll be able to make an announcement within the next month regarding what it's all about. I'll also be using RachelRyanPR as a platform and yes, I realize how inactive I've been with that account in comparison to ryanr09. What does my RachelRyanPR twitter handle have to do with anything? Stick with me long enough and you'll see!

One community I so choose to involve myself with: Life Time Fitness. Besides the fact that I work there, I'm in love with my running shoes and my Mizuno's have changed the way I think about exercising. Maybe I've brainwashed myself into thinking these are the best running shoes in the world. Hey!! It works for me because it gives me motivation to get my butt out of bed, or even after a long day of work, if I want to put these shoes on, I get this huge urge to run. They make me feel amazing and unstoppable. I have no explanation for why except that it's a cute tennis shoe, that's extremely light weight, supports my feet and within 30 seconds of trying the shoe on back in January 2010, I was sold.

I've been keeping HORRIBLE track of my 'training' progress on my blog to the point where I just signed up with FriendFit tonight. I also filled out my paper work tonight and I'm running in LTF's Turkey Day 5K. I'm excited about their sponsors:
Clif Bar & Company (I've had some of their stuff & it's pretty good!!)
J.R. Watkins Natural Products
Muscle Milk (this actually looks super delicious)
Sketchers
KS95
TRIA Orthopaedic Center
Nature's Prime Organic Foods, Inc.
Caribou Coffee (they'll be at the Target Center the morning of race -yesssss!!!)
REI.

The cool thing about this Turkey Day 5K? You can also donate money towards great causes like the Life Time Fitness Foundation that's partnered with Heart and Hammers for the last five years where they find ederly and/or disabled homes whose homeowners need help with basic repairs. Also, Second Harvest Heartland will be collecting nonperishables the day of the race I believe.

In a nutshell, being involved in a community of your choice and being active in it weekly or monthly is not a lot to ask. If we don't support each other we all suffer. But what's most important is letting the reason you'll want to support a community find you. Yes, you read that right. Sounds backwards doesn't it?? Allow me to explain myself.

When I put my running shoes on, I feel really, really good. Yes, LTF pays my bills, but something else it's done for me? It's given me a reason to WANT to get out there and run. And after checking out FriendFit, I'm pretty excited to go outdoors and run. That's the reason I've been so pumped about this Turkey Day 5K. It seems so simple to some people...3.1 miles. Whoop tee ding do?!
Well, for me, excuse my cheesiness of using part of LTF's mission statement, but it's a healthy way of life for me. Also, I've found something through a corporation I just happen to work for, that's going to allow me to do good in a community that has found me...unintentionally. I graduated from college in May 2009 and needed a job and this is the path I've intersected with. Also, not to mention I've met amazing individuals (remember the part where I said you should pick two people to interact with??) who keep me laughing along the way; a couple people I can name off the top of my head, both who happen to work for LTF (not the reason I'm choosing them) and they also happen to be on Twitter (that's why I'm choosing them): Bob Stanke and Lindsay May. Oh, they also both happen to be runners.

Running isn't my only community I choose to be involved with. I've become more user-friendly with the library that is one block away from my home and if I want a more "lively" environment to go find some reading material at, I'll just head over to Barnes and Noble. If I'm feeling fashionable and having some extra cash I'd love to spend on something that I know will fit me very well, I'll head over the mall and hit up The Limited. Besides, I really like the one manager who works there; she's extremely friendly and helped me pick out the perfect dress I needed for a wedding. Next time, I'm asking her her name.

So, what communities are you involved in? Please include a link to share. I'd love to know more about them. :)

Case study tips

2010-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Had a moment this morning of "I just need more of a explanation of what that is so I can understand it better" and decided to do my own research.

What exactly makes a case study, a case study?

You could be a financial consultant, a blogger, a nurse, doctor, student, scientist, or even a Girl Scout. It doesn't matter what age you are, as long as you can spell and comprehend what it is you want to talk to your selected audience about. You should also be able to answer whatever "basic" questions might come your way. You know what to do if you can't, right??

Here's what I've come up with from my own findings.
Note: At the bottom of this post, you'll find the sources that allowed me come up with my own answers.

Company name
If you're doing this for a client, or work or even just for fun (stranger things have happened), representing (or giving credit where credit is due) is always a good thing! Not to mention it's just respectful.

Who are you "talking" to?
Who is your audience and what do you want them to learn from your findings and what do you want to leave your audience thinking about?

Building your message
What tools are you using to gather your information? Who is part of the process? What time elements are involved? Who is responsible for what tasks? The list goes on and on.

Delivery method
Get to the point and have fun with it in the process. You could be on a cruise ship, you could climb a mountain, you could be at the zoo, you could be in a classroom, you could be in your own home. Make sure you have brochures, a web site, a video link or something tangible people can resort to. Maybe your case study is a two-piece research project! There's always a creative, fun way to spread the word. In fact, CEO and founder Beth LaBreche of LaBreche tweeted about this one and it's the original inspiration behind me writing this blog.

Statistics and recordings
What numbers were you after and did you find what you needed in order to make a supported and educated finding? If not, go back and do more research!

Testimonials
Is there someone you can quote? Is there audio or a visual? Get picky and make it selective process.

Who benefits from your findings?
Just because you have your selected audience doesn't necessarily mean they're all going to dive in and be able to take something away from your findings. But this is an important question to ask.

Follow up, follow up, follow up
It is so important to ask for feedback because there's always room for improvement no matter how good you are or how many times you've done something. Oh, and it's always a good thing to add more names to your rolodex!!

These are just a few things to consider. I'll maybe add more in time.

Have a few things you'd like to add to list? Please comment below! Want to steal an idea of mine? All I ask is that you give me credit!

Here's a couple of other sources I found that helped me out! Ironically (or not), they all have the same title.

Evolving Practice: What makes a good case study?
Computer Weekly.com: Ata: What makes a good case study?
Tattle Tech: What makes a good case study?

The dark side

2010-09-13T20:10:00.000-07:00

I'm setting the scene for you:

You walk into a room and the first five people you encounter are people you know really well and have great relationships with for the most part. They have a job they really enjoy, they have a good time and don't take life too seriously, yet are more or less on the conservative side. They have a great spouse, a great taste in fashion, they're healthy, friendly and for the most part, pretty content with life. You overall enjoy their company and like talking to them.

But one big thing about them drives you absolutely nuts. They only the see the negative side first when you talk about something they're not too keen on and jump to conclusions quicker than you can blink from time to time.

How often to do you care to speak to them?
What is it about them that keeps you coming back for more conversations?

Do you have a "Lanny" employee?

2010-09-11T18:08:00.000-07:00

I'm attracted to people who love their job, who feed off of others inspiration and who've bascially found the bus and are in the right seat.

In roughly November 2009, I saw a commercial for a trailer of a new Disney movie called "Prep and Landing". It's a Christmas movie about prepping the house for Santa and ensuring he has a safe landing.

Lanny is a new guy at Prep and Landing who is, without a doubt, on the right bus and sitting in exactly the right seat.

Wayne has been working at Prep and Landing for more than 200 years and Lanny, at first, looks to Wayne as the guy he's been waiting to work with for a long, long time. Unfortunately, Wayne's attitude is all about the title of his job, not the impact he's making and even though Lanny is a pretty naive guy, he's not blind and learns how to quickly take charge.
To understand and see the whole picture I'm painting, you'd have to watch this 30-minute Disney movie special because there's a huge chunk of the story that is missing in these YouTube clips I'm sharing with you.
To get a pretty good glimpse of what it is I'm talking about (as in, the whole picture I’m trying to paint), check out this behind the scenes clip of the makers at Disney who are the creators of Prep and Landing; their ideas, what they wanted to create & the new 'spin' they wanted in a new Christmas movie special.

The point I wanted to get across is that in this 7-minute clip, you can easily see the difference between work ethics and who gives a damn about their job and how it impacts/affects those around them...for even years to come.

What first attracted me to this movie? Well, it's "so tinsel!!!" And there's plenty more where that came from!!

At the end of the day, when I’m not breaking down messages and thinking about how I see something portrayed, I really do enjoy Prep and Landing. It’s a fantastic movie that I laugh so hard along with –it’s actually kind of ridiculous…then again in my defense I’m just easily entertained – but it reminds me that when someone loves their job you can just see it in their work. Attitude is only part of the job description, no matter what yours is.

Show people what you can do and if you truly love it, you’ll intrigue them in ways you never thought possible.

Do you have a “Lanny” at your company or working within your business? If your answer is no, that is one spooky bus and I don’t want to know what you’ve been sweeping under the rug. To understand what I mean by that, click on the first link in this blog, which is the book review I did on Jim Collins’ “Good To Great”.

Free publicity exists, it's just rarely heard

2010-09-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

People say that there's no such thing as free publicity. I think that's completely inaccurate.

Where can you find it? Well, that's just it. It's out there but the reason it's hard to find is because the person who is supposedly driving the car in fact isn't driving the car at all. The other person is...that is the person being interviewed.

And that's the reason the person supposedly driving the car is not getting any ROI from what they're doing among the other things I've listed:
They don't have a purpose.
They don't have a focused audience.
They haven't done any research, instead they just ask questions.
They don't prep their interviewee for their questions.
They don't contact them ahead of time to ask if they have anything big they want mentioned.
They don't follow-up.

That's why they call it free publicity because it never really goes anywhere for either party.

Well, it's obvious whose in control here and that's not how interviews work. Whose holding the microphone again??

Free publicity exists, but because of poor preperation, the interviewers voice is rarely ever heard and the ROI simply gets washed away and it's completely possible that both parties voices will never see the light of day.

Wow. What a sad ending.

"Good To Great" by Jim Collins

2010-09-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to have a meaningful job to have a purposeful meaning in the work force. When you find out what it is you want to do –which is half the battle in my opinion – how do you settle for doing anything less than doing just that and not making it great? You shouldn’t. Unfortunately, many people do.

When you decide to join a team, you’re deciding to work for someone who has a dream of making their company nothing short than the best it can be so if you’re a manager and someone is bringing down the team, be ruthless so they can get on with their life and you can continue bringing the right people on the team.

Jim Collins has opened my eyes and now I’m starting to ask questions of my own, but I will leave those out. Here’s what I took away from this book:

- The “bus” concept; get the right people on the bus and be rigorous. Don’t settle until you find the best candidate for the position. Once you’ve found the right people, make sure the seat you put them in is where they’ll be most effective. Oh and move them around as needed!

- The idea of creating a climate where the truth is heard and not swept under a rug. In other words:
1) You don’t always have to have an agenda ready for a business meeting. I said that’s an important factor after reading Peter Shankman’s “Can You Do That?!” book, but sometimes, having an agenda will get you no where in a meeting so get creative! In other words, I don’t take back what I mentioned in the book review I did for his book, but I don’t want to leave out the fact that I’m “on the fence” regarding agendas. Don’t be afraid to break out the white board people!! :)
2) If your employees are having a heated and healthy argument to the point where their veins are buldging out of their neck, let ‘em go at it. When you put passionate people together, beautiful things collide in the most unexpected ways!
3) When you have the right people on the bus, listen to them. Period. You did hire them for a reason!
4) Just because you’re the CEO or president or vice president doesn’t mean you’re all powerful and mighty. Maybe the way you’re running one thing in the company verses another is just not working. Allow your employees to “red flag” you because either they don’t understand what you’re saying or they understand what you’re saying, but you could possibly be putting a good idea on hold for a great idea your employee has!

- The Hedgehog Concept: I’m stealing these right outta the book.
1) What can you be the best in the world at (and equally important, what you cannot be the best in the world at)?
2) What drives your economic engine?
3) What are you deeply passionate about?

- “To Do” lists are just as important as “Stop Doing” lists.

- Technology can accelerate a transformation, but technology cannot cause a transformation.

- And I’ve saved the “best” for last:
Level 5 Leaders:
“They are fanatically driven, infected with an incurable need to produce results. They will sell the mills or fire their brother, if that’s what it takes to make the company great.” You can find that quote on page 30 of the book.

And for the road, a couple of quotes that stood out to me within the 210 pages.

Page 50:
“The right people will do the right things and deliver the best results they’re capable of, regardless of the incentive system.”

Page 62:
“No matter what we achieve, if we don’t spend the vast majority of our time with people we love and respect, we cannot possibly have a great life.”

I've learned quite a bit from Collins and I plan on reading "Built To Last" in time.

Can We Do That?! by Peter Shankman

2010-09-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

The first phrase that comes to mind for me while reading “Can We Do That?!” by Peter Shankman for the second time (and half-way through it) is: believe in yourself or we’re all doomed. I can only help but wonder what businesses wouldn’t be around today if someone pulled their own plug.

Moving on.

A couple of things (or many things) I’ve learned from Shankman the second time around.

- Just because you know someone in your industry because of how well-known they are and you are inspired by their energy does not mean everyone around you will know who they are.
--> In other words, spoon-feeding the information to someone from the ground up will make them feel less lost, more likely to listen to you and in the end, when you’ve done your research, you look like the genius. Therefore, be brilliant and become a “genius”. It’s a simple logic a lot of people forget to think about.

- Doing something really cool and you want to drop a reporter you’ve never contacted before an e-mail? Explain who YOU are first because YOU are the person their going to be contacting if they have any questions…not your client.
--> Also, if it’s the first time you’re contacting them, make sure you’ve done some research and know who they are and why you’re pitching them. It would drive me bonkers (no really, it would), if someone contacted me and they pitched me effectively, but I had no idea how they know who I am. I personally think it’s very important that that extra little connection is there because as they say, a little bit goes a long way.

- When it comes to numbers: no matter what a number represents, do NOT let it control you; age, stock, cash-flow, etc.
-->If you’re super inspired, psyched, pumped, amped up about what you’re doing and you’re good at it, let the numbers fall as they will, but don’t forget that there is always (or so I would hope) a goal you want to attain and conquer.

“One of the things I like most about being in PR is that there’s always something to outdo.” – Peter Shankman

That quote…is why I chose (without evening knowing it at the time) to go into PR. It’s exactly what I need. Because I cannot seem to quit thinking and challenging myself –small or big. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sometimes the challenge is a personal goal I set for myself that no one else needs to know about.

Shankman refers to another big idea to consider: someone called a “Stopper” and being prepared to “ROAR” (Responsibility, Opportunities, Awareness, Results) at them with the right answers to ANY (and I mean ANY) questions they might have. If you haven’t caught on yet, this means you have done your research and put everything on the table that could possible go wrong in the case that someone could sue you and/or the company you work for. There are no gray areas with Stoppers. They will say no faster than you can blink if you don’t have all the answers they want.

For me, “ROAR” is much like what I learned in the classroom: “SWOT” an acronym for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunity, Threats.

The term “under-promise and over-deliver” comes to mind as it goes well with either acronym. If you don’t see this phrase everyday, I’d advise you post it somewhere. Why? It’s a simple way of reminding you that YOU are essential to the project. Educate yourself, communicate with your team members, set meeting times for business purposes to keep everyone on track, have an agenda and bring to life whatever is it you believe in.

There’s a line that pops out and SCREAMS at me in Shankman’s book when it comes to PR, Marketing and telling people about your business and what it means to them or why they should even consider spending their precious time realizing what it is you do: “The problem is, with constant noise comes very little signal” and with that said, the first virtual tool that comes to mind is Twitter and followed very closely behind that? Facebook.
Shankman is referring to people attempting to stand out from the crowd and advertise their business in some matter. There are much better ways to do reach for your future customers so get dirty and creative and make it fun!! People forget that just because you're an adult doesn't mean the "fun-o-meter" has dissapeared. You will thank yourself for doing so.

A couple more tips I couldn’t agree with anymore than I already do?
- Always take the meeting.
- If you run into a problem, find a way to turn it into an advantage for you and your client.
- Don’t spend time blaming; work the problem out and find a solution.

Shankman is a smart guy. Wait, that’s an understatement. He doesn’t waste anybody’s time; he’s good at what he does and I’ve resorted to his book twice now because I know that Shankman not only means business, but he’s been around the globe a few times and people trust him. Oh and the guy and doesn’t take life too seriously…I mean, he’s only skydived a couple hundred (or a few hundred) times. I stopped keeping track.

Thanks Peter Shankman for keeping my wheels turning.

I’m sure I’ll pick up your book again and read it for the third time, in time. That would set a record for me.

The next mile-stone and what I see in my future

2010-09-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

You can't buy success. You can't buy experience. You can't buy amazing friends. You can't buy a journey. You can't buy happiness or joy or even...love.

Every single one of these precious mile-stones comes when the timing is right and when it's meant to be, it sticks around...forever. Yes, each of these mile-stones can dissapear for a while, but the best things that are made to make you who are will be there, always.

I have 28 days until my birthday rolls around. I've been really silent this week with my blog. Yes, I've been this silent before but that's because I wasn't thinking about my blog or anything but personal content to write about but that's not what my blog is here for; personal testimonies that only affect me. My blog is here for me to continue growing, learning and connecting...with you. Essentially, this time, I've been silent for a different reason: I have not stopped thinking about ideas I want to bring to the table, topics or experiences I want to tell you about through my blog or where I see myself going next and experiencing.

I picked up a book yesterday that is going to change the way I've been thinking the last 6 months. And 6 months ago, my way of thinking changed into my current (soon to be "old") pattern. Or maybe it won't "change". My thought process has been more productive in the last 6 months than it has in my entire life. I'm going to call it the next journey that will be filled with amazing friends, happiness, joy and love.

If you've heard of Jim Collins, then you've heard of his book Good To Great. I'm on page 40 and after work tonight, I will continue reading this book. I'm not going to give you a sneak peak of what I've been learning and how engaged I've become because it's THAT good.

This is step two in my journey: finishing Good To Great. I might as well get a 28-day head start, right??

What was step one? So far, it's been a six-part series I've been calling "Hire Rachel Ryan Campaign" (#HRR <-- on Twitter):
1) Five things you might not know about Rachel Ryan
2) Why do I write about what I write about
3) What my capabilities are in the work force
4) My interests outside of mass communicating
5) Twitter and Facebook: building relationships, utilizing without abusing old-fashioned invitations
6) Societies expectations

There's more where all of that came from and I'm not even close to done.

Folks, I'm just getting started and I hope you'll stick around for what's to come. Once again, I'm leaving you in suspense...just the way I like it. ;-)

Sunday "blues"

2010-08-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

This is a night where I normally have a topic ready to go for a video blog, get my camera set up, do my own make up, wardrobe and hair and then it's lights camera ... action!

Unfortunately, tonight I'm dissapointed because I simply do not have the energy to do a video blog and I think my sleep is more important tonight. I was out in the sun nearly all day from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. lifeguarding and then I had an in-service tonight at work.
I absolutely LOVE doing these video blogs and though I'm in the beginning stages, I just decided to write a blog and be honest about my mental state of mind tonight.

Tomorrow, my schedule is just as crazy, but I'll be teaching swim lessons so I won't be as exhausted. I'm going to do my best to pull something together tomorrow and hopefully YouTube won't be too slow for an upload. It'd be fantastic if I could get the video blog done in the morning BEFORE my lessons!! Sooooo that means, if I go to bed now, I'll be up by probably 6 or so? I don't plan on crashing for a full 12 hours as I don't think I'm quite at that level of exhaustion. I can handle 6 a.m. though!! Whose gonna call me or text me to send me a reminder though?!?! Kidding!!

I have a couple of fun things up my sleeve regarding my "Hire Rachel Ryan Campaign" (#HRR <-- on Twitter) and I'm so ready for this week to begin. My 9-hour work day is over and my night is just "beginning" through getting some much needed rest so I can be amped up for the remainder of this week! This is my blog and although consistency is important, my lack of "alertness" tonight is going to win and I'm sorry if you were looking forward to watching another video blog. I'm just as "blue" as you are! ;)

I hope that you (yeah you!) had a fantastic weekend! Enjoy Monday and do something awesome for someone tomorrow; give a compliment, buy the person standing right behind you coffee (without telling them), smile at someone if you think their having a bad day or something else that is simple and doesn't cost you more than $5. Little things make a big difference. Remember that! :)

Thank you for being *says next word in a high pitched/muted voice* FABULOUS!!

#HRRC: Societies expectations

2010-08-27T13:08:00.000-07:00

Originally, I wanted to talk about how I manage my time, but then I realized I really wanted to talk about how society had painted a particular "run of the mill life" picture for me and I realized that I over time, I had to find out what it really meant for me and how I'm managing my own life.

Two biggest things I've learned:
1) 'Titles', also known as status's don't define who we are in the work force; it gives us an advantage to do what something we're good at, without having to 'prove' anything.
2) Every situation is an opportunity; you write your own story while remembering that you can't always control what cards you're dealt, but you sure can choose how you play those cards.

#HRRC: Twitter and Facebook: building relationships, utilizing without abusing and old-fashioned invitations

2010-08-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

I have a pickle with my generation (maybe even a couple of others) and how we communicate with each other. This video blog is inspired by recent and past events that I've personally been affected by through the use of Twitter and Facebook. I'm not saying that I'm necessarily right or that I have all of the answers, but I am asking you for your opinion, your thoughts and what you think.

Think before you post an update, tweet a tweet, invite someone to an event or recognize a famous person for something they said.

Is it possible we're abusing our own self-worth or looking for the easy way out/in to do something or just slightly recognize and then leave before even saying hi?

Are you being real and actually acting on progressive and purposeful intensions? Do you know who you're even contacting? Do they even realize they're being contacted??

#HRRC: My interests outside of mass communicating

2010-08-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

I'm not always strictly business and nobody out there is.

I, for some random reason, decided I wanted to tell you about my other interests are when I'm not "mass communicating" or thinking about it.

Part 4:

To rewind for "Hire Rachel Ryan" (#HRRC <-- via Twitter) check out the following links: Part 1: Five things you might not know about Rachel Ryan Video
Blog

Part 2: Why do I write about what I write about
Video
Blog

Part 3: What my capabilities are in the work force
Video
Blog

Feedback is more than welcome! :)

Wired, intellectual conversations

2010-08-21T22:51:00.000-07:00

My brain is wired a good chunk of the time I'm awake and sometimes I have issues getting to bed at a decent time. Why?

I do not drink coffee.

I do not drink pop...because I cut it out of my "diet".

I have had the most intellectual conversations with someone I met this year and every time we meet, I'm more intrigued. It's like an amazing drug that I cannot wait to consume and I'm anything but "powerless" when we go our separate ways. I always look forward to when we'll meet again.

Here's the deal:
You get a new chance everyday to make something happen, so take every opportunity that feels right, take it into your possession -in whatever form that might be, use it to your advantage, ask questions or become the questionaire and deliver results (measureable or not) that in "x" amount of years down the road will allow you to tell a story that will captivate those around you.

Rules:
- Don't wait for the sun to rise but don't wait for the sun to set.
- Don't wait for leaders; do it alone...in other words, 'build it and they will come'.
- Don't pull teeth where another persons brain gets your wave frequency.
- Don't limit yourself because, well, just don't.

Oh and biggest thing to remember: be yourself because everyone else is already taken and you are the only person who knows you best. You cannot control the cards you are given, but you can definitely control how you play them.

#HRRC: What my capabilities are in the work force

2010-08-20T14:36:00.000-07:00

There is more to me than social media, Switchfoot, Jeep Wranglers, Twitter, blogging, my Mizuno's, Facebook and Diet Coke. But these are all things that make up a big part of who I am, some more than others.

In my third video, I talk about what my career goals are. What is it I want to be doing? Please understand this is just the icing on the cake and these are just a few "visions" I have for myself. There are so many opportunitites out there and I don't want you to think that what I mention is all I'm after.

I'm continually growing and learning and I don't want to limit myself by any means. As I've stated before, this is an opportunity for you to get to know the person behind the writing and realize that I am a person; not a spammar, not a "wannabe" image of anyone else, not an "expert" of this or that because we all learn from each other daily however, I know what I'm good at. Oh, and I'm not someone whose just twiddling their fingers waiting for you to come to me.

I've thought about whether or not I want to continue making these videos in the same spot or if I want to change things up. I'm looking at blue and green screen backdrops because these videos are something I really enjoy making.

Without further ado, here's my video for part 3. Feel free to comment or contact me here on my blog.

To rewind for "Hire Rachel Ryan" (#HRRC <-- via Twitter): Here's the links to part 1: Video
Blog

Here's the links to part 2:
Video
Blog

Captain Jack's in Prior Lake

2010-08-19T21:23:00.000-07:00

Today is my Mom's birthday. We definitely have our differences, but regardless, I still love her and there are times where I wouldn't know what I would do without her. She's a person I confide in, but also the person who has shown me what hard work, persistance, tough love and where ideal judgement can bring a person.

Well, the other day, my StepDad called me and asked me if we should go to Rudy's Red Eye in Lakeville to celebrate her birthday. Not gonna lie. I rolled my eyes and simply stated "no" and that we needed to do something different and fun. Get outta dodge...even if it only meant going to a different city.

My sister recommended a restaurant right off Prior Lake called Captain Jack's. This place was FUN!!

They had a bar on the patio (lower level) right next to the water. And at the bar there are swings. Ohhh dear. Put a few drinks in someone on one of those swings and it could easily make a scene!!

For dinner, I had their Chicken Enchiladas. Very, very delicious.

I'm keeping my post short tonight, but wanted to give these guys a shout out. Their food is delicious (they serve breakfast from 10am-1pm), the view of the lake is spectacular, the swinging bar "stools" rocked and the company of wildlife (3 ducks were on patio) added a nice touch. I fed one of them a crouton. :)

I would highly recommend if you're looking to kinda get out of the city, but still want awesome food and friendly service to check out Captain Jack's.

Let me know what you think of it!

Miracles happen everyday

2010-08-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Less than 5 minutes before this very moment of deciding what I wanted to write about tonight, I actually didn't think I would be writing a blog tonight. My goal is to write a blog every day this week. Why? Because it's a challenge for me and I've been putting myself up to these quite a bit recently.

Tonight, I was supposed to do another video blog and post it on YouTube and write a short blog about it since I did one on Sunday and another on Tuesday. I suppose I could wait until Thursday night since I will be far more energized and more awake. It just wouldn't make sense for me to force something and tire myself out yet again and get sick...again. Not worth it. My health comes first.

Speaking of health (and the main reason of why I decided to write a blog at the last minute), today, I learned about an incident one of my co-workers was in at the Leadville 100, a Life Time Fitness biking event that I believe takes place every year in Colorado in the small town of Leadville. I consider this guy to be a friend of mine to the point where if I saw him outside of work, I wouldn't have any problems approaching him and starting a conversation. He's the person I directed my parents to talk to about opening their membership with Life Time Fitness as well! Why? I knew he would give them the best service and not try to sell them a bunch of other stuff they're really not interested in; he's so far guided them in the right direction and both of my parents are doing very well with their goals thus far.
When I learned that he nearly lost his life on Saturday and how his life was saved by two men, I immediately thought about how every time I see him, I make a point to wave my hand or smile or stop into his office if he doesn't look busy and say hi. It also made me think about my life (all over again) and where I'm at in my career, relationships and how I've been communicating; specifically who've I've been communicating with.

From what I've heard, he's making a good recovery thus far, but I haven't really been able to stop thinking about him or his family. I've known all along he's married, but had no idea if he had kids. Today, I discovered he has two little girls; one is 11 the other is 13. He's currently in Colorado at a hospital and I really wish he was here in the Twin Cities so I could go visit him.

My heart is heavy, but I believe that he will pull through this. He is an avid biker, has a big heart, doesn't take life too seriously, but works hard to achieve the goals he sets for himself and I miss his smiling face.

To my family and friends: I love you all so much and I don't tell you that enough, but I do my best to find the right way to tell you. Sometimes, I'm just not quite sure how to say it, but I should say it way more, regardless. At the end of the day, no matter how we communicate, I am grateful for all of your support and listening to me, even when I might not make complete sense.

To my friend tonight whose about 1,200 miles away from home tonight, you are missed and I can't wait to be able to see your smiling face. Take care and know I'm thinking of you in these difficult times.

The Test; what a lot of people seem to "fail" at

2010-08-17T22:12:00.000-07:00

Note: This is a two-part series. You can read part one here.

You have the ability and option to stand out. Right now, the economy is still not good. This is actually a “test” for people and I thought about it tonight at work. Some don’t realize how big the “test” really is.

What are you passionate about? What are your goals? What drives you? What wakes you up in the morning? What keeps you up at night from being able to contently close your eyes? What feeds your soul? What attracts other people to you?

Pause.

Re-read that last question. Well, go on! :)

Unfortunately, I’m writing this from a creative perspective. Huh. That might not be such a good thing for you though. Or it is? Did you take art class or band or theater or architecture 101? No? That doesn’t mean you’re not creative by any means. Everyone is creative, you just have your own ideas of what is creativity. There is no law telling you what the definition of being creative is. Ever thought about that?

If you want the job bad enough, show it. Prove it. Live it. Become the job. But don’t get cocky and don’t just stand there and try looking good regardless to whether or not you have natural beauty. Have a brain? Use it. It’s actually sexy and appealing.

Take life by the reigns, put your own words into actions and a terrible thing happens: no one else to blame. It's your life. As Switchfoot would say, become who you are. It happens once in a life time.

#HRRC: Why do I write about what I write about

2010-08-16T05:37:00.001-07:00

This is my blog and I write about various topics. But, I gurantee one of the top 10 questions anyone is asked as a blogger is what they write about.

I don't think I've written about this yet, so I decided to make a video on it instead to add to my #HRRC!

A couple of things:
First off, the blog post that I reference with Switchfoot, you can find that here.

Second, as far as running in my Mizuno's, I haven't worn them in about 4 weeks. Why? I was sick for a while and had to take care of my body before getting back into any form of training. What I am I training for? I'd like to run an event with Life Time Fitness, or any 5K or 7K. I should find an online program that works best for me so I can track my progress and have real stats to base my progress off of. I don't know if I want and/or need everyone seeing my stats though, so that's something I should consider.
My first 5K, I ran? I kept the blog short and sweet and even have my stats 'logged' there on there, so if you're interested, click here to read that.
The other blog I wrote? Yes, unfortunately (for me), I only have two posts written about this. Yikes!! You can find that here and though it's a bit longer, you could say it's because I ran into some of my own "technical" difficulties! ;)

I really hope you're liking these videos.

Do me a favor and pick my brain!! I'm know I'm just in the beginning stages of this, so maybe you're not sure what to ask, but this is a pretty fun for me so I'm going to keep doing it.

Need to rewind? Here you go:
Part 1: Five things you might not know about Rachel Ryan
Blog
Video

Not just a lifeguard

2010-08-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

Note: This is a two-part series. You can read part two here.

I wear a whistle, swimsuit and wind-breaker pants and jacket to work. My hair is usually pulled back in a bun and I cannot stand it when my legs aren't shaved. I rarely wear makeup, even outside of the "office" and I deal with people of all shapes and sizes everyday.

I went through 32 hours of training to earn my lifeguard, first aid and CPR/AED certification. I battled for 3 weeks to get my current job. The process took extra long because of a change in department heads.

Less than 1 month into my job, I became a swim instructor and went through even more training. I now teach about 70 kids, weekly. I know I'm good at it because parents keep requesting for me to be their childs instructor and I'm complimented quite often.

I was promoted to a supervisor position within 4 months and when I supervise, I'm managing a team of 6-7 lifeguards, plus taking initative on deck with members.

I'm also required to attend monthly in-services which typically last 2 hours on Sunday evening where we have about 3 real-life scenarios we act out that could happen at our pool. The water is sometimes cold, but I have to get in because it's my job, it pays my bills and I find ways to make it fun! How? I volunteer myself as much as possible at in-services to be the victim, first or second rescuer. Why?
It makes me feel:
A) Valuable
B) It's a great refresher and I'm a hands-on person

I'm fortunate to be working with kick-a** team members. My boss works her tail off and she trusts us to do our job the right way. She's not what I would call an "eagle eye" and I plan on keeping in touch with her, even after I depart from my position.

What has this job taught me?
- You have the ability to develope others perceptions of your job by how you talk about it. I don't care what position you have with any company...being positive is attractive and sexy! You never know whose listening!
- People come to the business I work at for multiple reasons and I choose to accept that I have the ability to "make or hinder" their day.
- People will walk all over you if you don't set the record straight.
- Take yourself seriously, but make sure you can have fun, too, and give yourself credit where you can; no one is perfect but there's always room for improvement.

I can't find the article from Fortune magazine that inspired these thoughts of mine on their web site. But another blog post of mine coming up is actually the whole influence behind this post. Also, a new project I've put myself up for is also making me think in a different light. Maybe you've seen it? If not, check it out!

We've put ourselves in a tough, tough market because of how we've chosen to live. You can't blame just the government for putting us in the shoes we're in today. Hey...if the shoes fits...

Also, if you don't take control of your life, don't complain when someone else does. Need some fresh air but swear you don't have time for a 15 minute break? I disagree, unless you're working on a deadline and the project is due in an hour (in that case, why are you reading this?) and you're in hot water if you don't get it done. Someday, I might be living this scenario. Scary.

A quote from this article in Fortune (August 16, 2010 in the Special Adertising Section) that I pulled:
"...human resource managers report that workers want to feel that their employers truly understand them. For Scripps Health, that means designing a workplace built around the different life stages of its employees. 'If you focus on the things that really matter to people, rather than what HR might think matters, you'll get good results,' says [Vic] Buzachero."
Note: *Buzachero, corporate senior vice president for innovation, human resources, and performance management at Scripps Health, a not-for-profit health care delivery network based in San Diego.

*Also a direct quote from article in Fortune

#HRRC: Five things you might not know about Rachel Ryan

2010-08-14T08:04:00.000-07:00

I did a video blog yesterday and even though it took forever to upload, I FINALLY have something for you to see of me...in person. Most important part: I want to know your thoughts.

Do you like it? Hate it? Want to see more videos like this? Should the next one be longer? Shorter? What are questions do you have for me? Pick my brain. Please!! :)

The twitter hashtag to follow for these is #HRRC, which stands for "Hire Rachel Ryan Campaign".

This is essentially a "part one" of why any company out there should hire me. This is me telling you what is it I can bring to table. It's simple, but it's real and I'm just being me.

I have a couple of other ideas in the works, but those are still in the process of being ironed out. Thanks so much and feedback is strongly encouraged!

P.S. The musical group I'm referring to (I stumbled over my own tongue a little bit here) is Switchfoot. :)

Traditional media sources: A message to graduates, a new style and why I don't buy into particular pieces of technology

2010-08-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

I said I was going to hang up both my white boards in my room today.
I did that. Oh and there's also already 'writing' on both walls. I'm happy. Very, very happy. It's kinda pathetic but hey! Whatever makes my life easier and gets me organized. ;)

I also said, I was going to buy a new filing system.
I bought my new filing system from Target and I headed to Office Max for my Pendaflex Read-Tab filing folders. I'm really actually thrilled about these folders, hence the link. Purchased a box of 20 for about $15 the tabs are super easy to 'snap' into place.

The following are all articles from the Star Tribune. Like I said, I wanted to dig back into traditional media and know what's going on the communities that are near where I live.

First off, this has nothing to do with a "surrounding community", but this is something that is inspirational to me, so I'm rolling with it. The other day, I was talking about passion in my blog and I mentioned President Obama. I guess he's given two different speeches to the class of 2010. In the article I read, he states how "responsbility for your success rests squarely on your shoulders" and "there is nothing you can't accomplish." If you don't take responsibility for your own success or you don't dare to dream big, you're taking a back seat in your own life.

Taj Salon is a Salon and Spa that was founded in 2007 --they're based out of Minneapolis and they have one in Brooklyn Park. The owners are Jeanne Strandin, Andria Strandin and Tasia Ashton. The first letter in each of their names spells the name of the salon. Why am I including them in this blog? I need a new hair cut, but I'm afraid to do layers, go short or do anything fun my hair. Why? For one, naturally curly hair and layers isn't fun to deal with from what I can recall. Two, the last time I went short was 8th grade and when I grew my hair out again, it was my freshman year of college. Only took 3 to 4 years to get it long again.
They also currently offer discounts on their website for Holiday Inn and Aloft and all U of M students receive a discount on any full-priced retail.

Smartphones: the last thing I'm touching on today. Again, has nothing to do with my community, but it has everything to do with my "virtual" community, so I'm tossing it in the mix!
I used to have a Sprint contract, but that was after I had a cell phone with Verizon. My first cell phone with Verizon, I could play snake, had caller-id and...I was livin' the college life!! Are you asking me if had a text message plan back in 2003? No, I did not. Were they available? Text messaging was just becoming hot. Or at least from what I can recall.
I don't see myself leaving Verizon for Sprint again until I get a real job --I'm also on a family plan. And if when I get a real job, I don't know that I will switch.

Why should I have to pay more than $50 for a cell phone plan with a data package? To me, it seems ridiculous. Some people pay $100 a month for their plan. Well, it's their money, not mine. I just simply right now cannot afford to shell out $100 a month for all the technology that is out there. I get along just fine checking in on Twitter and Facebook every so often with my lovely Dell laptop.

I don't check in on foursquare, I rarely update my status of Facebook for very particular reasons and if I'm on Twitter, that's because I feel like interacting. Man, I sound horrible right now, almost like I have an attitude problem.
No, actually I don't. I'd much rather interact with people in real life, unless I can somehow impact people's lives with a purpose while interacting with them. A conversation here and a conversation there (virtually) is nice, but it loses its touch after a while.

All right. That's really all I have. My plan is to dump the pile of newspapers I have saved up since June. It's really not that big, I assure you, but I'm sad now because I can't use the filing system just yet that I bought. It will serve it's purpose eventually.

Getting back on track

2010-08-13T10:57:00.001-07:00

I called my StepDad today and asked him for a favor.

I have a white board that is sitting in my room I purchased from Target and I need it hung, as soon as possible. By tonight, it will be hung and I will be writing my goals down (they need a time line as of right now) on it for not only myself to see, but when my parents walk in my room, they can see what I'm thinking.

My goal is to move out from under my parents roof within the next six months to a year. I think that is a perfectly acceptable time line, even if another year under their roof seems like a life time. They agree to let me live here, as long as I'm job searching, working and being smart about my decision making.

What will I be doing? Here's along the lines of what I want to do for myself. And everything here is perfectly do-able to start doing today.

1. Dig back into traditional media
There is nothing more "thrilling" for me than being able to pick up a newspaper and read about what is going on in the Twin Cities.
I also believe it's important to know what is going on in your community. I tend to be a bit of a newspaper clipper and I've decided that in order to stay as organized as possible, I will buying another filing system. This is small side project of mine that I began back in January 2010, but never formally announced it since there was no reason to. I'm going to give it another shot and see what happens. I'm still deciding how far back in time I want to go or if I'm just going to start over. You'll possibly see the progression in time. If not, that means it wasn't something that worked out for me. Confused? That gives you an excuse to reach out to me and grab a friendly cup of coffee!! ;)

2. Continue blogging
I would idealy like to post 2-3 blogs per week. Three might be a bit much for me (the topic has to pique my interest), but once Labor Day rolls around, I think my schedule might shift a little bit. I have to think about it this way though: Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso had 24 hours in a day to get done what they wanted to do. They probably felt the same way I'm currently feeling at this times: a little pressed for time. So, you make it work!! What do I want to talk about? Like I just said: anything that piques my interest. It is my blog!

3. Twitter and Facebook
Twitter: I have two handles. I'm back to using my ryanr09 account more because I'm using my RachelRyanPR handle for something more specific. If you've checked it out recently, I've come to 'dead stop' at tweet No. 800. There's one person that knows what's going on with that and at this point, that's the only person who needs to know.
I have a lot of people I'm following under my ryanr09 account and right now, for me, it's just a lot of noise and I'm not feeling it right now. Yes, I did a 'spring cleaning' but I'm realizing I didn't do a very good job at it. Whoops. I'm not being paid to be on it, so I'm not paying attention to who is saying what for the most part.

Facebook. Ooooooh Facebook, how would people be able to stalk me if they weren't connected to me there? I barely post anything anymore though and as for status updates? If you're friends with me in real life, I've decided you'll reach out to me if you want to know about what I'm doing. I'm not posting it for the 'world' to see on a minute by minute or hour by hour basis. Not even random spur of the moment. My last few updates were Switchfoot lyrics and the lyrics I chose pertained to what was happening in my life. I'll still check it, but it's a big time waster.

Bottom line: drop me an e-mail or shoot me a text (or pick up the phone) if you'd like to say hi. Don't be a stranger! I promise I don't bite! :D

4. My camera
She's a beauty. I need to invest in a tripod stand. I also need to find a program for my Dell laptop so I can make movies with my Sony W370; yes I plan on uploading some of the material to YouTube. I have 14.1 mega pixels on this baby!!! Oh yeah!!! But seriously. I need to figure out how to get my camera to work with my computer so I can make movies. It can't be that hard. My biggest problem?? My heart belongs with a Mac and I should have thought twice before buying this computer when I did in March 2006. The only reason I bought this computer? Well, I'll tell you right now, it was a lazy decision on my part.

5. Getting back on track
I know what I want. I have it really, really easy right now even if it doesn't seem like it. I need to stay organized, stay focused and start treating myself instead of depriving myself. My job search is going well and by well, I mean I'm at least getting rejection e-mails from companies, therefore, I'm not having to reach out times two. I'm reading interview articles for tips, I'm learning how to stay positive even when it seems like everything is falling apart --mostly people do it to themselves by not staying on track and I'm learning (the hard way) how to take care of myself. Right now, the biggest thing for me is my health. That comes before anything else. Without it, I'm in big, big trouble, especially if I end up in the hospital.

For now, that's it. I'm ready to get this white board up on my wall and keep my stuff organized. I should probably jet off to Target.

Any comments or opinions are welcome!! I hope you're having a fabulous Friday!!

The secret of life

2010-08-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

"The secret of life is to try not to hurry, but don't wait...don't wait."

I need security, but I want to continue to be challenged. I want to continue to push myself to new limits. I want to define my surroundings more by who decides to knock on my door so to speak.

I'd like to think I know whose going to be there in the end when all is said and done.

"The secret of life is there ain't no secret. And you don't get your money back."

My life is going in the right direction, whereas a couple of weeks ago, I was thinking way too much and over analyzing. It was hindering my decision making and my heart (emotions) became super confused with where I was really at. I have a new attitude with clearer visions and plan on focusing my direction with real intentions this time. Not that they weren't real before, I just think there was too much going on and I couldn't come up for enough air to stop and see what the heck was going on in the grander scheme of things.

Love passionately, deeply and without regret.

It starts in your heart

2010-08-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've been playing that game called Tug of war and it's been opening my eyes to understand the predicaments the 2009 and 2010 college graduates have been put in.

I've kept somewhat in touch with a few former students I graduated with who are still very serious about public relations and wanting to get their hands dirty with a job that will pay them well.

I have automatic e-mails sent to me from Indeed.com throwing 100-300+ jobs at me for each area I chose to receive notices from in the following areas: event planning, communication and writing jobs.

There's a 50 percent chance I seem more interested in the communication positions because of the duties that go along with the positions, related to public relations. More often than not, my bachelors degree is one of the "minimum requirements" the applicant needs to have to be considered. Well, I have that!

However, in this economy, you're either going to step it up, or you're going to be 'lazy' and give some effort, but not give it your all even though it feels like you're doing everything you can. Maybe I'm biased. Maybe I'm tired of my wallet floating in the air. Maybe I need more encouragement.

Wait a second.

If someone is going to give me encouragement to go after something, that's great. But, if I'm not completely gungho about an opportunity than why I should even think about anyone encouraging me to go after something? If my eyes don't pop, if I'm not engaged, if I'm not learning, if I don't feel like I'm gaining more opportunity that will lead to doors opening, if I'm not on fire, if I'm not all-in, then I'm not doing it right.

That's what this economy needs! People who are passionate and love their jobs. But the passion begins with me and it begins with you. And once American has that, the economy will get back on its feet! A new fire that brings us back to life. A new reason to start living again and decrease the amount of wallets that are floating in the air. We, GEN-Y, are the new "baby boomers", technically.

Right now, I think we're too busy fighting over stuff that we have little control over. We're each small fish in a really big lake called government and we're eating each other alive. And look where it's gotten us. Every American family has different needs and if we each focused on how we can make our daily lives better and stop fighting over who spends more money on taxes, who pays more of this, who pays more of that, we'd be better off.
The control starts with us. But I don't think we "get" how to get to that point. Why? I think some of us are tired of being smacked around and we need someone to look at us and go "Hey! How's so and so going. You know, that thing you mentioned 5 months ago? How's that whole thing coming along?"

And if that person can't give the other person an answer, they need to make a list, just one, post it somewhere where they'll see it everyday and start what I'd like to call a movement. A movement in their own home.

So, we need to start at home and start thinking with our hearts and our passions. Not our wallets.

Love him or hate him, I read the speech President Obama delivered to the class of 2010. You can ultimately choose to not believe he's serious or not be inspired by him, as a person. But, you can't sit there and tell me that these words aren't true:

"It was 33-year-old Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence; a 33-year-old Elizabeth Cady Stanton who organized the Seneca falls Convention, the first national women's rights convention; a 26-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. who began his journey to the mountaintop; and a 20-year-old Bill Gates who started one of the most transformative companies on Earth.

All of these Americans faced long odds. All of them faced doubt. Many grew up in times of discord and difficulty. Yet they knew that while America's destiny is never certain, our ability to shape it always is."

If I knew, even three years ago what I know now, I would have done things a little bit differently. My attitude would be different, I would have prepped for today differently.

And it's a new week. I have my list of things I need to do that are important for my own future. And by Saturday, I better have done what I need to do, or at least have the answers I need so I can see what the next steps are. If I don't step it up and do it, no one is going to provide the map for me.

Allergies?? Say it isn't so

2010-08-05T05:06:00.000-07:00

I woke up at about 6:30AM and ended up unloading the dishwasher and fed my cat, came back downstairs and now I'm job hunting.

I don't "have to" be up until about 8AM. I set my alarm for this time because it allows me major leeway to lay in bed for quite a while if I'm really roughin it and didn't get to bed at a proper time the night before. I know I lead a rough life, right?! :)

I have to be at work by about 9:30 today and I think I know why I'm up and not feeling exhausted or coughing like crazy for that matter...which for me has been the story of my life for the past month or so.

I'm 99 percent sure I have a slight allergic reaction to chlorine. How do I know this? I've never had allergies in my life (I've been poked and prodded many times) and for the past year, I've been in the water typically 5 days a week (it's part of my job) and not only has my asthma gotten "worse" (I've lived with it for 20 years), I've become sick more times in the last year than I have in the last 5 years.
Note: I was also a swimmer in high school and though it's been 9 years since I've been in the water this much, the same thing happened to me back then.

There's two things I need to keep doing then to fix my situation, but one will eventually "exhausted" the other.
1) "Claritin clear"; I took a 24-hour pill last night and low and behold, I woke up this morning feeling fantastic.
2) Keep job hunting; becoming sustainable is the biggest key for me.

Pretty self explaintory what I need to do, right??

It's nearing 7:30 and I'm still up, so I might as well get my day going.

Thank you Claritin, for making my life eaiser and turning around how miserable I've been feeling for far, far too long.

Love, Rachel

Falling leafs and snow = love

2010-08-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

I look forward to fall, every year.

And right about now, I'm wishing another season were here. I'm going to say it and for your own sake, just save the rotten tomatoes for next time. ;)
Here it is: I can't wait for Christmas.

And it [fall] also happens to be that time of the year when I become another year older.

To me, what the fall season brings is a way to clear the mind of anything bad going on. It allows me to be able to see and spend more time with my family than any other time throughout the year. I get to think about the things that matter the most to me. Why? Summer is just too gosh darn busy.

People seem to slow down when September rolls around. The leafs are at the beginning stages of turning colors and even though it seems to happen slowly, it also happens VERY quickly.

My birthday is then right around the corner and the air becomes chilly. I get a feeling of liberation, my lungs fill with a different kind of air, my thought process seems to become more defined.

And then snow comes. Maybe our first snow fall will be in November (mid-October is just too early), not in December.

What do I think of when I think of Christmas?

- Ice fishing
If you know me at all, you'd know how big of a deal ice fishing is to me. It also reminds me of my late Grandpa Fossum and when I get to fish in his ice house, the rest of the world goes away. When I'm there, I'm not thinking about anything else. I'd actually like to get down to my StepDad's hanger and build an ice house this year. Just a small two-seater. I said I wanted to build one the summer before last and it never happened. Gotta make time for these things!

- Decorating the Christmas Tree
I love love love decorating and listening to anything by The Carpenters. My musical taste is not limited to just The Carpenters. I also like The Blenders because these guys have KILLER harmonization!! There are other artists I like and maybe when I repost this blog in November, I'll add more music. It [The Blenders] makes me want to join a barber shop group! Haha! When I think about decorating the tree, "Merry Christmas Darling" comes to mind. The tree doesn't go up until the day after Thanksgiving. That is a household rule under my family's roof. Same with Christmas lights. Heck! I just might go over to my sister and brother-in-law's home to help them decorate!

- Holidazzle in downtown Minneapolis
This year I plan on going even if I have to freeze my tail off!! I tried going last year, but it didn't work out very well. All I need is someone to keep me warm, or perhaps I'll just bring a blanket and go with my girlfriends. Regardless, I'm bringing a thermo of hot chocolate!

- My favorite show, The OC
In the first season there's an episode with Ben McKenzie (Ryan Atwood) and Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) at the mall and I think it is the cutest clip of these two at the mall. I love her whole outfit and the shoes are pretty cute as well! This might come as a surprise to some of you, but I don't own a single cd from the soundtrack. I've never found a reason to go out and buy the music when I can just listen to it while I watch the show!!

- A great time of the year to wear red
It's a very powerful color and you're really not supposed to wear it to interviews, weddings, bridal showers, bacherolette parties, funerals, etc., but in this video "A Baby Changes Everything" by Faith Hill, man would I love to have a dress like that!

- Sledding!!!!!
I'm 10 years old all over again when I get the chance to go sledding. It's fun, but I can only handle it for so long since I usually end up talking for most of it. I personally think of it as great bonding time!

- Ice Skating
I haven't been ice skating in *pauses to think* quite a while...any takers??!?

- Lake Marion
Not only do I fish there, but I take my dog for walks on this lake. It's great exercise for her and the view is MUCH better instead of being on the paths.

So sue me. We haven't even made it through mid-August yet and I'm thinking about white snow already. Hey! Tis the season to be jolly and I'm feeling jolly today, so I'm rolling with it. Maybe I'll re-post this one in November. Til then, I'll try to keep the "white talk" under wraps, although it is my blog so I'll write about what I want to write about!

Auto-pilot

2010-08-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

The light in my room is perfect right now and I feel like I think best when the lighting is just right.

I took my dog for a walk this morning and I thought about how much I miss college. An aquiantence of mine wrote this on her Facebook wall about an hour and I guess it's along the lines of how I feel:

"misses college.... going to class, having a purpose, preparing for an event, the people, the dorms.. even friday office hours."

My first year at MNSU, Mankato (my 5th year of college), I remember the first semester how I got up, went to class, came home, made a delicious lunch, usually ended up watching Dr. Phil and Oprah (I got over these shows quickly and realized I was waisting my time) and then went to the rest of my classes, came home and took a long, long nap.

That was it. Life was simple. I also had a job where I worked a couple of hours here and there throughout the week, but I had it really, really easy.

I am now realizing that I, too, miss college, the people, my professors and learning in the classroom. I didn't take advantage of those years like I could have, but I also have to realize that I don't have the same 'go getter' attitude like I do now. I was afraid to do a lot of things...almost as if I needed approval from someone. Mostly, I think half the time I didn't think I was capable enough.

I don't feel like I'm serving much of a purpose these days. Yeah, I'm teach life-saving skills, but I don't get breaks from it that often. And my job requires a lot of "upbeat" attitude. Hard to do that when I barely get to "step away" from it. When do I get a break? Memorial Day weekend, the day of July 4th, Labor Day weekend, Thanksgiving Day and then the week of/after Christmas.

If I want/need time off, I have to find someone to cover my shift.

Vacations really do not exsist for me. My last vacation was May 2009 and it was my parents graduation present to me. We went to Las Vegas, Arizona and Utah. Saw a lot of Mother Nature and I could actually hear myself think. I haven't been able to do that much recently. Lately, I've been forgetting what day it is and weekends don't exsist for me. By that I mean I could have sworn I just taught a group of students yesterday that I'll be teaching today --it's been a week.

Living paycheck to paycheck isn't fun but it's a paycheck, not unemployement. That puts a smile on my face!

Credit card debt, isn't a problem for me, but I rarely buy myself anything anyway. This is one big stressor that is not clinging on my back and thank goodness for that! I guess right there I have it easier than 99 percent of the people in my neighborhood.

I've become exhausted and I feel like I've lost my purpose but I still keep pushing on. Because that is what I have to do.

Forced progressions

2010-08-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

The worst way to nuture an idea/feeling is to move unnaturally through a progression.

My favorite show, The OC, does this in Season 4 in such a way that made me want to puke --and it still does-- yet I was (and still am) so engulfed in this show that I felt like I was a part of the Cohen/Atwood clan.

Mind you, I haven't watched it in a while. I think I've gotten through only the first two discs this year.

The Cohen's are: Peter Gallagher (Sandy), Kelly Rowan (Kirsten) and Adam Brody (Seth).

The Atwood is: Ben McKenzie (Ryan).
Note: He's a teenager adopted into the Cohen family early in Season 1.

McKenzie's character falls in love, very quickly, and too quickly (in my opinion) with Autumn Reese's (Taylor Townsend) character. So quickly that it feels really, really off and the writers of the show, whether it's John Stephens, Mark Fish, J.J. Philbin or Leila Gerstein (these are just a few names from the episodes I'm specifically referring to) I haven't a clue. It doesn't help that in Season 4 there are only 16 episodes and not the normal 24.

Why did Season 4 get shafted? Because Mischa Barton (Marissa Cooper) made a decision --a personal decision on/off set-- during Season 3 that changed everything forever. It's no sercret that Atwood's and Cooper's characters hit it off right away in this show. Not to get too detailed here (trying to keep it PG-13!!) but you can literally feel the sexual tension between these two.

The writers of The OC made a dumb, dumb, dumb decision to force Atwoods character into something that wasn't natural. It didn't help that Townsend's character is highly annoying and extremely pushy to the point where you wanted to strangle the girl's character half the time, up until the point where her mom comes into the picture and then you get why she is the way she is.

Lessons I hope Josh Schwartz (the creator of The OC show) learned:
1. Never cut your budget and force dialogue that shouldn't be forced; your (biggest) fans will strongly dislike it forever and will think twice about getting too into another show because you might just ruin that one too! I'm talking about Gossip Girl --and I never watched an episode because it's supposedly just like The OC, except it takes place in New York where the attitudes are much different.
2. If a characters persona doesn't seem to naturally fit with anothers (or is forced to grow faster than what is unrealistic, even for a reality tv show), don't pair it with an idea that ruins the developement of a main characters prescence in the show. Even if the main character can pull it off, you can still feel how "awkward" it must be for the actor to "accept" what their character has to act out. I did!!
3. If one of your main characters makes a big decision like the one Mischa Barton did, make sure you give your audience (even the characters in the show!!) enough time to go through the denial/acceptance phases. Why?? If you give someone time to adjust to reality --even if it's NOT reality-- you'll eventually benefit from making a smooth (not quick and SUPER sudden) move.

Anywho.

Here's the deal, when you don't nurture something back to health the right way, everything becomes blurry. Discombobulated. Uneasy. Unsure. You lose direction. You can also lose the main reason it felt right in the first place. But if you do it the right way and take it easy and continue to grow within the idea again, carefully, beautiful things can happen.

I'm feeling this with my job search. I'm in the 'fuzzy' era-stage at this point. What does that mean? I feel like I'm grabbing for anything and I kind of am for a few different reasons, but mainly because I need a job where I can be sustainable and live a 'normal' life...whatever that is nowadays. Oh wait, I know.
I have time for myself, family, a relationship (if that ever becomes an option), my friends, I have weekends off to do fun things, and my evenings are mostly free. But I want to use my degree, if at all possible.

In The OC, Atwood and Townsend were "grabbing" for each other because I think their characters came from two completely different perspectives --one was in denial through-out most of Season 4 without even needing to say it (though I think his character does) and the other felt as if they found a light at the end of the tunnel so they sped up to it fast just to prove a point to someone they felt they were obligated to do so with-- and nobody really appreciated the dialogue or how any of it unfolded. Well, there was no reason to "appreciate" the "love" between the characters. I, as a viewer, was never given a reason to do so. I felt empathy for Townsend at one point, but not enough to change my mind.

I can tell you that I'm not looking for empathy because I'm lucky to have the job I have and I'm very thankful for it, but I'm still looking for that "real" job. I don't want to run to the light at the end of the tunnel and make the "wrong" decision though. But what if I do? Well, I guess I just have to have Faith and I gotta Believe.

I have a huge project on my plate right now that just might be the answer to all of my prayers, but I'm not talking about it just yet. The ingredients are still being added to the mixture and the oven is just pre-heating right now. It could be a while before I make any announcements.

My journey continues and I know I'm paddling up the same river millions of other American's are paddling up...I just plan on working my competitors to the core and I'm doing that in my own ways. Three words: Don't give up. A lot of people do and I'm not about ready to become one of those people. I have an amazing support system, so I guess technically, I have more people on my side than I even know and for that, I'm extremely thankful.

What I'm going through isn't a reality show, but it is reality and I'm not about to pull an executive decision like Josh Schwartz did.
- I'm not gonna cut my budget in ways I cannot afford to where there are better ways to slice the pie.
- I'm not going to make puzzle pieces fit if they don't.
- I have to accept what the reality is.

These are the only ways I can currently see myself nurturing my life back to a healthy state of mind, body and soul.

I'm a very determind woman though and I won't back down. But I also say that whatever happens, will happen. Just make sure you give it 100%.

Back to school?

2010-07-27T17:27:00.000-07:00

It's not about getting another degree to add to my resume.

What it's about?

I have many areas of interest and the economy is probably not going to come around for another couple of years. Also, if you know what is going on with me personally, you might just realize the other angles of why I'm not just toying around with the idea of going back to school. It might just be my only option at one point.

It's no secret that I live at home with my parents. A lot of college graduates are starting to do this because they are not sustainable enough after graduation. Jobs are extremely hard to come by and it puts major stress on new graduates; I've been experiencing stress like never before lately. But I'd like to think that the majority of the time, I'm handling my situation gracefully and I'm doing everything I humanly can to make my own situation better.

I help out around the house with bills, I vaccum, take the dog for walks, keep my stuff clean, do dishes, take out the garbage and sometimes, I even cook dinner!

Financially, I'm on my own. I have my own health insurance, dental, I have a car payment, car insurance, school loans, a cell phone bill and I'm "debt-free" with my credit card. I rarely and I mean, rarely eat out, minus the last date I went out on -it's been a while; hard with my whacky schedule. I'm pretty sure the last place I ate out at was Subway.

OK. So, what would I go back to school for?

I've been told more times than I can count on my hands and toes I have a voice for radio. I've applied for a position with WCCO-AM radio, but have yet to hear from them. I'm going to make a phone call soon to contact them, even though they probably don't want this. I have some radio background and if I were thrown in a studio, with a little practice I'd figure out how to run a show. A click of the mouse here for music, use that "slider key" on the sound board to turn down the music in the studio if someone calls in for a request and hit that record button in the program if I want to record the dialogue between myself and caller. I can visually see it and it's...fun! :)

Marketing: When I'm passionate about something, it's hard to shut me up, but I know when I'm getting a "vibe" and can easily allow the person to be on the merry way in less than five seconds. Honestly, I don't see myself going back to school for this though I'd be interested in minoring in it, but that's probably all. Why? I know enough about marketing to get people interested a product...just depends on what I'm selling!

Theater Production: Sound, lights, action!! Being the person in control in the sound booth is a pretty big deal! I'd rather do this for concerts at a venue with a minimum of 15,000 seats.

Graphic Design: I love designing things and had a BLAST with InDesign when I took it for one of my classes at MNSU, Mankato. Too bad the version I'm looking at costs $1,500. I might seriously consider this as my next degree. My only question is, what school will I apply at for the program and how long is the waiting list?

Psychology/Forensic Science: As much as I love helping solve problems to make people feel better, I'd go insane knowing all the problems people have...or the exact opposite would happen. Whenever I see an article in the newspaper about a kidnapping though (such as Jacob Wetterling like this one or this one) my brain starts to spin in circles and I all of a sudden want to jump into the crime scene and dig up what I can to help solve the mystery.

Once again, if I go back, I have research to do. I see a lot of conversations taking place with a couple people in particular.

My clock is ticking, I have no time to "play around" anymore and this might be the only door I see myself walking through -going back to school- within the next six months. This doesn't mean I've given up on my job search because that is simply NOT an option.

Important note for my readers:
This does not mean I'm turning my back on public relations. In fact, if I can go back and get another degree, I'll have more time to actually act on/create more opportunities. For those of you who know why I made my RRPR handle, I hope to get crackin on that side of the picture as well if I have to open my own door. With the major I'm considering, I would actually only benefit from the classroom, if I'm thinking about everything in the correct format. That is one thing (creating opportunity) I feel like I didn't do enough of the first time around in college; utilize my resources and get my hands filthy-dirty.

Marketing yourself: past vs. present

2010-07-26T13:39:00.000-07:00

How did you marketing yourself before Twitter, Facebook, Flicker, MySpace, Blogging, etc.?

Before I had a blog, Facebook, MySpace or even AIM, all I did was talk to people...obviously either over the phone or in person.

We live in a tough, tough market right now. I find I'm having one hell of a time marketing myself! It's frustrating, but who isn't frustrated? We're still in a recession, but staying positive and getting creative is the only way out of this mess.

So...

I want to know what you're doing.

What tools are you using? What apps have helped you? What meetings are you attending? Where do you live? What are you doing now that you weren't doing 1 week ago, 1 month ago, even 1 year ago? You don't have to answer all of this information publicly. If you're ready to continue engaging, lets do it together. I'd love to hear your story.

Contact me on Twitter, RachelRyanPR.

Summer: more lows than highs

2010-07-25T08:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me very well, you know my work schedule isn't "user friendly" . . . at all. I haven't had very many "high" (great times with friends/family) moments this summer because of something I decided was not necessarily more important, but more "needed."

I worked. Way. Too. Much. And it's nothing to brag about. I know this, because I have nothing to show for it.

This summer has been not taken advantage of in the correct way, from my own personal useage. It's nearly three-quarters done and what do I have to show for it?

Almost absolutely nothing.

* A couple of dates with my StepDad that included motorcycle rides; he's my person who I confide in and I'm lucky - no wait- beyond blessed to have him in my life. If I'm off doing something and he calls for whatever reason, I pick up the phone for him.

* A long-lost friend I reconnected with on Facebook, Densie Bachman (Densie Frenzel), married the love of her life July 10 this year. I've seen her twice this summer and only three times this year. I miss friends like her and I need to spend more time with my friends.

* I went over to my sister and brother-in-law's home last Sunday for dinner. I ended up chilling on the couch, had a few margaritas and a couple Pina Colada's with the family. It was the perfect night. We even watched "Family Man" and man, can I relate to that movie or what.
Note: Working and the things I have are not important to me; I value my relationships way more than a paycheck.

That's it. That's all I have for memories this summer. Otherwise, I've been job searching or trying to sneak some "me" time in there. I've worked myself to sickness --literally. This past Thursday I went into the doctor because I could have sworn I had strep throat. The test came back negative, but I was diagnosed with something else.

What I was diagnosed with kept me from going up north to Little Falls this weekend for a family fishing tournament called Blood On The Water. If someone doesn't have Fossum blood in a boat you want to fish in and you're not family, you can't participate in the tourney. We're pretty strict about it, but we have a blast. But because I worked myself to the point of jepardizing my own health, I had to stay home in fear of still being contagious.

So, now what? I'm really, really irritated with myself. I'm so ready for a change. I'm in dire need of one.

One thing I know I'm going to do without question? I'm taking at least one day off every week. My mind-set was "no, taking days off isn't an option. I need as close to 40 hours as I can get." But where has that got me?

I do know at least three jobs I've applied for have rejected my application. One of them was out-of-state and the other was techincally in-state, but probably would have required me to travel a little bit. The other, I don't recall.

You know, the sickest part of it all? I had complete control over it the entire time. Starting today, I'm taking control of my life again.

Building and constructing your brand

2010-07-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

I stole this phrase from someone who works in the social media industry, but I can't remember who unfortunately:

"Go for Noah, not the Ark."

I like it. Why? A couple of reasons:

1) It's catchy and anyone I tell this to usually has to have me repeat it. And then they don't get it. When explained, it takes them a while to process it and that's perfectly fine with me because the next time they see me, they're going to remember our conversation had to do with some whacky phrase and they might approach me to ask about it again. Who knows what conversation could spark from there!

2) It's not offensive, it's not meant to be offensive and it gets people thinking in a different way.

I'm also at another turning point in my life. And it has to do with the above phrase.

I follow Russell Herder (@russellherder) on Twitter and saw their tweet about an article they posted on their blog Building Business. They follow a blog called Construction Marketing Ideas and a blog of theirs caught my eye yesterday and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it much in the last 72 hours. In the blog, they layout six ground-rules for bloggers that I believe we should all follow. There are more "rules" out there, but I felt this post was very simple, forward and the guide-lines are so easy, even your Grandma could start her own blog and "get" it. ;)

The rules are so simple, the blog will probably having you say (out loud), "well, duh?!" Oh really? Well, if that is your reaction, take a look at how you've built your brand (blog).

I want to talk about the elephant in the room now: my blog does NOT, I repeat...my blog DOES NOT follow these rules and I've been thinking about the material I've posted. I could start over with a new blog. In fact, Arik Hanson (@ArikHanson) tweeted a few days ago this question: "if you could rename your blog right now, what would you title it?" I answered him within 5 minutes. If you're curious enough, ask me what I came up with. He liked the new title however, I don't know that I want to abandoned my baby: Spring To Anything.

In due time, I want to act on a simple solution of how I'm going to write about what intrigues my my own interests and obviously keep my audience in mind for the future, whether it be with this blog, or a new one, only time will tell. My gut is telling me to not build another blog. Why? Well, I'll save that for another blog post. ;)

Stay tuned folks!

Sevans Strategy - I'm ready for you...if you're ready for me :)

2010-07-14T13:56:00.001-07:00

When I was a little girl, I dreamed of being in the spotlight, on stage and in front of a crowd. Perfect example?

My Mom's side of the family has seven grandchildren and when the generations were able to come together all at once, we had Grandchildren's Week. Grandma put everything together and we had crazy, fun events: garbage dinners followed by a volleyball match on the beach to a day at Valleyfair, wolf howling and something to do with a secret menu --we literally picked something from the menu and you never knew what you were going to get. Example: a "horse stick" could have been a fork.
When I was as young as 4 years old I believe, we put on a talent show where our families had to 'buy' tickets to come see our show. The stage was on my grandparents porch facing The Lake of The Woods lake. I wish I had a picture for a visual.
The older girls, my sister Leah and cousin Sarah, chose a song and I never recall my two older cousins, David and Patrick ever joining us as it just wasn't their thing. We did this every year until I rememeber begging two of my cousins, Suzie and Emily to do one last show with me when I was 13. They are both younger than me. Leah and their older sister, Sarah helped us choregraph our dance to "Anytime You Need A Friend" by Mariah Carey.

I was very sad the last time we stepped onstage to do this peformance.

Well, I had my stage when I younger and I enjoyed my time when I could. I knew when I grew up, I wanted to be doing something fun for other people. Helping to better the community, meet the people whose lives I could help impact along the way and learn about other individuals' backgrounds.

One of those fun things I wanted to do? I wanted to be a singer. I told myself at the age of 10 that that is what I would do. So I joined choir, wrote songs, played the flute, bought myself a guitar, etc.

I'm still a singer, but I've never signed a record deal. I have however, been asked to a sign a song-writers recording contract through a contest I could have won, but felt it was fishy at the time (I was 15), so I never sealed the deal.

I then went onto college and finally chose Mass Communications as my major. Why not stick with the whole "mass audience" idea? I mean, that is what I enjoy...and I know I'm great with a stage and microphone (metaphorically speaking or not) when I've done my research.

I saw a tweet last week from @PRSarahEvans to send an e-mail to Sevans Strategy explaining two reasons why I'm a rockstar. Anyone could do this.

I had to be at work in less than 20 minutes...that meant out the door in five minutes, so I wrote quick five-sentence e-mail.

I now have an interview with the team of Sevans Strategy on Friday, July 16. It's been a while since I've been this excited, calm, yet entirely anxious.

Why? I've been following Sarah Evans now for 1.5 years on Twitter. I'm a huge fan of hers. I read her blogs, I watch her interviews she posts and I've watched her interview with Tim Jahn recorded back in January 2010. Her platform hits it on the head for me in what I want to do with my career.
Her new media consultancy, her platform, what she's created, what she stands for as a business woman, what she does daily and where she's looking to takes Sevans Strategy (at least from what I understand), including the newest "hippest" ways in social media; her visions are what I've found my own visions to be within the last year.
And my time to shine is just around the bend. I don't know who I'm up against. Quite frankly, I don't want to know because if this is truly meant to be, it's going to happen. I'm on fire.

I'm willing to pick my life up and move to Elgin, Ill., for this part-time fall internship. It's only 8 hours away from family. Not bad if you ask me. I've also done my research and if needed, I could ask to transfer to locations for my job to a site only 20 minutes North of Elgin, to continue working with the company I work for, so if at the end of the internship, I have a safety net if something doesn't evolve with or from Sevans Strategy.

As Sarah would say, "simple goals" and I'm adding "with a gigantic platform" to the phrase. I am SO not british, but I am on bloody hinges and ready for a whole new experience. I'm hungry, thirsty and this is a once in a lifetime experience.

Rewind!! Training for 5k first!

2010-07-11T21:55:00.001-07:00

I'm writing this on Sunday, July 11, but it will post for the 12th. I can deal with that.

I had an interesting session today on the treadmill and encountered a few 'problems':

* My ponytail kept bouncing like mad --I had to redo it (while running) about 3 times. Eventually, I was able to get it tight enough and concentrate on my mission.

* My warm-up was horrible --I attempted a pace of 3.7 for the first .2 miles and after just over 3 minutes and 30 seconds, I sped up to 5.0 mph. BAD CHOICE.

* I speed-walked at about 3.7 mph (possibly 4.0 mph) until I hit .5-miles and then pushed for 5.0 mph. Better, but I wasn't happy.

* The run wasn't as refreshing as I wanted it to be . . . at first.

I wrote down some stats as I was running.

At 38 minutes and 39 seconds I hit the 3.2 mile marker; not impressed by this because I had a super crappy warm-up. Therefore, I hit it hard between the 2-mile and 3-mile marker. What did I do? I ran at 5.5 mph because I was frustrated. I'm not going into detail of what thoughts were charging through my brain.
--> Positive Thoughts: I already beat my own time by 1 minute and 21 seconds. As you'll recall from my run on July 9 and the underlying reason I'm doing this for myself is in that post.

At 44 minutes and 39 seconds, I hit the 3.7-mile market. Decent.
--> Positive Thought: Because I didn't officially begin running until .5 miles into the run, I didn't hit the 5k mark until this point. You can't 'win' every time, but what counts is that I made it work and I pulled through.

At 47 minutes and 52 seconds, I did something I don't recall doing by myself... EVER. I hit the 4-mile marker.
--> Positive Thoughts: SUCCESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! HOLY CRAP DID I JUST DO THAT????!?!??!??!!!! A little heavy on the punctuation marks for you? Tough. :-D

My stats:
Calories burned: 489
Total distance: 4.29 miles (again, this includes a .5-mile warm-up and a 5-minute cool down beginning at 4.0 miles)
Time(s): ran 5k in 38:39 minutes (remember, this includes a .5-mile warm-up) but ran "official" 5k in 44:39 minutes.
Official work-out time: 52:56 minutes

Training for 7K

2010-07-10T06:10:00.001-07:00

I'll be honest: I had a not so great day on Friday, in the beginning. But the day ended up turning around for me.

And this is the shortest post I'll probably ever write. :)

What happened? I decided I was going to live like I was dying. I had the hugest urge to run and I'm not sure where it came from (perhaps stress?) and I did this after working for 5 hours. After I ran, I bought a wedding gift for a wedding I'm going to today and I spent time with my StepDad at the Lakeville Pan-O-Prog that runs from July 4-July 11. Simple things, but things that made a difference for me.

I got on the treadmill with my Mizunos and ran my heart out. It felt amazing. I was refreshed. My legs felt great. The blood in my veins was on fire. The sweat felt even more amazing.

I hope I can keep this up so I can run a 7k this fall. I need to figure out dates for that.

Here's my stats:

Calories burned: 418
Total distance: 3.69 miles (this includes a .2 mile warm-up at about 3.7 mph and a 5-minute cool down beginning at 3.40 miles)
Time: 40 minutes
Official work-out time: 44:28 minutes

Hello Target Center

2010-07-04T21:16:00.000-07:00

I don't like not making up my mind. I take social media and my industry seriously, but know that if you're not getting the right things done and you're not taking the time to get better at what you love, your visions fade and it's your responsibility to stay up to date with the times.

I'm currently concentrating on getting my 40 hours in a week at work and it's a struggle, especially since I have to work every day, literally. In June, I had 2 days off. Maybe 3. July? I don't even want to think about it.

Where is the time for family and friends? Is the economy getting worse? Is it slowly getting better? When I can put the brakes on job applications? When will the phone call happen? When will I sign a contract? When can I have my weekends back? I have a job that gets the bills paid for now and that's what matters.

I'd like to be positive and say the economy is ever so slowly coming back, but America keeps getting "bombed" with disasters and we as a country are not ready for them emotionally or financially and the governement doesn't have a spare $X to give to each "problem" so it can rebuild and clean up.

Do we as a country take responsibility for our actions, or are we just too hungry for the paycheck? Statistics apparently still tell the story that half of Americans (if not more) are not very happy with their line of work. We all know we're not taking it to our grave, yet it's a constant obsession.

My next thought is well I need my 40 hours, but I need experience in my field. I like getting into computer animation (slide shows, etc., (power point)) and I love the stage.

Ok. What are different angles I can take to being "on stage"? One of my mentors, Sarah Evans (@PRSarahEvans) built a new business in July 2009 - Sevans Strategy.

I can be doing behind the scenes work as well. I love getting my hands dirty; there's a reason I took shop class for 4 years. ;)
The amount of testostrone in the room didn't bug me. I like being on stage, but you can't be on the stage until you've proven that you have a reason to be there. Oh, I cannot act. But I love dancing and singing my heart out. These days, it's all about connections; who you know not what you know. We're all learning as we go.

A part of me is telling myself if I can't play with the big dogs quite yet, go behind the scenes of my creativity; you never know where the experience will take you. I think my goal this month will be to shadow someone who does stage work at the Target Center. I love music, I can't act to save my life, but I have a voice that I'm not afraid to use.

What do I have to lose?

He was speaking out loud and I listened

2010-07-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

At work tonight, I was sitting down taking a break to get off my feet as I am constantly doing something to help keep the chaos of the my working conditions as easy as possible.

As a lifeguard, I get the chance to think about a lot of different things when watching the water. Whether it's what I'm going to do when I get home, what is going on tomorrow or even something as simple as what my next step in life is, it's a great way to "declutter" the thought process. I just wish I could write everything down.

I thought about Prince Charming today. Where he is, what he's doing and when we'll meet. Heck! Maybe I already know the guy? I have no idea. But that'd be pretty sweet if I did wouldn't it?!
When I sat down to get off my feet for 10 minutes, this older gentleman came my way and was following his little boy whose I'm guessing about 2 years old. He looked at me and said "this is the hardest job ever."

He wasn't talking about my job. He was talking about being a dad. I didn't even have to think twice and I responsed (I think) with "I know it is." He then asked me if I have kids and I said no.

We talked about living the bachelor (bachelorette) life and he told me to enjoy my youth while I can.

I told him that when I was 19, I thought that by the time I hit the age I currently am, I'd be married and have at least one kid. He responded by saying "you know, all Minnesotan girls seem to be in such a rush to get married and have kids!" I gave him a look and responded by telling him that the older I become, I've grown wiser and I've learned that I'm still too selfish to have kids and that I barely even have time for my own [family] dog!! He laughed.

He ended the conversation by saying "wait until you think you're ready and then give yourself some more time and then start a family. Wait though...seriously wait and give yourself time. You'll wish you had listened to me if you don't. I love my wife and kids to death, but I wish I would have waited a bit longer." I think I agree with him for the most part.

For the remainder of my shift, I thought about kids and having my own. To top it off, I saw an adorable baby tonight. No more than 6 months old. Man, I lit up like a Christmas Tree.

Every so often, I'm not too sure about whether or not I want kids. I think because it's a HUGE responsibility and your freedom to be selfish is taken away however, I know that this is so not the case (how loving parents think) once having a child because I hear about it time and time again. Plus, when you've found the right person to build a family with, that helps. There's no way I could adopt and raise a child on my own. But kids can be the best thing to happen to you. I did a lot of thinking tonight and decided if I start a family within the next 5 to 7 years and have two kids (preferably back to back, maybe??), I'd be content with that.

I think that guy was supposed to come up to me tonight for a reason because I've been thinking about the future and starting a family...when the timing is right. :)

Spring to anything? Don't mind if I do! :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Fall brings beautiful things

2010-06-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

Summer this year is crazy. Though I have no complaints, I am ready for the summer to be over with already and it's only the end of June.

Stepping back to look at life "as in" before pressing the fast forward button too quickly, a friend of mine who I reconnected with on Facebook -we were best buddies in middle school- is getting married in nearly 2 weeks. Her bachelorette party is this weekend and I have a new dress and shoes that I'm dying to have the opportunity to wear. I rarely spend money on myself --it's usually everyone else I'm buying for-- so this is a very big deal in two different lights. The one song that comes to mind? Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like A Woman".

Well, 'fast forward' about two weeks ago, I was in the mood for snow. I'm ready for life to settle down and snow, in a way, reminds me how to slow down because for me, it's not just a 'thing' that happens, it's a symbol for me. I want to stay extremely productive though. For me, there's a difference between being busy and being busy with intention. For me that difference is spending more time with family.

There are so many good things I have to look forward to however:
- A cousin of mine who resides in Laramie, Wyo., is roughly 15-weeks pregnant and a little girl will join the Fossum/Burstad clan and I couldn't be more thrilled.
- Another friend of mine is getting married in August; her bridal shower is this coming weekend
- Switchfoot will be in Chicago in August, I believe the 16th, 17th and 18th; I'm hoping to make it to one of those shows
- My Mom's birthday is in August
- Labor Day; maybe by then I'll have my career going
- A close family friend is getting married; her bridal shower is this coming weekend as well
- A good friend of mine has a birthday in early September; I'm eager to see what he has planned
- My birthday; good grief I'm getting old ;)
- Halloween; always fun to dress up and get away with dressing however you want
- Traveling to Colorado Springs this November
- My sister's birthday
- My StepDad's birthday
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas

Previous to typing all of this up, I thought things would slow down a little bit. What's going to help is having a regular Monday through Friday job. I'm constantly finding ways to reinvent myself, only thing is, I need a career that's going to allow me to do so. With my new camera I decided I'm going to splurge on soon -finally (it's been way too long!)- I'll have a new way to market myself. I've been told I have a voice for radio and I'm just going to say that I know I have good angles for the camera!

The only way to stand out is to get creative and that's my plan of action for this coming fall. What I need to work on is focusing and I need to stop coming up with crazy (rather pointless) ideas. If you're heard some of them recently, you know what I'm talking about. But there are 3 things that will always remain close to my heart: Switchfoot, Jeep Wranglers and being a Mass Communicator (engaging the public).

P.S. If anybody has the winning lottery numbers for next weeks MN Powerball, I'll gladly take notes! ;)

Caribou Coffee Meet-Up: Friday, June 25

2010-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

I went for another walk/run tonight in my Mizuno's and even though I was at total peace all the way to Lake Marion (even took my shoes off and tried convincing my dog Ruby that it's okay to walk in the water!), something happened tonight on my journey back home and I felt incredibly alone.

So alone that my gut began turning. And even though I looked into the beautiful sunset in the sky, I still could not help but wonder "What am I doing wrong??"

I need to get back out there and talk to people. What about what, I'm not even sure. It's like the song by Michael Buble called "Home" specifically the lyrics: "And I'm surrounded by a million people, but I still feel alone. I just wanna come home."

And by 'home' for myself, that's social media. I feel like I'm not indulging myself enough. And it's completely my fault. Well, to a point.

Even with my choppy schedule at work, I may be busy working on my side projects, but my own self-satisfaction of interacting with others and meeting new folks is a huge chunk of importance in my life and unless I have it, I feel so unaccomplished. You can only sit in front of a computer for so long, typing your fingers away and telling your audience what you're thinking about, but community involvement is also so, so important and I want that so badly, too.

I don't get many readers, or maybe I do? Here's my chance to find out.

I went to Caribou Coffee's website to see where the heck the Caribou's are in the state of Minnesota. Well, turns out, there's 215 sites and I'm choosing next Friday, June 25 to have coffee in Eden Prarie. I was originally going to be there at whatever time they open, but I have to be at work from 8 a.m. - 10 a.m., so I'll be there for an afternoon coffee break. :)

If you want to join me, leave a comment letting me know what time you plan on coming, what company you're with and if there's something specific you want to talk about. If you're just coming for the socialization, I'm totally game for it.

The address:

Caribou
16506 West 78th Street
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

I'd love to talk . . . about anything. I'm a very easy going person and even if we've never met before, come on over. Seriously.

If I get a lot of people responding, I'll inform everyone of whose coming.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Boards tests, certifications, The Miller Times and a beautiful Friday evening

2010-06-18T12:56:00.001-07:00

Note: I originally was not going to post this tonight, but due to the timing of the topics, it only seems logical to post this today.

I want reasons to celebrate life because I'm grateful to be alive; but without a thrill of something to share with my audience, I feel like I'm just waking up and not satisfying my own goals. I enjoy talking to people about anything but religion and politics.

I like being the source for the information. I have a hard time with this though because I also want to be able to shut off technology Friday after 4 p.m. through Sunday evening however, I'm still working on this time frame. We all need a break, even from what we're passionate about. For me that's sometimes the only way to keep the juices flowing.

So, to begin, this has been a hectic week for me, in terms of my personal life, but I am not complaining at all as the sun is shining and I have the rest of the day to do whatever tickles my fancy. I was working on blog last night I feel extremely passionate about, but this blog doesn't compliment it.

Here's what's making me really happy as the sun beams off my face as I sit on my deck.

1. My Mom passed her boards test. She went back to school for her RN degree and after countless hours of studying, writing papers and having to put up with clinicals (nursing students do not get paid for these) she graduated in May and passed her boards test June 16.
I am grateful to have such a wonderful, brilliant, smart, beautiful, funny, hard-working Mom who continues to show me nothing but love, tough love (I still need it!) and she agrees to disagree with my decisions from time to time. I love you Mom!!

2. Andrew Miller won the competition for the Fast Horse Inc., Summer Internship. The reason I am so happy for him? First off, we're both alumnus' of Minnesota State University, Mankato and secondly, we both went to school for a degree in Mass Communications. He focused in journalism, while I focused in PR. You'd think we'd be worst enemies. ;)
His blog The Miller Times is pretty awesome, too! If you're wondering, Andrew and I connected on Twitter through an awesome professor we both had, Ellen Mrja, as she mentioned him in one of her tweets and I just decided to begin following him. Follow me here and follow him here.
Congratulations Andrew! I hope we can get together for a drink when you move back to Twins Territory, of course after you're all settled in!
Oh and the Star Tribune wrote an article about it, but Andrew isn't too thrilled with the piece. The process of the interview thrilled him however!

3. I passed my CPR/AED test this morning. I set my alarm, woke up, did my usual routine, got to work (that's where I took my test), bought myself breakfast and was done at 1:30ish. After I watched a handful or two of videos, I demonstrated my understanding of CPR, rescue breathing, and what to do when an adult/child or infant is choking, how to apply the AED pads and use the machine if the victim goes into cardiac arrest, took the written test and passed! I'd love to brag about my score, but honestly, the numbers at this point done count. ;)

4. It's Friday. Not only did I pass my CPR/AED demonstrations and written test, it's Friday and holy crap I'm actually NOT working?! What??!? :) Paul Tran, you can pick your jaw up off the ground buddy.
Needless to say, it's beautiful out (mostly sunny), I am at home, organizing my thoughts, processing my next steps, doing a little cleaning, making a wonderful batch of ice tea, the wind in my face feels magnificent and the weekend is here. Even if that means I'm working, I'm grateful for the opportunities to work with the team I do.

5. I'm alive and well; oh and I'm still Diet Coke free! Just looking at their web site makes me crave for just one 12 ounce can of the stuff!! The main reason I gave up pop is something very simple called self control. Why I chose June is a different story...because there isn't a story. It's simply all about self control. I like to test myself and it's always a great way to wash out my system and hydrate myself with more water. I do enjoy other refreshments like Dr Pepper, Sierra Mist or Diet Mountain Dew every so often. Sometimes I'll even have a Coke if I really feel the need to "sugar" myself up. I refuse to drink Pepsi (pretty much battery acid --well, that's what I've heard!) or Diet Pepsi from a can. I'll only drink Diet Pepsi from tap as I don't like the taste of it from the can. All in all, I feel great about this. It's so silly, but it's perfect for me.

That wraps up my day folks! I hope you have a wonderful weekend :)

Switchfoot: I simply love their music and messages

2010-06-17T22:56:00.000-07:00

I believe I was a given the gift of a musicial ear. This post has little to do with that, but has everything to do with musicial talents.

For those who know me well, I use music to express myself and I usually stick with anything by Switchfoot because I appreciate Jonathan Foreman's thought process and someday I will meet him and the band and we will write a song together. His younger brother Tim Foreman also writes and co-writes with Jonathan. I'm used to calling Jonathan "Jon" but I read somewhere he prefers his birth name and I don't know if that's fact or fiction. I'll probably change it up here and there.

A few great Switchfoot videos:

"Dare You To Move" from "The Beautiful Letdown" (2003) album <---This video reminds me that life is too short to not Move in life and give it all you've got. Note: This song is on A Walk To Remember's soundtrack and when I saw the movie (starring Shane West and Mandy Moore), I heard this song and the band had me at, well,"I dare you to move."

"Stars" from "Nothing Is Sound" (2005) <--- Great, great, great "under water" animation and the opening lyrics just scream at you: "Maybe I've been the problem, Maybe I'm the one to blame, But even when I turn it off and blame myself, The outcome feels the same. Maybe I've been partly cloudy, Maybe I'm the chance of rain and Maybe I'm overcast and maybe all my lucks washed down the drain." "Awakening" from "Oh! Gravity" (2006) <--- If you're having a bad day and you need a new tune to jam to, check out this video. You may dress up in a business suit or at least a dress shirt and tie when you go to work, but when you get home, you might have a little 'punk' in you that needs to be set free. Just sayin. :) "The Sound" from "Hello Hurricane" (2009) <--- I'm just gonna say check it out. It might just make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. If you like Martin Luther King Jr., you're going to like what this song is all about and who it's dedicated to: John M. Perkins.

"Hello Hurricane" also from "Hello Hurricane" <--- If you enjoy metaphors as much as I do, crank this puppy. To understand who Switchfoot is, Jon is the one who seems to do a lot of the talking. I found this video a long time ago and I felt like he was literally talking to me about...life. This video is fun and somewhat informational but it depends on what you're after, in terms of 'what is the meaning of our daily lives?' They write and performs songs about life and what they perceive it to be about, what we're capable of, what we can do to improve ourselves daily and how we can 'slow down'. Obviously the words are only their opinions, but to me, the actions behind the words speak louder than the lyrics. They give their listeners much to think about, IF they choose to break down the lyrics --this is what I do. And it gets really, really, really intense for me sometimes.

These guys aren't always "so serious". Check this out (it's a podcast they've made while on their Hello Hurricane tour which ended June 24 in Del Mar, California) and you'll see what I mean.

Switchfoot had 90 songs (they wrote a new song every day) for their latest album "Hello Hurricane" which dropped November 10, 2009 and you can buy it here. I believe it is their best album yet, I think. To understand Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Drew Shirley, Jerome Fontamillas and Chad Butler, you have to be willing to understand that these guys literally sing, play and write from their heart.

That's how it is for any band though; if you're enough of a fanatic, you're going to take the time to learn about the band.

They departed from Columbia records in 2003 I believe (their was change in management at the label) and made their own record label Lowercase people records because they wanted to remove the corporate barrier between their audience and their songs. They wanted to be able to give more back to society and the people who have supported them throughout the years they've been a band and not be marketed as the label saw it to be. They don't think about societies standards, either; they write about how messed up our society is (if you don't agree with me then I'll agree to disagree with you) and how we have the ability to make a difference and be the difference we'd like to see in the world. I honestly believe they write in the rawest form possible and if you're looking/seeking for more meaning in life, they've done the "thinking" for you and break it down metaphorically.

Best part about music in general? You can come up with your own meanings and what you think their lyrics are referring to (or any song for that matter) and for me, this is the best part about a song.

Switchfoot has their own YouTube page and Episode 47 [Surf] is pretty amazing --I'm being absolutely biased obviously. It involves a lot of surfing, a few scoops of ice cream and some live music from their song "Awakening."

They also have charities they support, one of them imparticular is StandUp For Kids. There was a fundraiser at the 6th Annual BRO AM concert in San Diego which supported this charity project. Click on the link for more information.

At the end of the day, Switchfoot is Jon, Tim, Drew, Jerome and Chad; five guys who came together by fate whether it was a life decision, a random phone call or the natural ability to rock out with a powerful meaning very few artists have the raw talent of being able to create, deliver and all the while entertain through the purest form.

I'd say Switchfoot is the easiest yet the most lyrically-challenging band I've listened to. They dig deep and they've done plenty of 'open heart surgery' to get back to the basics (what this life is about and what the times we live in are all about (how we engage with each other)) but I feel like they're just getting started...all over again.

Switchfoot, you're amazing. Oh and I want one of these. Please and thank you!!!

Don't play games with a girl who can play better

2010-06-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Let me introduce myself, again. My name is Rachel Ryan and I'm a Mass Communication major. I love, love, love, love social media, Switchfoot, Jeep Wranglers and helping people.

What I'm good at:
Time-management, SWOT, staying audience-focused, developing relevant pitches, communicating and writing my thoughts out and I'm a confident social media professional. I know Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Power Point very well. I get Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn --some people STILL don't understand Twitter. Oh, I'm also organized and in-depth researcher. For me, these go hand-in hand.

My dream jobs in social media consist of:

1) Doing contract work for Switchfoot. <-- I don't just listen to the lyrics they write, I de-code them. Ask anyone who knows me well enough. I'm not obsessed (I don't know their DOB's) and just recently learned all of the guys, except Jonathon Foreman, has kids. I pay attention to the music. The rest if I'm lucky enough, I will learn in time...as in when I get the opportunity to meet them.
I'm not the kind of person who snoops for information about people, unless it's for a job interview and that's a different story. I have a life, the clock is ticking and I'm passionate about this band so the day I get to personally meet them and hang out with them is the day my life will change...forever.

2) Working for Jeep. <-- I'm pretty much obsessed (it's a healthy obsession, so no worries) with Jeep Wranglers, specifically manuals, but love all the models. If I could, I'd blog and tweet about the experiences their customers have and get paid for it. ;) I have other things I want to do with Jeeps and it has absolutely nothing to do with Jeep.com either. My idea is still just an idea, but will eventually become a work in progress. ;)
I'll just say, we're a nation of builders and crafters and I'm very creative.

3) This isn't exactly a "dream job" but doing "contracting" work. I'm currently working with Sarah Hoffman and Robert Stanke. I'm on fire with these two and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can come up with as a team.

4) Being involved with the community I live in. This is done for me in two different ways.
First, if you volunteer your time somewhere or you have a project you're working on and you feel you have newsworthy information about what you're doing and you want the public to know about it (rememeber, to the rest of the world it's just "Tuesday"), you can use a platform I'm building. For more information about this, you may personally contact me: rachel.ryan09@gmail.com
Second, I like to help people find work (or perhaps even an internship) through connections I have and I'm not just talking about "Oh yeah?! Well I know this awesome celebrity who I tweet back and forth with --sorta kinda-- and I bet I can get you a job!" That's not how the world turns.
I'm willing to help people who are dedicated and passionate about what they do. My most recent encounter has been with Mr. Andrew Miller who you can also learn more about him here and here. I have never met the guy, but I feel we've become great friends already from 2,000 miles away. He's trying to land an internship with Fast Horse Inc. Vote for him --the competition ends Friday, June 15. That's THIS Friday!

To re-cap, Switchfoot, Jeeps, and Community Involvement. That's who I am. Oh and I don't mind getting dirty when the job description calls for it. I may be a girl, but don't play with a girl who can play the game better if you don't know what you're doing. ;)

This is me, these are my thoughts and your opinions are always welcome. Any questions you have about me? I'm an open book, within reason. It's always a pleasure being able to write what's on my mind and you learning from me and me being able to learn from you!

Stardust

2010-06-15T18:31:00.000-07:00

I get so very easily distracted when there is no one else in the room and I'm in front of my computer. When I don't have motivation, life becomes stardust; but there's so much of it sparkling in every direction I get pulled because I'm not being pulled in one specific direction because there's no time line and then I'm trying to do so many things at once but don't get anything done as a result because of everything I want to do and then I'm not happy. And I get crabby.

And I'm not a morning person, but boy and I am a night-owl, however that is not the lifestyle I want to live when I get my "Monday thru Friday 9-5" job. I'd love to get up, take a shower right away (this wakes me up) which is the equivalent of you probably drinking your coffee right after waking up, get dressed, come upstairs and read the paper, enjoy my breakfast and hopefully the night before I was sly enough to make myself a lunch because I'm not a fan of packing my lunch the day of. And I get to watch the sunrise. Beautiful.
In fact, when I worked for a convenient store and I worked a 6-2 shift, I was up at 4:45 a.m. and I LOVED it because I was able to have the planet to myself for an hour or so.

To those who think I'm not a morning person, I'm not, but when I have a reason to get up at the crack of dawn, whether it's for work, vacation or ice fishing, I'm totally game. You could even wake me up at 3:30 a.m. for ice fishing and I have no complaints and long as I've got all I need out on the lake!

Well, getting back to my point, I'm beyond frustrated today because of the stardust.

I want to do absolutely nothing but relax and enjoy the night now, but I also wanted to do about five different things before I go to bed.

I feel like I can't focus. I have a couple of friends who are awesome at time management. I'm great with it when I'm under pressure and have no choice but to focus. Because I'm getting paid for it... :)
When it comes to my own personal life and have projects I want to take on, I put such big goals in front of my own face and then sometimes I get stuck and I'm not sure when the right time is to speak up because I don't want to be telling everyone what I'm doing and then by the time everyone knows about it, I feel like I'm one of "those" people who gets yielded by a bump in the road, but then I don't know which way to go or who to ask for help from and then the people I told about the project ask me how it's coming, but I have no news because I need more sources to keep my project going. Wow...was that a run-on sentence??? Sheesh! I don't want to ask for help because I don't want people thinking I'm nagging, but I don't want to not "walk the walk" because I do! A few years ago, it was a different story. But you grow up and you realize how fast the clock does tick and how fast life DOES pass you by.

I do my best to never take a single day for grantide. A great friend of mine reminds me of this time and time again and you know who you are.

I am working on a big, big, big project right now and it's something I've never done before. I'm at the point where I feel like I need more resources, but the "big dogs" are busy, yet that doesn't mean I SHOULDN'T ask for help. It's like a game of pull and tug.
This project could take me up to a year to complete. Little by little, I plan on tackling it.

If my stardust wasn't thrown in the air all at once, that would help me. But that is what I do. I want to be like the Peter Shankman of the east coast and the Sarah Evans of the midwest and I want to not only be the change I want to see in the world, I want to help my peers out along the way who aren't just looking for something to fall into their lap.

To the people I've met in real life that I've been following on Twitter and to the few who I'm huge fans of (again, you all know who you are), you are a HUGE inspiration which is why I talk to you as much as I can without over doing it because we all have so many things we want to try and touch and turn to gold while we still have time.

Stardust isn't always a bad thing, but sometimes, social media can be the biggest devil in the world. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE social media. Why do you think I'm on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter (2 accounts for cryin outloud!) and I blog?!

Anywho, stardust makes me happy and it also can make me VERY frustrated. What is a girl to do? Comments and opinions are always welcome! :)

Respecting yourself and others

2010-06-15T08:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers -

I am not proud of my latest post, which no longer exists on my blog. I have it saved as a word document.

I'm not proud of appearing to scream at the top of my lungs in posts. It actually would turn me off from a post if I saw it.

I wanted to apologize to my readers. Anyone who knows me somewhat well, knows that I need time to process moments after my buttons have been pushed so I can logically think and talk the situation through with someone who I trust. If that's the step I so choose to take.

Seeing and hearing views points helps me to shake it off and come back with a more calm opinion. I didn't do that after a post written by Bob Stanke where a guy at Cub Foods clearly needed to rethink what respect is all about. As a result, I probably painted a picture in your head that I can't take back.

We live in a very, very chaotic world. It's full of gray areas, not "rules", as I spoke about. We all need reality checks, some of us more often than others. But, that is life.

In the words of The Little River Band, it's time for another cool change.

Again, I apologize if I turned you off. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

Pre-professional advice . . . from the professionals :)

2010-06-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

@PRSarahEvans asks a lot of questions, daily on Facebook. This is the first time I've written a blog post on it.

Here's her recent question and the answers she received. There will probably be more comments, but this is all I'm posting.

"What's one thing you wish you would have known about the professional world before entering it?"

"I wish I had understood the difference between working harder and working smarter, sooner. I worked very long hard hours in the early years, sometimes to my advantage (promotions, raises, etc) but also sometimes to my detriment (salary + working 60 hours a week = less than minimum wage)."

"Not to fly by the seat of your pants."

"To be your own best advocate. No one else is going to care about your career more than you do."

"There is no such thing as a secure job - no matter how hard you work."

"That being good at your job doesn't necessarily translate into promotions and/or more money. It's all about who you know, not what you know."

"Take time off. You may never have the chance again."

"Get the $$$$ going into the position...it will be harder afterward. Also TAKE YOUR EARNED TIME OFF!!!! If you don't take it when it's earned; then you'll never take it.
Result = Burnout & poor health ahead! Or even something more serious!"

"When you're passionate about what you're doing keep going...when you've lost the passion don't let the easy paycheck keep you - it kills the spirit!"

"That sometimes it's necessary to "toot your own horn" even when it doesn't come naturally...because more than likely nobody else is going to do it for you."

"That hard work and knowing what you are doing counts for nothing unless you make sure others who count (that is, those who can promote you) see and appreciate your value."

Personal Growth

2010-06-01T12:18:00.000-07:00

I feel that because I know entrepreneurs, such as Sarah Evans, Lorrie Douglas Morgan Ferrero, Sarah Kay Hoffman, Marty Fahncke, Paul Tran and a few others, I've been inspired in a new light. I've been reading about entrepreneurs as well when their story (and passion) lands in my hands literally, because I read the Star Tribune --like this one. I’m more driven to find out what’s going on in the competitive world. I used to have quite a different mind set, but this new thought of mine is coming from a different angle and I want to share my thoughts.

Man, have I been growing . . . a LOT recently.

If we didn’t compete with each other as much as we do, then how do we get better at what it is we’re doing? In other words, be the like... 'The Jetsons' as Deborah Yunger dared to be even if it did take entire decade. I used to look at it as “I only want to work 40 hours a week so I can go on and enjoy other things I’m doing; spend time with family, friends, explore new venues, having time for social networking events, fishing, catching some rays, shop for a new pair of shoes, or just relax with a good book.”

But here’s the other thing, if we weren’t “go getters” then what would ever get accomplished? The telephone, let alone your celluar phone maybe would not have existed. Computers? Bill Gates used to be looked at and called crazy, I'm sure of it! The other thing? If you're not doing what you're passionate about, then you automatically feel like your 40 hours is 'slave-driven' type of work.

So, do yourself a favor if you really want to get something accomplished. Break it down. It takes 21 days to make a consistent habit out of a new routine --according to experts. Who those experts are, I have no idea. But do yourself a favor and decide what areas you want to focus on, otherwise, you're not going to get very far.

I'm going to start my own healthy habits and I have plenty of areas to work on though the routine might take a while to get established because I need to find out how I want to grow and get better at what I'm already really good at doing! That's another thing: focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. So, what's your next step?

This blog post was inspired by an article on Sarah Kay Hoffman's blog that she wrote.

Marathon anyone? Going once, going twice...

2010-05-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

Wow.

Who knew Mizuno could be so inspiring? Well, for me at least. Remember my post on my favorite running shoe?

I have a new goal and I've only been thinking about it consistently for about a week, maybe maybe, maybe less. Regardless, I want to run in a marathon but I'd need more time to train.

I work at 5 p.m. today and I'm going to head to the gym at about 3 p.m. so I can get in a 2-mile run and lift weights.

Life is too short to not feeling amazing, interally and feel like a fabulous 'rock star' externally. So that's my new 'plan of action.'

Story time!

2010-05-29T09:55:00.001-07:00

Do you have a story you want to share?

I'm looking for people who are doing something to better themselves and/or make a difference for the common good of others. I'm also looking for people who have opinions that have not been heard and don't feel they have a voice.

If you're looking and hoping to make a difference, but you feel like your voice doesn't 'count', contact me by leaving a comment.

:)

Philosophy, gambling and my precious time

2010-05-28T22:15:00.000-07:00

Isn't "gambling" fun? Well, when you're not losing much it is. The last time I went to Mystic Lake or stepped foot in any casino, I can't recall. Minus Vegas in May 2009. But that doesn't really count because there's a lot machines you can play the second you get out of the gate areas of where you board/get off the terminal.

We take gambles every day. You gamble when you decide to wake up, make coffee, eat breakfast, take a shower, put one leg through one side of your pants and the other leg through the other side, pull them up, put a top on and then walk out the door into your car.

You've been giving this day to make the most of it. We are not immortal.

I have not had much interaction with people the last 24 hours or so and I'm going a bit crazy, although it is my own "fault" for why this is. I have a dog and she keeps me company along with my cat and I love both dearly. I went for a "run" this morning again with my dog. Yes, a "run."

I took a gamble today when I got up and went for a run. It was gorgeous outside. I also spent about $25 to gamble on Switchfoots deal they made with Bidfire. I did something I'm proud of yet at the same exact time, I'm not so proud of. I literally sat at my computer for two hours waiting for Bidfire to add more servers to their network so I could go in and try win this competition so I can finally meet Chad Butler, Drew Shirely, Tim Foreman, Jon Foreman and Jerome Fontamillas plus hang out with them for four days and record a song with them that will be released on iTunes.

The contest is open to U.S. resident 18 and older.

Guess what? People are STILL bidding and the auction doesn't close for another hour and 20 minutes. It reopens tomorrow at 11 a.m. central time.
I'm about to shock you...yeah you. Because I'm such a huge fan and what I'm about to say might make your head spin round at first, but then you'll probably come to terms and understand what's up. This is the thought process of Rachel Ryan:

If I don't win this contest and I probably won't, I'm OK with that because there's plenty of opportunities to meet these guys. They're five extremely talented individuals who are musicians. I could take the time to play the guitar, bass, drums, harmonica, cow bell, etc., as well as they do. But I need a good enough paying job, so I can take lessons and practice my heart out. I already sing my heart out and make a fool outta myself in the car when I'm driving down Cedar Avenue in Apple Valley anyway...or wherever it is I'm driving.

But here's the thing: my time is precious and I have a life I want to live. I'm not going to stare at a computer screen for hours on end to win something that matters so much to me. Why??? I'd rather have it just.........are you ready for this? I'd rather have it just happen, naturally. I met Jon Foreman "naturally" just days after turning 23 it was October 10 right outside the Target about 11:45 p.m. and I had just enjoyed a drink with a friend went to the concert with me. I was walking down the street and he just hoped out of his tour bus. I didn't scream, but I was DEFINITELY speechless. Got a picture with him though! I think he felt 'invaded' though so it was kind of a weird experience.

Anyway, I'm all about helping (donating) money toward great causes like StandUp For Kids, but I came to terms super quickly today with the reality of this little thing called life.

These guys are human. As much as I love their music, I don't want to waste my time watch the clock go from 47 seconds down to 10 seconds left of bidding to see it jump all the way back up to 59 seconds.

Switchfoot, you make me think, you help me understand the bigger picture(s) and even though I'm still decoding every song of yours, I'm not a fan of this Bidfire thing. You're in Europe right now and I hope that your first experience of surfing in Ireland is amazing as you all are.

For now, that's what's on my mind. I love you. I do. You inspire me, but the clocks a tickin and I ain't getting any younger!

Oh...and I'm one of your biggest (non-obsessive) fans (Friend of The Foot) you'll ever meet.

Love,
Rachel

The messes in our lives don't have to be what they are

2010-05-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

"Welcome to planet. Welcome to existence. Everyone's here. Everyone's here. Everybody's watching you now. Everybody waits for you now. What happens next? What happens next? I Dare You To Move."

I've learned that there are bigger things in life than how much money you make.
Imgaine how screwed we'd all be if we had to pay for the air we breathe. Have you ever thought about that??

I've learned that there are bigger things in life than telling someone that your way of teaching a student is the only way that works and if you don't follow their lead, something is gonna have to give.
Not that this necessarily applies but my math professor at RCTC, I believe his name is Terry Knight, was an amazing mathamatics instructor and he had the golden key (his instructing ability) to help me pass a class I literally failed at passing the first time around. I also had a different instructor the first time.

I've learned that if the shoe doesn't fit, don't force it because when you do, people thrive on having someone else to turn and point the blame to.
Yesterday, I heard President Obama taking full blame for the oil spill not having been taken care of yet. Who said you were in control and when did you ever say you knew how to control issues like this??? I'd say the same thing to any President. Dude, how is it your responsibility??? There's no "perfect" way to go about doing anything. There is such a thing as being cautious and listening to warning signs instead of pushing the clock to keep going so you can make your boss happy so he can make even more money off of people who filled up their vechicles. Oh wait, that's my money he's taking. Some guy didn't do his job correctly on the ship and because of a perfect normal (and legit) decision he didn't make, the world is 'screaming' at each other and pointing finges once again.

We aren't here to prove anything to anyone.

(WARNING: I'm about to change subjects . . . because I can.)

But try new things for more than one day so you can see from a different perspective.
Example: the first car I bought, I really bought it for the wrong reasons and if I could take what I know now and apply it to when I turned 16, I would totally listen to my gut.

My first car was a red 1991 Pontiac Grand AM 5-speed transmission. OH MY GOSH. I paid too much for the thing and if someone would have sat me down and explained what the cost was going to be overall -maintance included, I might as well have just saved up enough money to buy a nice gently-used car. At the time, I wouldn't have listened very well. I definitely would have heard you, but my thought process back in the day was "well, this is what I want and I'm just gonna do it." I wasn't thinking into the future, I was thinking about my "right now" time.

What I think about now? What is this going to do for me down the road? Not to reference them AGAIN but Peter Shankman and Jonathan Foreman are two guys I like...a lot.

Why? Because they THINK but not too much. And they both make sense to me. I did a quick search the other day on Jon and he was born in October (my month of birth as well). Peter? I think he was born in April? *double checking* OMG. As I'm checking, I found this hilarious video. It gets a little old toward the end, but I'm saying he's an August baby.

Anywho. I'm not really into astrology, but sometimes when someone is born with the same zodiac sign you have, it's possible you could have similiar thought processes??

Getting back to my point: I could sit down and talk to these guys for hours on end about philosophy, marketing, maybe even create a campaign for a new idea and throw a party with some delicious food and awesome music to make the entire evening memorable. Someday, this could happen. Everything that is supposed to happen will happen in due time.

I dare you to move. What helps make you think? What gets you going? What stimulates your brain?

Do me a favor and don't let anything silence your love. Because lately, I've been learning how to not let that happen to me.

Mizuno; moving forward with positive thinking

2010-05-27T17:28:00.001-07:00

This is my running shoe. The brand name is Mizuno. It's perfect for me as I have low ankle bones and other running shoes I've tried have hurt or weren't soft enough or my feet couldn't breathe easy.

I need support, but don't want to be "weighed" down. I wanted a cute shoe and though it's pink, I gave in and bought them since I haven't had a good running shoe or a really good shoe that I could wear daily in...well, I can't remember.

I bought these back in January 2010. Best "daily" shoe ever.

Besides the reasons above, I needed a reason to not have an excuse to exercise.

Getting to the positivity point here in a second, just give me a minute. I ramble sometimes. Hey! At least I admit it! :)

If you haven't noticed lately, I have a few different "obsessions":
One of those is Switchfoot.
Another is Jeep Wrangler Sports. What's pictured is not my exact dream Jeep, but close enough.

The other which is actually the reason behind this blog post Peter Shankman. He's also known as @skydiver on Twitter.
By the way Peter, if you ever do read this blog, I think you are extremely knowledgeable not only in regards to just social media, but you've only traveled the globe for the last how many years and you've seen a lot of places, met a lot of people and done a lot of 'stupid' and 'smart' things such as your PR skydiving stunt. You take chances and have surrounded yourself with more opportunities than the average American ever will simply because you think but not too much. That's what more people need to do in this world.

That's also who I've been choosing to surround myself by recently. People who are willing to take chances...but smart chances. They have a back-up plan.

On page so and so of "Can You Do That?!" Shankman talks about doing various things to get the brain stimulated. One thing he does is he runs.

Tonight, I decided to follow his advice and get positive on my feet. I ran.
In fact, on Monday, I decided that I would do nothing but think positively this entire week.

I have a very rewarding job and I think I take advantage of it more than anyone else I work with in my department at my club. I put smiles on kids faces all the time, I don't have to shower before I go to work, I get to "goof off" while teaching lessons, time flies faster than it would if I were at a register, I make a decent living and I interact with members daily. Conversations are super easy to spark during family swim time considering the amount of students I have. It's ridiculously awesome. Corny, but true. :)
I've had members come up to me and ask me my story...as in my 'background' while lifeguarding because I appear older than everyone I work with. They now approach me when they see me and say hi.

My health could always improve, but I'm thankful to be in the state of health that I am. But that's another reason I went running tonight.

There's more, but I don't want to bore my readers. Afraid I've already done so with my thinking here tonight.

Question:
When you run, do you run outside or indoors? I couldn't for the life of me start out at a decent pace and I sure as hell couldn't keep up a decent jogging pace. I was all over the map with my speed and my dog didn't help at all. She's a runner for sure, but she also wants to sniff EVERYTHING. It's fantastic. If she has another dog to run with it's a different story.

My heart was pumping fast, my throat began burning, my legs felt the workout a little bit and the way I had my hair in a pony tail didn't help much, but it was a good 30-minute workout that I needed to change up my routine, which is another thing Peter Shankman advises in his book.

Indoor running (treadmill): I prefer this. I have to keep going, but I'm at a steady pace, constantly and I feel more of a burn after my 1.5 mile run is complete. However fast I complete it is exactly how long I take to reach my goal.

Outdoor running: I fade so quickly tonight and my workout was so inconsistent that it's made me feel like I've barely gotten the burn I wanted to and tonight I took 30 minutes to try and change up my routine. I failed mierably, but I tried.

The sun is setting and I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight so I can get up early tomorrow, turn on my Switchfoot tunes, head to Life Time Fitness, go running on a treadmill, do my weight-lifting, maybe meet up with a friend for lunch. I'm not sure what the rest of the day will bring.

All right folks. That's enough ranting about running and my thoughts for the night.

I have a date with an amazing book again tonight. You know what I'm talking about. If you don't, that means you should re-read part of this post. Seriously, I've never been more in love with a book in my life. Thank you Peter Shankman. Thank you very much! :)

Twitter: Why should you learn how to use this social media tool

2010-05-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

I joined Twitter in January 2009 with this account because a professor of mine recommended I do so. Her name? Ellen Mrja.

In March of 2010, I wanted a more professional account, so I made this one. It's to the point and also reflects my 'professional' purpose on twitter.

Why should you join Twitter though? Well, why did you join band when you were in 5th grade? Why do you run? Why do you like to hang out with friends?

The answer to these questions is simple: each of these (or whatever extra curricular activites you joined was something you were interested in) was an environment (or activity) you enjoyed.
--> Band: you had to learn how the difference between quarter notes, eighth notes and you had to pick an instrument to join band. Oh and duh...you liked music!

--> Running: it makes you feel good, toned and keeps you energized.

--> Friends: Ummm...pretty self explanatory. But hopefully your friends keep you on your toes and keep you wanting more out of life and make you a better person.

Do you see where this is going?

You should join Twitter because it's a tool in social media and you're a person whose curious/into social media...or professor Ellen Mrja told you to. :)

But seriously, it's also another way to interact with someone or multiple people in real time. Think of it like text messaging, except you're on your computer or maybe you're on your cell phone.

There are so many topics people talk about on Twitter as well. One thing you might be missing, but you'll find your way in time? The right people to engage with. Below is a guide, if you will, of the simple steps I've broken down so you can understand Twitter more. Hopefully I didn't miss anything, however, if you have questions, please ask. There's never a dumb question in social media. If you're too embarrassed to ask publicly, e-mail me: rachel.ryan09@gmail.com

Here's a brief overview of how Twitter actually came about. You might be shocked. I was. :)

Basics of Twitter:

Biography:

Here's roughly how your bio should represent you:
- who are you and why should I listen/follow you

- easy to 'digest' and allows your followers to understand what you currently do
- overall; remember to be you

Your bio will evolve as you choose to evolve. Update it and let people know about it, if you wish! You can change it daily if you want but make sure there's a reason you're doing so and every time you change it, it better be reflecting who you really are. Heck, if you don't let people in, how are they supposed to get to know you?! Plus, if you have a blog (or a website) you can include that link in your bio!!

If you sell organic products and you're tweeting about Lady GaGa's performance on MTV more than you're giving helpful advice to your followers (helloooooooo that's why they're following you!!), then you're going to lose credibility fast. Then again, maybe that's a topic/moment you're having with one of your followers. As long as you're tweeting back and forth with someone, I'd say you're in the safe zone but everyone has an opinion. I've done this before...not in regards to GaGa, but hopefully you understand what I mean.

People will always talk and you have the power to give them something to talk about. Make sure you're leaving good karma and when you actually decide to meet people in real life from Twitter, hopefully you've been true to yourself all along on Twitter because that will be the biggest "make it" or "break it" point.
I've met a few great individuals in real life and let me tell you, the relationships I've formed are perfect because I'm learning from new friends and wouldn't trade the experience for anything else. Not even a couple hundred bucks! Keep in mind, I've weeded out the real people versus people who are just there to make noise.

Reasons you should learn Twitter as a tool and the language?
It's simple: you're either choosing to be "in the know" about what people want (social media is one big conversation), what they're interested in and what they're about or you're just there to make noise. Don't be the person who just makes noise. Why not? Click here for the harsh reality.
A good friend of mine, Robert Stanke (Bob Stanke) and I have talked about Twitter the last couple of times we've spoken and we agree that unfortunately, many of the people that are there, are just there to make noise. You have to take the time to weed out those not-so-useful tweeters.

The language (symbols) of Twitter:
# = hashtags
---> What they're for? When you first sign into twitter there's a scrolling list of trending topics. These topics, once in you sign into Twitter have this symbol behind them. Examples: #TigerWoods, #LadyGaGa, #SXSW, and the list goes on and on.
If a topic or word with the hashtag behind it is of interest to you, click on it! It will bring you to another window and you'll be able to click on other tweeps handles and maybe you'll end up wanting to follow them. I tend to talk about @Switchfoot or #Switchfoot a lot as I'm a huge, huge fan.
RT = ReTweet
---> You liked a tweet and you want to share it with those who are following you. Think of it like a silly text message you want to send on to other friends you think might be interested in the message.
@ = the symbol behind the handle
---> @ryanr09 or @RachelRyanPR <-- if you do this and then ask me a question on Twitter, I will receive your tweet but only if I'm following you.

Don't just follow anyone:

I made a BIG mistake, precisely just under four and a half pages long of people I decided were not worth my investment under my "ryanr09" handle. I don't think they care that I unfollowed them or maybe even noticed.

Again, hopefully I didn't miss anything, but if I did or didn't answer a question of yours and you want an answer, leave a comment or e-mail me.

By the way, there's A LIST OF THINGS YOU SHOULD NOT DO ON TWITTER. Follow my advice and your followers will thank you *cough* and me. :)

New day, "new" light!

2010-05-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

Note: I wanted to post about a week ago, but I had to jet off to work and had about 10 minutes to write, insert links and post it. Didn't work as planned and I wrote this on a "whim" so to speak!

I just wanted to give a quick shout out to @SarahKayHoffman. You can also find her here. She gave me inspiration the other day. Just because you have 'down' days, doesn't always mean you should allow life to stay that way for longer than necessary.

I also wanted to give @RobertStanke a shout out. You can also get to know him better here. He was kind enough to listen to an idea that I came up with after he told me about a side project he and Sarah have been communicating back and forth on. He pretty much said, "reach out to Sarah and see what she thinks." So, that's exactly what I did.

Another reason I wanted to give these two a shout out is because I've been 'roughin' it the last couple of days and we're here to support each other and give back. Sometimes we do more than we know for someone else just by mentioning them in a post that will give them a good laugh.

So, here's to Sarah and Bob!

My white board meets your brain

2010-05-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

I have 10 minutes before I have to get to work.

Therefore I'm keeping this rather short.

Lets say you had an idea for the company you work for, or you're running out of creative juices on a particular project and you're the CEO of your own business.
Instead of looking within the company for new direction, think outside of the box. Literally. This isn't going to reach a ton of people, but as long as I throw this idea out there, that is all that counts.

Here's my thought:
I don't care what field you work in. If you have a new picture painted in your head of what you want but you just cannot put a vision together, contact me via e-mail. I'd love to talk to you about ways we can bring your new vision together. In other words, I'll come up with the pitch.

This is VERY vague I realize. And that's exactly what my point is. Let me do your thinking for you. We can meet in person, we can exchange a phone call, we can exchange an e-mail, or even a tweet.

If you send me an e-mail lable is: "Your white board meets my brain".

It's actually quite simple. :)

Delightfully,
Rachel

rachel.ryan09@gmail.com
Twitter: ryanr09 and RachelRyanPR

Moving: good or bad?

2010-05-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know when, but I'm going to somehow own property in Southern California, someday. Or at least a timeshare

This thought crosses my mind often because I love the sun, ocean, palm trees, sea creatures and exploring different paths in life.

I know what I want, or at least have a good idea as to what I will be doing in five years from now. I'm finding my way which has meant not automatically picking up and moving to the next spot without giving the situation(s) some real thought. That's what I do. I think things through and analyize the whole situation. I'm adventerous, don't get me wrong, but this topic has crossed my mind far too many times to not put it on my blog as a topic.

Many people my age who graduated the year I did seem to be doing a lot of 'moving' around --as in, to a different state-- and claim to either be really happy (according to their Facebook updates), or they're just not quite sure what they're doing with their life. They surround their daily life with activities they enjoy and seem to have formed great friendships with new friends. One of my aquaintences even decided that maybe by blogging it will help her find her way? Um...okay. There's really nothing wrong with that however.

But here is what I don't get: if you don't know what you want today and you really aren't sure what you see yourself doing in five years, then what is it you're going to do so you're not waking up everyday and scratching your head wondering what your next step is going to be

My question for you then is this: what has been your career "ah HA!" moment(s)? :)

Mainly, this is me ranting. I'll do my best to come up with a more "worthy" reading topic next time.

Peter Shankman, I'll let you do the talking ;)

2010-05-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

It’s not about the money. It’s about what makes me laugh. It’s also about what gets you going. Feeling the rush? Awesome! Not so much? You’re doing it wrong. Make it right and make you the main focus. Being selfish isn’t always a bad thing. It can be for the common good of others. It’s just about how you look at the picture, even if parts of it are still blurry.

This is short because:

A) It is late and I have to work in the AM.

B) I have a few people in my head who are really living life the way everyone else is afraid of –due to security reasons (i.e. finances): Calley Bliss McDowall (a New York singer), Ryan Schmidt (Comedian), Paul Tran (Franchise Developer/Investment Company Shareholder/Client Ambassador) and Peter Shankman (author). In fact, he’s the main reason I’m writing this blog at a crazy time of ‘day’. Oh and I cannot forget about the lovely and ever growing Sarah Evans (CEO of Sevans Strategy).

If you don’t have a focused story, you’ve already lost your own employees and the work that you’re paying them to do is going to do jack for your company. There, I said it in the bluntest way possible. Notice I didn’t say audience, I said employees. Next thing you must think about in social media? HARO: Help A Reporter Out. Well said Mr. Peter Shankman.

I’m out.

Comments are always welcome readers ;)

Delightfully,
Rachel Ryan

P.S. “Can We Do That?! Outrageous PR Stunts That Work – and Why Your Company Needs Them” by Peter Shankman <-- best investment I’ve made in a while :)

PR Crisis Communication Tips

2010-03-04T13:25:00.000-08:00

"Go for Noah, not the Ark." - unknown

Be the voice you want your public to hear first.

There is a blue print for every crisis that could surface in any business setting. What it takes to perfect it is practice! There are simple steps to take that may seem time-consuming however when a problem is surfacing, it is all about getting the facts to those who need it. This needs to take place quickly and the information needs to be easily accessible for the affected audience.

1. Get ahead of the crowd and get your facts to the public before further damage can be made by other mediums.
2. If you are unsure if your source and information is a fact, write: “according to _____.”
3. Take the blame and hit for the situation by accepting something went wrong.
4. Two different responses to a medium that you should understand:
“I don’t know” –this could mean you’re waiting for confirmation regards facts you’re not 100 percent on.
“No comment” –this could mean you have information, but you’re holding back and that’s not necessarily good.
5. Whatever the situation may be you are dealing with, as a mediator, it is your job to work with your client to prove how they are going to make a positive change.

Two great examples of crisis communication situations that were handled with confidence and compassion:
1. Tylenol’s recall - October 5, 1982
2. Odwalla’s recall - Novemeber 1, 1996

I'm an expert on being a student, not on life

2010-03-03T07:59:00.000-08:00

Thank you for following me, reading my blogs, commenting, caring, supporting and being a great mentor --big or small!

In a sense with Twitter, I'm 'starting over' with my new handle @RachelRyanPR. I'm not deserting "ryanr09" but I am at that point where I want to bring to life and raise awareness of topics, newsworthy stories (what intrigues me as a person) and present that to you. I'll be doing this with local, statewide, national or international news. I'll most likely keep it as local and statewide for now. I might go national* a couple times in 2010.

I'm doing exactly (and hopefully for the most part) what my new twitter handle represents: public relations. But it's on my personable and intrigued terms.

I won't be tweeting much right away with @RachelRyanPR for these reasons:
1) I'm buying a new camera with my taxes, but have yet to physically see the cash. The purchasing will hopefully happen between March 6-14, 2010.
2) My internship and work take up quite a bit of my time, but once April 2010 hits, I'll be more active.
3) City council meetings only happen once a month. #justsayin :)

I do want to keep it fun though! And to do this, I'm taking more vacations* this year and I'll be video blogging those because this is something I really enjoy doing!

I'm also starting my own website, which has yet to even get put together, but I have my own domain now! When those details are more in place, I'll inform you!

Once again, thank you for believing in me because I surely believe in you. You've intrigued me through your insights. There's a reason I follow you too!

"In this needle and haystack life...we are once in life time" -@Switchfoot

Delightfully,
Rachel

Sacrifing the present

2010-02-24T22:45:00.000-08:00

"People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present." - Nhat Hanh (Buddhist monk)

I do it everyday, or so it seems.

I think pretty far into the future more often than not and sometimes, I scare myself with how direct I am in my ways.

Examples:
What I thought at the of 17:
1) Graduate high school
2) Move off to college
3) Meet the love of my life while going to class and getting the work done to make the grade
4) Graduate College
5) Get engaged
6) Live the "white picket fence life"

Uhhhhhhh. *shakes head to wake self up*

WHAT? *blinks eyes*

Societies social norms are what I like I to call ANYTHING but normal. I am not in control of my destiny; I am only in the drivers seat when it comes to what direction I so choose to take. But even then, I'm not always in control...my gut and heart are though. I rely on more than just friends, family and mentors to bring me to the next intersection and guide me in the right direction. If you're not sure what I'm referring to here, I'll just be up front and say that I choose to just Believe and have Faith.

Each intersection can be as little as five seconds from each other or even 24 hours apart from each other. Maybe even more than that.

You know those subconcious thoughts you think on a daily basis. That's where your truth and decision making ultimately comes from.

I'm going a million miles an hour right now with my schedule and this is probably nothing in comparison to others who I'm connected to via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. However, I'm not comparing myself. There's no need for this.

I try as often as I can to remind myself that I'm perfect just the way I am. Right here in this moment. I am here to be me and I'm not here to prove anything to anyone. Does that mean I'm not a hard worker? Nope. I want to ENJOY what I do, but still have time for friends, having fun and time to breathe. If you constantly have that mind-set of 'I have to prove this to s/he', you're never going to feel satisfied and I believe that that's no way for anyone to live; it's not a healthy way of life.

In May of 2009, I was "supposed to" (according to societies social norms) have a job all lined up and be making that $40K annually. I wasn't feeling entitled, but I was feeling pressured by others thoughts and opinions. That job I was supposed to have wasn't there. It still isn't.
You learn eventually, on your own, how to get over that hump and take life's punches for what they are. I'm not about to get all worked up or fuss about why I'm not making the dough. For me, it's not about that.

I love my job, even after days like today where there was a sick child in the pool.
I thoroughly enjoy my internship with BRIO; every single day I'm at this place is another chance to learn something new about the business of PR and how much I can continue to increase my search results as I report to both the PR Account Executive and PR Director.

So, now I ask you. Do you sacrifice the present for the future? No?

Then tell me what you would do if you woke up tomorrow with $0 to your name. #justsayin

Pieces of my resume - a great "layout" to consider

2010-02-21T20:38:00.000-08:00

I'm gonna "sell" myself to you and yet you only prefer 1 page of material, realistically? Okay, I know you'll accept two pages, as long as it's completely relevant to the position I'm applying for, but here my question: What do you want to see?

Well, I'll tell you what areas I could potentially show and tell you:

*My objective - to explain this in one sentence, for me, it would turn into a run-on sentence. I could do it the right way though, no problem!
*Education - simple enough
*Related/Work Experience - how is my background relevant to what you want in the perfect candidate
*Volunteer work - I want to do more; not because it looks good, but because I simply care
*Skills/Interests - what programs I know like the back of my hand (i.e. Microsoft Word)
*Activities - what personal experiences have I put myself through that allowed my character to build and add a different perspective to my outlook
*Related Coursework - I don't know why you'd be interested in this...shouldn't my education simplify this part?
*Honors/Awards - obvious
*Community Involvement - I know I don't need to know everything that's going on my community, but I bet you'd like to know what parts of the community projects that are going on intrigue me
*Campus Leadership/Involvement - University and/or Community College stuff
*Summary of Qualifications - what am I best at
*Memberships - PRSSA, etc...

There are similar categories here, I realize, but what I'm trying to get at is we all read words differently. For me, this was a picture painted of everything I could currently think of that would help me rewrite and present myself better and more in-depth on paper.

Just a thought! I mean, think about it. If you wanted to lose weight and just decided to go running at the gym and lift weights, is that really what your body needs? Or say your car needs a part replaced, but you need to figure out where specifically on/in the car you need to make a replacement. You're not gonna replace the whole windsheild if you just need a new set of wipers! Find out what your blue print is and go from there. It's always the best way to start anything out, or at least I think so!

P.S. No, I was never taught this in any class. This is just me looking at different angles and perspectives.

Twitter Tips

2010-02-21T19:36:00.000-08:00

I wrote these for a student originally and then thought it would be a great blog post.

1. Biography
Keep yours short and sweet. Think of it like a head line in a press release; it’s the meat and juice of who you are and what you do.

2. Don’t abuse #FollowFriday
It’s not your job to recommend people; it’s an option. If you feel there’s 50 people who your followers really could benefit from, then my suggestion would be to write a blog explaining what each of these 50 people have done to help you out. I’ve done this already (it’s not a list that long, but I plan on adding more to it). In the future, I plan on just tweeting the link out instead of multiple #ff. People will appreciate it.

3. Daily things
Don’t tweet about what you’re eating or drinking, unless you’re at a function and you can tie it into something professional.
Ex: you’re at #TwinCitiesSocialMediaUnderground (TCSMU) event or #YoungProfessionalCommunicatorsofTwinCities (YPCTC), etc…

4. Be you
Nothing irritates me more than someone who is tweeting about stuff just to sound important; you could potentially and eventually meet the people you’re having a conversation with in real life. Also, people talk. I just met someone last night who knows someone whose most likely getting canned, yet the employee has no idea it’s coming. Don’t talk the talk if you can’t walk the walk. I blogged about the fact that I used to just talk the talk and I openly admitted to it because I’ve changed and it’s all been for the better.
I don’t care if you tweet 5 times a day or 500 times a day; people who are interested in you (even potential employers) are watching you and are probably curious to know if you’re even getting any work done or if your tweets have any meat in them. Give people a reason to WANT to follow and talk about you and have conversations with you.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but don’t forget to help yourself (aka: do your research) before you just start asking questions. This is BIG part of PR.
We, GEN-Y is considered the “Disconnected” generation; THINK before you TWEET.

5. Quotes
If there’s a quote that is just striking your fancy & it really pertains and means something to you, tweet about it. If you’re just tweeting because you think it’ll give you “popularity” then do the following: stop, drop and roll (move) on.

6. Recognize your followers
I’m not saying find out where they were born, where they live and who their kids and best friends are; do your research and understand who it is you’re following. If this person was “important” enough for you to keep in contact with in the first place then do your research and find out who they are. Wouldn’t you want people to do the same for you?
Treat your followers how you want to be treated. Just because it’s virtual, doesn’t mean you’re going to know them and don’t assume you ever really know them. There’s a big difference between virtual and real life and people forget that.

7. Auto DM’s
They’re ANNOYING, especially AUTO TWEETS.
Only DM someone if you’ve gotten to know them and you feel it’s necessary. There are other factors that you’ll come to figure out in your own time.

8. Grammar-error free tweets
It bugs the CRAP outta me when people don’t spell words correctly. It’s perfectly acceptable to dismiss vowels or abbreviate where needed, as long as people can understand what you’re saying. @PRCog does this all the time actually. Sometimes, I have difficulty translating.

9. Recognize when someone RT’s your tweets
First off, this can get OUT OF HAND. People will thank you “so much” or “very much” or “thank you for the love” when you retweet their stuff. WHY?? You don’t know them, they don’t know you, and it was one tweet. This is along the lines of abusing #ff. Yes, it’s great people are recognizing that you’re recognizing something they believe in, but it can also get very annoying.
If someone retweets your tweet and you want to get to know them better, this is your chance to have an informative conversation and who knows what it could lead to! Ask them why they liked the article so much –because that’s the whole reason they RT’ed it. But then again, some people…you just gotta wonder what’s going through their head.

10. What is Twitter even all about??
"The best way I can explain Twitter to new folks is to say it’s like going to a networking event, but it runs 24/7 and you don’t have to leave home." This quote is from my friend Rochelle Vetruis’s Facebook whose friend was explaining Twitter to someone (I think) or maybe just giving his/her opinion. Veturis is a PR Professional out of Orange County, Cali.
FYI: If you don’t have a solid list of people to follow on twitter, it’s not going to make sense to you and you’re probably going to get stuck, and highly annoyed/irritated fast. Therefore, ask and ye shall receive.

Just a short list of my opinions. Let me know what you think and as always, please feel free to leave me a comment!!

Gaining ground in another light

2010-02-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Note: I originally wrote this Friday, Feb 12, but didn't have acccess to internet.

Today, I did the usual. I took Metro Transit from Minneapolis to Apple Valley and took my usual route home. Three quarters of the way home, I looked off to my right and there was the high school I attended.

It’s been just under a decade since I graduated. I’m currently not considering attending a reunion. My class didn’t have a five year reunion. Five years seems like a long time, until you get to the age I’m at.

Where has the time gone and who have I become? The last seven years have been absolutely mind-consuming filled with education, dating, staying up late, attending school functions, making it on my own, living with complete strangers, evolving into an adult , earning an education and the list continues. I’ve learned more lessons in the last year (almost…closer to 10 months) than in the last six years. I consider what other people’s lives consist of, whether it they’re classmates or others my age, what I wonder most is this: are they happy living the American Dream, or have they just been living?

For a while there, I was just living, but I was also enjoying my late nights, going out and being crazy with friends, working to pay the bills, the usual. I was being a college student.

I wondered if I’d ever figure it out when I was young, just what it is I wanted to do for a career. I can’t define an age and here’s why. I went to lunch February 11 with Jenna Bennett and we’re both in the same boat: we’re very happy about our current directions and the people in our lives, however she brought up an interesting statement. You could be 18, 26, 35, or even 55 and the question of “what do I want to do for the rest of my life” will come up. It’s inevitable it seems for those who are willing and daring to achieve everything between letters A through Z.
I saw a tweet about that the other day. People want security and those who want security are possibly the ones who won’t step out of their safety zone; they’ll go safely from A to B to C and won’t go to R if the in between future situations aren’t presented in a promising light. That isn’t to say they can’t achieve their hopeful accomplishments though. When I didn’t know what I wanted, I did this (went from point A to B to C) because that is how I was raised. I learned lessons in between when I decided to step out of what I knew (job security), for whatever reason (dumbest yet best decision I had ever made thus far) and I appreciate what I have now because even though it’s something I wasn’t quite after, I wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience what I’m so excited about waking up to today. Interestingly enough, on February 12, @PaulTTran tweeted an article about “forgetting retirement” and it’s a great article and I think it’s geared toward people who really care about their jobs and will probably never completely walk away from their career. That might be me? Sometimes I’d like to think I’m a rookie philanthropist, yet my feet might consistently be wet.

Everything I just mentioned in that paragraph just might be as true as it gets, as of now, for myself. As for work, I know what I want right now and I talk about my wishful hopes with a few confident mentors of mine who don’t see any reason I can’t do the things I’ve been so hopeful to go after and accomplish.

I will admit this though: I used to just talk the talk. Not such a fan of individuals who do this, so I’ve surrounded myself by go-getters! It feels amazing to be able to now talk about a subject matter, have resources (thank goodness I’m a chatter bug whose not afraid to try new things like Twitter and evolve with it) and then possibly have the option of seeing it come to life.

Those of you who have met me in real life, I can come off as quiet or unsure at first and maybe don’t talk as much as you would think. That’s because I’m taking in that moment, thinking about what I’m going to say and trying to find out who you are (even if I follow you on Twitter), what you do and tie that into your working atmosphere.
Hint: I look up at the ceiling –usually off to my right—as I’m thinking and I don’t want to open my mouth about a subject that I’m not well informed about and that subject just might be your job and what I can learn from you.
I find myself still getting trapped in these situations. It happened at a networking event I attended that I was checking out for the first time called Twin Cities Social Media Underground. I was talking with a Generation X lady (I cannot recall her name) and I was trying to explain a project that I’m working on without completely giving away the idea that I came up with. I was tripping over my own words and I embarrassed myself and all the meanwhile in the conversation, I was thinking “get your words together Rachel!! You’ve lost her attention span!” Ack! That’s the worse feeling in the world: failing to make sense of your words as you’re speaking.

All in all, I’m not just waking up, punching a clock and feeling pointless at my job or my internship or life in general. I’m learning, engaging, retrieving, adapting, evolving, pushing the envelope, thinking outside the box and forming relationships. I’m happy with the progress I’ve made, specifically in the last 10 months and it’s only going to get better.

Fundraising for schools

2010-02-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Target does it. And that's the only company I can currently think of, off the top of my head.

I keep thinking about the day I'll be an Aunt and I have so many things I have in mind to do for my niece(s)/nephew(s). I just though of this today, but I'm not doing research because I don't know if they'll be going to school in Prior Lake, Minn., or not. I want to be able to support the school district they attend, but I'm not sure what programs are still out there or what has been put on the back burner?

Things I've heard of in the past:

Collecting pop can tabs: I don't know what schools still do this. I'm not about ready to get on the phone and waste an entire afternoon figuring it out either.

Kwik Trip's "Moola for your Schoola": cut (from 1/2 galls plastic bags) the top of the bag off and bring it to your school --or something like this. Their one gallon jugs also have a 5 cent top you can keep while recycling in the end.

Is "Adopt A Highway" an option? I know Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts can do this.

Leave a URL, an idea or a program you already support. I'd love to hear about it!

Southern California

2010-02-07T08:06:00.000-08:00

Become who you are. It happens once in a life time.

I'm becoming who I want to be again --taking more vacations like I used to in high school-- and Twitter has a lot to do with who I've evolved to become over the past year. I've met quite a few amazing people, a lot of these people actually reside in SoCal. Maybe it's a sign?! *gasps* ;)
Paul Tran, Jenny Pollak and a few others would like to think this is true.

I went to Southern California in March 2005 for spring break with a cousin of mine who resides in Laramie, WY. I will never forget the college students we met from Flagstaff, AZ or the time when we parked illegally (long story --I'll tell you sometime if you're interested) just so we could go shopping, our boggie boarding adventures, whale watching, our unexpected $50 tab at Joe's Crab Shack in San Diego --we must have been hungry! There was plenty more.

I remember I had to changed plans once in Phoneix and the entire flight from Phoneix to California, I was looking out the window of the plane and was trying to recongize the boarder line so I could know for sure that I had finally reached California. It felt like it took a million years to get there.

It feels like it has taken a million years to get back there.

I'm going there again in the first part of May. I've decided this is the best month because swim lessons will be winding down as the spring air moves in and our outdoor pool at my site opens Memorial Day. It's going to be crazy busy and I expect numbers to quadrupal within the last few days of May before June comes around. The May weather in Southern California should be warming up, so I figured with all of this in consideration, the first or second week in May is perfect timing.

California, are you ready for me?!

Here's my list of things do:

1. Meet the following people:
@Global Patriot - Mark Lovett
@MissMotorMouth - Michelle Naranjo
@RochelleVeturis - Rochelle Veturis and her soon-to-be-hubby
@SimonLeung - Simon Leung
@ChelseyVeturis - Chelsey Veturis
@PaulTTran - Paul Tran and his girlfriend Jen Ho :)
@OC_Monica -Monica Mohler
@jonesin4cali - Jenny Pollak
@FasTak - Yacine Baroudi
@RachelAkay - Rachel Kay
@Lotay - Lotay Yang
@NealSchaffer - Neal Schaffer

I have feeling I'm still missing a few names here

2. Enjoy a bottle of fine wine with Mark Lovett and whom ever else would like to join us

3. Go to the HOLLYWOOD sign and get my picture taken - I'll be damned if I don't

4. Parasailing is a possibility, but not quite sure yet about keeping this on my list for sure.

5. Go to Universal Studios

6. Go to Disneyland

7. Take a couple of days to go on some hiking adventures

8. Go to Newport Beach; my show The OC filmed quite a bit in this area and I'm still a fanatic.

9. Visit Hollywood, Long Beach, Laguna, Los Angeles, San Diego; road trip anyone?! I just wanna do some site seeing.

10. Go to a winery

11. The list continues to build

I'm excited, beyond thrilled and ready to get out of MN again for a while.

I'm also looking at Timeshares in Southern California. I have a feeling I'll be going back to visit down there quite a bit. These friends of mine, who I have to even meet IRL have become like family to me.

There might be a part 2 later on with this blog. It's my one day off and I have much I want to do. :)

Management; from my professional & personal stand-point

2010-02-06T16:02:00.000-08:00

I woke up at 7:55 a.m. to teach my 8:55 a.m. private lesson. I knew I'd lay in bed for about 10 to 15 minutes, so I made sure to give myself that extra time I need. Today, was no exception.

I got ready and missed a phone call from my Life Time at about 8:15 a.m. It was one of the front desk employees whom I have a good relationship with. She left me a voicemail stating someone was there for swim lessons and that the Member told the front desk employee that her lesson was at 8:25 a.m. and had been there since 7:50 a.m. I called my colleauge back at about 8:35 a.m., just minutes before leaving my house and explained that I had an 8:55 a.m. lesson and that I'd be there in 10 minutes.

I get to the club and it's roughly 10 minutes before my lesson. I swiped in and talked to the two ladies at the front desk. Apparently my student was very upset, not thrilled and would be walking out to the front any minute as she changed from her swim suit back into her clothes and was apparently going to just leave.

I was expecting this person, my student, after I introduced myself to just begin snapping at me and have a very demanding tone, so I prepared for the inevitable.

I approached her and shook her hand explaining that there was a possible mis-communication between myself and the department head, even though I also received an e-mail the night before kindly reminding me of my 8:55 a.m. lesson.

My student didn't snap at me and she wasn't furious. If she was highly irritated, she hid it well.

As I listened to her side of the story, in my head I was thinking "Rachel, you can handle this much differently and further expand your explination as to what the rest of your morning entails. She'll understand it from that point of view." So, that's exactly what I did.

I explained that I also have 4 other lessons in the morning after hers is done and with Life Time's U-Swim School program, we have 5 minute 'breaks' between classes to talk to parents about their childs progress in the water. I explained I teach until 11:45 Saturday mornings and it would only make sense that we would begin her lesson at 8:55 a.m. because no matter what day we teach lessons, especially if it's in the morning, we never begin classes until typically 9 a.m., but we made an expection for this private lesson. I then said I had my suit on and I was ready to go and if we hurried, we could still get a 20-25 minute lesson in. She agreed and understood. I was thankful.

What I did? I apologized, explained myself and without even thinking about it I didn't even compromise her morning and allow her to leave empty handed. A part of Life Time's mission is to provide uncompromising quality within the Members experience and/or educational experience. This was a double whammy for me and I excelled within the experience with intregrity and a mission to not let her just walk away.

To end on a super high note, we had an awesome lesson and we had a few good laughs in between. I also figured out her experience in the water --she has none and I think she was embarrassed about this. This was awesome news to me because I now have the ability to really make a difference in her life and I'm excited about it! I also explained that it's never too late to learn how to swim and I have students who are 8 years old who cannot float without assistance and was quick to add in that no matter what age you are, every person progresses at their own pace. That made her much more comfortable. I encouraged her to practice outside of class so she could get as much out of these lessons as possible.

There was more to it, but I made all the right steps and she left with a huge smile on her face. That is the difference with Life Time Fitness. We're not a gym, we're "...a healthy way of life company." We strive for educational experiences, and we strive for nothing less than excellence within every opportunity.

Changing my ways

2010-02-04T20:03:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking recently about how I've transitioned more into social media.

I graduated from MN State University, Mankato in May 2009 with my bachelors of science in Mass Communications with an emphasis in public relations and I was damned to land a job. I thought I kinda for the most part 'knew it all'. *chuckles to self*

Well, I landed a job with Life Time Fitness, Inc. as a Lifeguard in early July 2007.

Okay, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

No, I lied. This isn't what I had in mind at all when I graduated.

I remember sitting in on my bed, where I am now and where I tend to write my blogs, and I thought to myself, "I should get back into Aquatics. I loved it when I was in high school, I had fun and I should do that again."

So, I paid my dues and took the American Red Cross Lifeguarding Certification class in June 2009.

Fast forward eight months. :)

I went from a lifeguard to an aquatics supervisor to an acting department head (we had a few issues within the department) in five months. We now have a new department head and business is running smoothly. I'm still a supervisor and I've been teaching swim lessons for six months, yet it feels like I've been doing it for much longer and it is such a rewarding job on so many levels.

I wanted to bring public relations into the aquatics department so I contacted my General Manager, Terrell Battle via e-mail, explaining how I wanted to market the aquatics U-Swim School program as well as our Swim Team and Master Swim program. After jumping through a few loops, I was given the name Robert Stanke.

I couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, again. :)

I have been following Bob (as he prefers) on Twitter, since February 2009, just weeks after I joined Twitter. I must have found him through a #FollowFriday recommendation. I've been following his blog for sometime now and then I connected with him on Facebook just recently. I take his opinions and what he has to say seriously and read his blog daily, if I can. I just assume there's a new blog every time because he has ideas coming out faster than he can type, or so it seems. I'm so glad to be connected with him!

With public relations, I had this idea in my head to find out who the followers were for Life Time Fitness on Twitter and Bob, I believe, is the one who updates LTF's status on Twitter. I wanted to do some marketing on there for our program at the Lakeville site. My thought process runs deepers than this, but I won't bore you with details. Turns out, it wasn't needed at all, but I also never had the chance to complete my mission even after my discovery. It didn't matter. We currently have a waiting list of parents who want to put their kids in our program. Come March, we will have surpassed our revenue goals as we have six guards going through our U-Swim School training. Word of mouth is what has kept our program going strong since we changed Continuous U-Swim School in September.

I don't know what it is going to take or when it is going to happen, but I'm not seeing the green light quite yet in regards to me feeling completely comfortable within public relations, regardless of others opinions about my knowledge. However, I truly appreicate the comments. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself? We're all always learning because the second we understand techology is the second it seems to change on us (this is the only example I can think of off the top of my head); reformating, new layouts, new looks, better quality. It can be intimdating, yet encouraging.

I like to talk...quite a bit. But I try my best to remember that it's not about me; it's about everyone else around me. I listen closely, I execute after realizing the actions that need to take part in the project and even when I'm not sure what it is I'm doing, I keep moving forward. I have so much support from friends and family, I couldn't imagine where I'd be emotionally and mentally without the amazing people I have surrounded myself by.

What am I doing to change? At my internship with BRIO, I'm beginning to research more. I investigate. I read blogs. I click on tweeted links -on Twitter- that are of interest to me. I'm noticing many patterns in public relations; the same rules apply and there plenty of them; there are many "golden rules" to not "disobey."

I feel sometimes that because of my inefficiencies (as I have so much to learn about pr), there is a possibility that I will slow others productiveness down and irritate them. I don't want this.

I want to be taken seriously. I want to engage. So, I follow and I try to replicate others work, yet use my own creativity and wording. I love pr and I want to understand it and social media. I want to be a professional, yet still have fun. I can't always get what I want to say out; this is why I thoroughly enjoy engaging in deep conversations over a delicious meal and possibly a few drinks on the side. Although sometimes, it depends on my mood and who I'm with. :)

Crazy, busy, but good stuff!

2010-01-26T18:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Followers, Tweeps and Friends -

I told myself that 2010 was going to be a year of change for me. I also told myself no more "what ifs" or "wish I would haves" are allowed.

Here's what's been my life for the past month.

I have been pushing myself to the limit, nearly every day of every week so far. I pack snacks -try to eat my "7 small meals", I've been waking up at nearly 6:30 or 8 a.m. depending on what day of the week it is, I'm doing my best to run 1.5 miles every day at Life Time Fitness. If I don't get my run in, I don't kick myself. Tonight, I didn't get that run in because I tend to be a bit of a night owl even with my schedule and didn't get to bed early enough last night. I'm also lifting weights and taking two new classes: MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and No Limits. I'm working on a Cycling class as well since I'm doing the Lakeville Life Time Fitness Triathalon March 14. I think that's the correct date.

Work at Life Time is busy, but fun and interactive. I appreciate my team, the lifeguards, swim instructors, our director and the Departments Heads in other areas of the club. We have a fantastic General Manager, Terrell Battle who I try and say hi to and touch base with every time I work. Which reminds me, I have a couple of things I want him to know before this week ends.

I teach 51 students every week and I have been pushing some students to their limit --the parents have been appreciating it, cheering their children along with me and their kids trust me, even when they think they cannot do the "impossible." When I left work last Saturday morning and walked through the Family Locker Room, I heard at least 3 kids saying "Bye Ms. Rachel!! Bye Ms. Rachel!!" It makes my heart smile. I'm getting feedback from our deck supervisor and director telling me how much my kids' parents adore my teaching skills and how "fantastic" they think I am. This is unbelieveably encouraging. I'm not really one to brag, but this makes me feel so good as a person, employee and mentor. I'm making myself more valuable to this company and this is part of our Vision Statement.

This evening when I met @AndreaKopfmann at Caribou in Lakeville, a lady (I think a manager) recognized me and asked me if I teach swim lessons at Life Time. Haha. :)

I've been interning at BRIO and we have a fabulous, brand-spankin new layout. I love it! I've been writing book reviews, making phone calls for book donations, speaking engagements, writing blogs and soon, I'll be going on a couple tours. I'm choosing to not disclose much information about that yet. Been learning a lot about writing and the classroom textbook information is coming back and I'm being reminded of good things.

What else is new? My schedule is nearly booked until beginning of April, but I make time for friends and family still, even if we have to plan out a couple of weeks or months if you wanna hang out with @SimonLeung. This is typical, right? FYI, until April, Saturday's and Sunday's work best, but I can make exceptions ;)

I still have not gone ice fishing (what the heck?!), I think I'm hitting the slopes soon to learn how to snowboard with @kareemy --I've been putting this on hold now for years. I used to ski all the time when I was younger.

I'm beginning to work on a project I hope to put on paper and present to Life Time Fitness someday with @robertstanke and other Life Timers, if they so choose to jump on board. I'll disclose details later. *cue heavy Beethoven piano music* :)

I believe this is about everything I've been doing with my time. I still don't have internet on my phone. I'm too stubborn for technology sometimes. Maybe it's for the better. :)

Thanks for reading tweeps. Comments/feedback are always welcome here.

PR Tips

2010-01-26T12:39:00.000-08:00

Achieving a degree in Mass Communications paves a road for those who want to submerge themselves into the world of social media.

First and foremost, journalists and public relations practitioners know social media is a business world and the most important first step in to maintain 100 percent credibility; you will go no where quickly without it.

Second step is to know your audience as it's your job to keep them interested and informed. Third step is simple, yet difficult for some: follow through with clients and continue to make those connections personable. People like to see and hear their name.

Find ways to campaign your message -or product- that will keep your audience captivated and hungry for more. Social media is filled with opportunities of different kinds as it's a fast-paced world, constantly changing and evolving every day. There are many different ways to communicate and reach out to the public; fundraisers, press releases, networking, meet-ups, marketing pojects, advertising, blog posts and list goes on and on.

Strategic commuication and campaigning go hand in hand as social media is a conversation.

Be present, be on time, know your facts, and be ready to brace to unexpected.

Bottom line, if you cannot connect with people, you simply won't be successful in the business world.

Twitter #FollowFriday list

2010-01-15T22:30:00.001-08:00

"Too often, we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." -- Leo Buscaglia

I've been doing my best to change my way of life for the past two years and only recently has it gotten easier for me, but alas, I'm still growing. I want to be surrounded by people who make me a better person, virtual or not. I want to continue to pursue and change my attitude so that instead instead of walking "a mile in someone shoes", I'm constantly learning and growing with them. This life is all we have and I want to make the most of it.

"Live with intention. Walk to the edge. Listen hard. Practice wellness. Play with abandon. Laugh. Choose with no regret. Continue to learn. Appreciate your friends. Do what you love. Live as if this is all there is." -- Mary Anne Radmacher

I have many followers and I'm proud of this. I feel like I have 10 new people I want others to know and 10 people who I'm constantly mentioning on Twitter for others to follow. This is a list of people who encourage me daily, in one way or another and I appreciate the relationship I have with each one, for different reasons. People I meet along the way on Twitter, I will most likely add to this list.

Here's people who I follow that definitely stick with me and I think of through-out most of my days during the week.

@PRSarahEvans; location - Elgin, Illinois. I'm a huge, huge fan of Sarah's. Never met her in real life, but plan on attempting to make that happen in 2010. She is an entrepreneur and began her own media consulting company, Sevans Strategy, in 2009. She is the founder of #journchat, the top-trending weekly live chat between PR professionals, journalists and bloggers, taking place on Monday evenings. She is also a guest-writer for Mashable, founded by Pete Cashmore (@mashable) which is one of the most popular social media blogs in the world. You can also find her on Facebook, and at any given time, she's bound to be wearing one of these --after all, someday she just might own them! ;)

@Scott_Bryant; location - Portland. Scott loves to make you laugh, is a great photographer and is a lover of life who opens my eyes through his blog. I'm looking forward to meeting him this year, most likely this summer. He's a great friend, has a huge huge heart and makes animated voice-overs that are entertaining in a way that make you smile because you know he's having fun and is testing out new areas. Add him on Facebook, click on his videos, and you'll see what I mean.

His catch phrase seems to be "never put all of your eggs in one basket." He's a smart guy.

@RochelleVeturis; location - Orange County, California. Rochelle brings inspiration to my life, is a great mentor, advocate, peer, lover of life, Tweet Meet Ups and belongs to the #OCTriumvirate (she's the oldest and her sisters are listed next on my list). They also have @ourdogally, who is probably the most popular pup on Twitter. So many amazing things to say about this lady and I'm thankful to have found her on Twitter.

@ChelseyVeturis; location - Orange County, California. Chelsey is funny, inspirational, lover of life and understands not only how to form relationships, but keeps her relationship with those she runs into growing. It's not an easy thing to do as we all know.

@ReporterHaley; location - Orange County, California. Haley has so much going for her! Check out her DNA Blog! This girl has got it going on. I love her attitude and the way she carries herself. She's sweet, fun and I enjoy our conversations!

@PaulTTran; location - Orange County, California. Paul is a comedian in his other life. Funny, inspiring, businessman, knowledgeable, keeps in close contact with you and cares about people. Apparently he's broken a few karaoke machines --according to his bio on Twitter-- and this made me laugh in a very good way. I think he loves singing as much as I do. Someday, we'll sing a duet together. Oh and if you ever get sick of my hashtag humor *nudges Paul*, I blame it aaaaaaaaall on this guy! ;)

@TCTHURHAPPYHOUR; location - Minneapolis. I've met Jeff Nolan in person once; great guy who means well. He's the founder of Twin Cities Thursday Happy Hour. It's a very popular event where you meet other business people for drinks once a month, generally downtown Minneapolis and it's typically the 3rd Thursday of every month. You can check out more here.

@Lotay; location - Los Angeles. Lotay Yang is the CEO of Black Card Circle and when I catch his tweets, I know he means business. That's the main reason I follow him. I like my humor, but business is business. I plan on meeting him this summer as well when I visit SoCal, if it all works out well that is. He's so busy!

@GlobalPatriot; location - San Diego. Mark Lovett is a great friend of mine who I'll also be meeting with this summer. His Web site is very informative about what's going on in the world and I don't get nearly enough chances to talk with him as much as I'd like to. He's a kind-hearted man who seems to always be willing to go out of his way to make the world we live in a better place.

@kshoop; location - Minneapolis. I met Katie in person shortly after we were connected on Twitter. She is the host of #YPCTC on Twitter and there's also a YPCTC Facebook fan page . Great individual whose smart, savvy, lives with intention, challenges herself in different ways when she gets stuck, we can bounce ideas off each other. All sorts of fun things come to mind that I wouldn't have thought of before when we get really 'deep' into our conversations. I really like PR people like her.

@DannyBrown; location - Burlington, ON, Canada. CEO of 12for12K and you can read all about it here. He's making a difference once again by raising more funds for Haiti. I don't think he needs anymore of an introduction. :)

@Admore; location - Detroit, Michigan. David is always in the back of my mind pushing me to thinking 'small', but do big things in relations to something I randomly one day decided to call #RRTweetMeetUp. The first one is apparently taking place next Thursday, Jan. 28 here. David is indefinitely a "sky is the limit" kind of guy, much like @RobertStanke, which is why I enjoy the company of these guys. A hashtag that David has 'made' me become familiar with? #MakeItHappen. I like it. I have a lot of learning yet to do and he's another mentor of mine!

@RobertStanke; location - Minneapolis. Bob is a colleague of mine at Life Time Fitness, Inc., who I'm looking forward to collaborating with in the near future. He has big ideas, always stretches for better ways make "this" or "that" easier or better and more convenient for us to live this life with even more intention. He listens, executes, he pushes himself to try new things and is a very, very busy guy with a lot on his plate right now. But, there is much that I even have yet to learn from him and I think you'd learn a lot from him too if you submerge yourself into his world.

@SimonlLeung; location - EVERYWHERE. Simon Leung is the guy who seems to always wear sunglasses, is traveling and is never in one place for longer than one month or so. He's an online marketer and you can get to know him much better here.

@MissMotorMouth; location - Los Angeles. Michelle loves cars. She loves to blog about cars, too. In fact, I'm a big fan and I'm somewhat of a gear head myself, but I trust few people when it comes to mechanics since I'm very much weary of being ripped off, just because I'm a female. So, why not turn to an expert? Michelle is funny, sweet and has great advice. She might even be able to help you solve your car troubles.

@Switchfoot; location - San Diego (and everywhere else). Switchfoot is Jon Foreman, Tim Foreman, Chad Butler, Jerome Fontamillas and Drew Shirley. My opinion is obviously completely biased, but these guys are about as down to earth as can be, yet their music/lyrics is powerful beyond my own explination. They live very private personal lives, yet reach millions of people and changes lives with their music. I first fell in love with their song Dare You To Move back in 2002 or 2003 when I saw the movie A Walk To Remember. There's no "specific" reason for you to follow them. They're just an amazing band whose music and messages I've fallin in love with.
I met Jon Foreman back in October 2009. I'll just say, he didn't seem to thrilled to take the picture, but I was estatic to have the chance to meet him in Minneapolis after the Music Builds Tour.

I'm going to end this with the following:

"The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for never and richer experience." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. DISCOVER." -- Unknown

To those of you who push me everyday, thank you. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.

Your chance to get to know me a little better

2010-01-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

This will be the most random note you'll ever read about me, but I encourage you to do one for yourself, for the public to see.

- I hate the sound of slamming cupboard doors; it seriously puts my stomach in a knot.
- I love the spotlight when on stage, but can't stand the media frenzy -- someone tell me how this even makes sense. :)
- I hate being put on the spot and depending on circumstances, I like to think things through.
- I love diet coke --but I find myself drinking less of it the more I work out.
- Belly button piercings take me back to 1998; I don't like them.
- I'm not a big on life stories in a 10-minute pitch; I'd rather learn what your story is over a period of 10 years.
- I love salt and used to not like black pepper . . . now, I like both.
- I'm a very strong spirited @Switchfoot fan who believes that no matter what you feel, attitude will take you as far as you wanna go.
- I want(ed) meet two people and know them personally. Unfortunately, one of them died my favorite month in the year of 2009. The other, ask and I might reveal the answer.
- One person I want to meet again and get to know better dropped out of college who lives in San Diego, but thrives on his Faith, music and surfing; he's in a band whose motto for their fans is "Friend of the Foot."
- I wish that silver looked good on my fingers. It doesn't, therefore I'm hoping I can settle for Platinum but I've heard that's not the best quality and gets beat up over time.
- I love camoflauge more than I think I should, as well as silver colored skeleton heads, as jewerly (i.e. rings).
- One huge reason I loved being 24; the song 24 written by Jon Foreman of Switchfoot.
- I love converse shoes; I don't tend to dress emo, but that's the one shoe I really like
- I wear my Ugs on the daily basis, as well as flip flops. Considering I have a job that requires me to be in the water a lot, especially during the winter time? Yeah, you would too.
- I can't stand it when cockiness overcomes the real reason for pride.

Random, but I'm trying to step out of my comfort zone here and see if anyone else is willing to follow.

Putting a filter...on your opinions?

2010-01-08T18:39:00.000-08:00

Finding the "happy medium" is hard. But if you do it the right way, you gain respect from your peers and you feel better about yourself. Or maybe I'll have a different perspective at the end of this blog?

When I worked for Kwik Trip Inc., in Rochester, Minn., I was still a teenager and I remember applying for the job because my friend, now aquaintence, Chad Stokes worked at one also in the same town. He loved it and I just wanted a job cause I wasn't taking advantage of the work study on campus (yuck), but didn't feel I needed one.

I was hired less than one week after I interviewed with Joe Storks, who became my manager and was the store leader. Stokes no longer works for the company and has since moved to Tennessee. Storks does however, he's moved up in the company.

At the time, my personality was still growing (and always will be), my maturity was so-so, my attitude needed a lot of polishing and little did I know I'd learn to "manage" people, even though I was never a manager for this company. I didn't have a "filter" at work; I said what was on my mind, but was careful with my words most of the time, I made friends with co-workers and went out with those co-workers to party and have good times. It was, in a nutshell my college job that helped me pay bills and go out with friends.

People still accepted me for who I was because I meant well.

I no longer work for the company, as I've moved on and found better opportunities for myself that fit me better.

With Life Time Fitness, Inc., (I was hired in July 2009), I was beyond thankful to finally have a job again. At this point, I had not worked for Kwik Trip Inc., for a couple years and I had a couple odds and ends jobs in between: I wasn't jumping over the moon when I got these jobs because they were "dead end" to me and just a paycheck. Ouch? Not so much. Different boats for differents folks is what I say.

In a nutshell: I was back in aquatics and felt that it was where I needed to be and had something that finally could make me feel like a human being again.

What's different about LTF? It's a healthy way of life company and I'm not saying that just because it's part of our mission statement. I'm also not trying to sound savvy or sell anything. The general manager at the Lakeville location treats his employees very well. He's one of those once-in-a-blue-moon managers who is approachable and realistic. Because he treats us well, we have a better attitude and treat our Members with pride and respect, too!

As for this "filter" I'm thinking about with this post, I'm referring to walking a mile in someone elses shoes. Don't speak too soon, especially if it's just for gossip. I'm not gonna say anything more regarding that.

Professionalisim: when you take time to understand and you talk to people, and you don't talk down to other people just because you're "higher" than them on the ladder in a corporate setting. You lose credibility fast and you might as well just stand still in the sinking sand.

When can you take the filter down a notch though, yet still keep your credibility?? I'm in tough spot and I'm looking for answers. I understand it's also a learning experience and another part of management.

I take pride in my line of work. It's rewarding, it's fun, I'm constantly learning and the free membership isn't bad either. ;)

I have so much more to say, but don't need this to be a mile long.

Looking forward to meeting @RobertStanke (Corporate LTF employee) though at the end of this month!! :)

Have You Heard About The Lonesome Loser

2009-12-28T12:03:00.000-08:00

"Have you heard about the lonesome loser? Beaten by the queen of hearts everytime. Have you heard about the lonesome loser? He's a loser but he still keep on trying." http://www.oldielyrics.com/lyrics/little_river_band/lonesome_loser.html

Dear Lonesome Loser -
Embarrased. A word anyone could use to sum up the idea that when you don't check multiple [reliable] sources, false statements spread faster than the flu [it is still that time of year] and your credit then weakens.

That's all it takes in social media. One mass communicated false statement. Wave goodbye to your credibility because no one has time for you.

People look for attention to get their name out there.

I was not amused by a hoax message someone started from a Web site called Fake A Wish. http://www.fakeawish.com/ The sick rumor spread fast.

From this day forward, I was allowed one failed statement and I'm thankful that those who follow me on Twitter who accepted my apology for believing something to be true, before I checked multiple sources to confirm what I had read from someone who tweeted about the same thing just minutes before my own tweet on twitter. I'll keep that persons identity annoymous because I know this person means well.

Admit up to your mistakes. If you think about it, this can actually help you keep your credibility. Don't point the finger at someone else when you know what's been done. Speak up because the truth shall set you free.

I still think about that white sparkly glove and then just recently, after Brittany Murphy's death, which is still being investigated http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany_Murphy I thought to myself "please, please no more."

To whomever started the nasty rumor today about a certain actress: get off your couch and do something that's worth your time. Stop being dramatic and hurtful. It's gotten you noticed, but it will get you no where.

Any advice from the professionals? I'll take it!

2009-12-27T21:41:00.000-08:00

The following credits @PRSarahEvans and http://www.sevansstrategy.com/

"Business is a contact sport.

Ther are millions and millions of conversations happening out there, right now. That's a powerful thing. Social media is essential if you start to intergrate it into your business or your organization. There are uses for customer service, for fundraising, for buiness development, for marketing, for advertising. The list goes on and on. You could have the strongest brand in the world or the best CEO, and if they can't connect with people, it's not going to work. It's about going to where your customers are talking about you and finding the right time to jump in and become a part of it. There is so much that goes into that and it always goes back to that strategy and buying from the right people and making sure that the right people are actually using the tools well.

Social media is a conversation.

Maybe we should talk."

I don't feel feel popular enough in media. What can I use as my voice so I can become heard? A blog is only going to get me so far.

Social media is connecting and using strategies and having the right tools.

An LV enV Touch isn't going to get me further just because I could have access to the internet --as in Facebook, Twitter, etc. I have, however, upgraded to a new phone, but it probably wouldn't be to @simonleung's standards. :)

I'm not worried about my daily voice and connecting with people since I do that at work; I know I have a great reputation there. @LifeTimeFitness has a mission and as for my line of work, I do my best to provide an educational, entertaining, fun and innovative experience of uncompromising quality. I connnect with Members daily in Aquatics and I do my best to intrigue non-members to become Members who are interested in putting their kids in our U-Swim School program. We offer great rates, reasonable prices and our instructors are first aid, cpr/aed certified.

Go ahead! Check it out for yourself: http://www.blogger.com/www.lifetimefitness.mylt.com/index.jspa We are located in 19 states.

My biggest problem right now, is finding my voice in social media.

I wanted to create something called #RRTweetMeetUp. In fact, I just wrote a blog about it December 19, 2009. The intent of this was to have people meet at a restaurant in Savage, Minn., called Axel's Bonfire and your "ticket" in was to bring non-perishable foods. So far, there's two people confirmed; myself and another graduate from Minnesota State University, Mankato, who I graduated with named Rachel (@rachellaitala). Pretty sure I'm cancelling it until I have a bigger voice and know more about what I need to do to get the word out there. I tweeted about it consistently for a while, made a Facebook event (nobody has "confirmed" their attendance --I even invited a very popular figure in the midwest, but I'm assuming they won't attend) and I blogged about it.

I don't have a 'team' to work with, but I connect with people from Southern California and Los Angeles area almost daily; @PaulTTran @RochelleVeturis @ReporterHaley @GlobalPatriot and even in Portland @Scott_Bryant! Can't forget about the East Coast, though, I'm specifically referring to @PRCog.

These people know how powerful social media is, so I ask them for tips every so often, not that the other 1,000+ people that are following me don't have advice. Unfortunately, 160 characters is not going to get me much.

Another reason I majored in Mass Communications? It's hands-on. It intrigues me. It's so broad, yet so definied.

People don't have time to teach me and in this business, things change constantly --just had a conversation with @RochelleVeturis about this and I couldn't agree with her more. We are all always learning in social media, even the pros. The classroom didn't teach me enough and I haven't "worked" and/or really been truly exposed to social media in six months; I feel like I'm losing ground and the education I paid for is 'slipping' away.

I don't attend social media events enough, but I'm not sure if that's going to be the trigger to make something happen because I'm learning that having a drink at a bar is great, but I also don't really have much reason to go because I'm not sure why it is I'm even going.

Example: there's a room with 300 people in it and I want to make it to at least 20 people in the 3 hours I have. That's not going to happen . . . I'll make it to12 of them if I'm lucky since most conversations last 10-15 minutes? I'm a talker and very, very guilty of this crime, but I've also learned that I have two ears and one mouth for a reason. I need to always keep that in mind that my next biggest problem is I'm very personable. I like to connect with people and in order to really connect, I need more than 15 minutes of their time.

What also doesn't help is that I have so much I want to do (making a difference in the lives of other people) and realize that making a list would help, but I don't know where to start.

It also rolls back to the bigger problem that I'm not popular enough in social media to be noticed. How do you get noticed?

Experience is that thing you need and don't get it until just after you need it. This might just be me at the end of my internship with BRIO, a publishing company in the heart of downtown Minneapolis. But hey! At least I'm getting back into the ball park and I know I'll be to make great networking connections through the 3-month internship.

Time To Live Life Out Loud

2009-12-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

A few things I have on mind.

No more just "sitting around" for me. Not that I've really been able to do that much recently since things have started moving in positive directions for me. But it's because of my drive, dedication and stubborness, that I'm even in a place where life has taken a turn for the better and return, it's given me a chance to really . . . spread my wings.

I'm going to stick with the "routine" words now, even though I usually choose to not follow the crowd, but maybe it's time to try following the crowd, yet using my voice as I gain experience in areas that draw me into opportunities that can allow me to help other people achieve their goals?

Original doesn't have to always be boring; you just have to learn when to speak up. :)

1. I'm not breaking any rules here when I say that I have a free membership to @LifeTimeFitness. Go ahead, follow them on Twitter. In fact, you might as well follow @RobertStanke, too, since he's the one (from what I know) that updates the Twitter account.

I want to actually utilize the LTF facility I work at and I want to live a "healthy way of life company." And by gosh by golly, I am an employee, so technically by not taking advantage of what the company has to offer, I'm not leading by our own example. I know how terribly cheesy that sounds.

2. I want to earn my private pilots license.

I have an opportunity not many people have. My StepDad has a 19 seventy-something plane that he bought from his Dad who passed away a while ago. I have the book right behind me, just waiting to get read. My problem? I'm so hands-on, that it's hard to focus and I really need a teacher telling me what to do, or just super good direction, otherwise, I never seem to hang on for long.

3. I began blogging almost one year ago and I had to for participation points for the my Mass Communications Campaigns class. I should blog more often.

4. I have an amazing family who knows me better than I know myself, sometimes. I want to start giving back to them and I'm gonna do my best to do so.

5. Family does come first for me, but friends are good for the soul. That's about all I have to say about that.

6. I want to take actual vacations this year and really start traveling. It'll be a year in May since my last vacation. I just feel better about life when I can get outta town for a little while.

There's more, but that's because there's always self-improvement to be made.

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!!

Tweet Meet Up: Bring a Non-Perishable Item

2009-12-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

This will be the first #RRTweetMeetUp (Rachel Ryan Tweet Meet Up) I host.

When: CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Time: TBD
City/State: Savage, MN
Location: Axel's Bonfire
Address: 14120 S. Hwy 13

Web Site:

http://www.axelsbonfire.com/locations/mn/savage

Before you walk in the door, I will be collecting non-perishable food to bring to the local food shelf. Please have items in a brown paper bag.

I'm working on finding a key note speaker to talk about how we can help dominate and decrease the number of people who struggle to put enough food on the table and often go to bed hungry . . . who knows?! If I run out of time, it might just end up being me!
I'm also going to be working on finding a sponsor so there can be a possible drawing for a gift card at the end! Ideas are still pending.

Not only is it that time of the year where it's time for "giving", but I'd like to create a better New Year for those who struggle daily to not only feed themselves, but their own familes.

Let's make 2010 a better year for those in need!

Thank you for your help and your support!!

In order for me to get a good head count, I'd prefer if you RSVP'ed by leaving a comment letting me know how many people you plan on bringing with you. If it's just yourself, please say "1".

Jeep Wrangler X (Sport)

2009-09-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

I am a huge, huge fan of Jeep Wranglers. I found this Jeep beginning of June and went back to the lot a few times thereafter to make sure she wasn't sold yet. Quite literally two weeks before I had everything straightened out, I went back to the lot just one more time, only this time to test drive her. I was going to make sure she ran smooth and drool over her one more time.

It was destined to be mine. I was finally (after three years (lots of searching)), buying the Jeep of my dreams.

When I got to the lot she was gone. Someone else thought she was just amazing as I did and I'm pretty sure it was someone in my graduating high school class who bought it since I recongized the name. I asked the car dealer who he sold it to.

If anyone knows of anyone else whose selling a Jeep Wrangler X (Sport) -like this one- that is a manual, please let me know. If the price is right, I'll consider putting down an offer.

I know it's weird to blog about this, but I've been looking pretty seriously for the past month now and it's hard to come across one that you don't have to make many re-visions to.

Set your own rules and see what happens

2009-07-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

I have rules in my life that I've set for myself.

1. Surround yourself with people who are positive and meaningful

Such a natural progression and very easy to do, yet very easy to not do. Recently and not so recently, I've recognized individuals who either throw themselves a pitty part and expect sympathy or they expect you to revolve your schedule around theirs.

I have learned what "live your life to the fullest" means. If you have not, I truely hope you get to that point, sooner than later.

2. Don't let people push you around; this doesn't mean to not take advice

Are you an expert who knows what you're doing as you progress into the area you are choosing to subject yourself to the most?
Example: it took me a few tries to 'get' how to write a cover letter. This tool is essential for me, especially in the job market as I find the best fit for myself. What I like about writing a cover letter is that it makes me think about my jobs, what I've done and how my experience is relative to the companies needs. You have to get straight the point for each job you're writing about (if that's the route you choose to take), making sure you get at least three 'bullet points' as you explain why you're the best candidate.
I have been learning that you must trust yourself and not play "dumb"; if you put yourself in the readers shoes, are you giving them what they want? If you haven't, or something doesn't match up, or you feel unsure of your pitch, don't ask someone else to read it. Make it work. Apply yourself. Think. Then ask.

Helpful hint: I worked for Kwik Trip Inc. http://www.kwiktrip.com/ for four years; I did a LOT more than I thought and realized that after I wrote it out; it equaled at least a page in a Word document). This helped me to break down (yet see the entire picture) and quickly explain what I wanted the reader to know.

3. So when you get the chance, are you gonna take it?

It's a really big, mean and cruel world out there. It also depends what part of the world you've choosen to live in, the culture in which you were raised and the ethics you've learned. Everyone knows at least this much. However, I believe at least 90 percent of people out there want to help you get to where you want to be, but you need to know who you are and what direction you're headed. Going back to rule No. 1; Surround yourself with people who are positive and meaningful.

4. Don't be fake and pretend that you know more than you do or try be someone you're not

This is the biggest turn off. If you can't walk the walk, then ask someone how you can walk the walk. Don't be afraid to stand out, but you have to know who you are before you can really stand out and shine.

5. Big salary, boring job, horrid hours?

Rewinding time a tiny bit here. When I was a junior or senior in high school, one of the things I had to do was take time out in the classroom to figure out the direction I wanted to go in when it came time to apply to universities and colleges.
Bad news: If the job paid big money, I went after it, but then realized the education I'd have to receive (it job would require me to know micro and macro economics) and this was a big turn off for me.

I had a much different attitude in high school and I didn't know it, but I at the age of 18, I was completely unaware of who I really wanted to be. I knew what I wanted to be, I knew where I really wanted to go and I knew that I wanted to make a lot of money. Keep in mind, 'a lot of money' to me was $50K. Go ahead...laugh. I just did! :)

These five rules have lead me to where I'm at now and where I'm headed.

If you do what you love
If you surround yourself with people who are positive and meaningful
If you don't let people push you around, but take their advice to heart and learn from it
So that when you get the chance, you can take it and you know in your heart that you're
Not being fake and pretending that you know more than you do or try be someone you're not,
You'll eventually find peace, be comfortable in your earnings and you won't be bored in this life.

The one thing I can't gurantee anyone though is this: you might have to put up with the rain, aka, icky hours.

In the end, it's up to you. But I've learned over a period of years that this is how it works. Oh and by the way, I'm still learning. I've accepted more today than yesterday or the day before that the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.

California Trip in December; Looking for your advice

2009-07-06T10:18:00.001-07:00

Do you live in California? I'm not focused on one area in particular.

I was sorting through a few things in my closet that needed to be put in boxes and I happened to run across this book:

CALIFORNIA'S COASTAL PARKS: A Day Hiker's Guide

I've spoken to @GlobalPatriot and @LeonardoZ about my up and coming trip in December from the 4th to the 11th at the lastest to California.

First off, dates have yet to be officially set, which means the plane tickets have not been bought. My friend and I will be flying since we're taking a rather short trip, but we're looking to schedule in beautiful hikes, a wine tasting hosted by @GlobalPatriot, a few touristy attractions and hopefully at the end of the day, we'll be stayin in a decently priced hotel that is reasonably clean.

We will most likely fly into San Diego for two reasons, one of them a being a wine tasting that will be scheduled at the beginning of our trip and the other being it's less expensive from what I've heard to fly there rather than San Fransico.

Any guidance would be appreciated!

It's been a while

2009-06-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

"At twenty years of age
I'm still looking for a dream
A war is already waged
For my destiny
But you've already won the battle
And you've got great plans for me
Though I can't always see

Cause I've got a couple dents in my fender
Got a couple rips in my jeans
Tryin to fit the pieces together
But perfection is my enemy
And on my own I'm so clumsy
But on your shoulders I can see
I'm free to be me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujenRXDu2Ik

Anyone can relate to this song, no matter how many years young you are.

Not sure exactly what I'm after in this blog, but I do know that many lives have been taken in the past week: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays, Ed McMahon and a 24-year-old lady from Fort Worth, TX, Megan Porter (also known on Twitter as @megapixel).

I'd say that's five too many, but there are reasons for everything and it's made me come to the conclusion regarding the following that is a combined quote of two: "wake up each morning as if it were your first day and live it like it's going to be your last."

I'm going to do my best to blog weekly about whatever it is that is on my mind and today, I really don't have a whole lot to say except I'm doing a nationwide search for communications positions on LinkedIn. I'd prefer to find entry-level marketing/pr positions since this is what I need and that is what is realistic as a recent college graduate.

People ask me all the time what kind of job do I want.

To work with people
To inform people
To help people (non-profit)
To travel (I have no current obligations to not travel)
To write
To research
To market
To campaign
To find a company with strong values/visions, that is innovative, has direction and one that I can grow with

I'm not picky, but compaines/firms/agencies/non-profits are.

That is all I really have and I'm going to post a video as soon as I'm able to about whatever.

Jon and Kate Plus 8 - thoughts

2009-06-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

This isn't a "taking sides" blog. This is about 10 people who deserve happiness, love and a peace of mind.

Nobody wants to be a statistic and kids, grown adults rather, don't become proud of what had at one point happened to their family. They become thankful for the choices made for their own emotional benefit.

Nobody is perfect, but some people become controlling or too passive or allow their personality to change that brings them to the point where communication just isn't possible. Why is the communication just not possible?
It could be out of fear, resentment, uncertainty, sorrow, pain and quite frankly, the list goes on.

Maddy, Cara, Aaden, Joel, Collin, Hanna, Leah, and Alexis...these kids deserve happiness.

I don't give a rats bahooty about what TLC wants in regards to their numbers, what their public wants or contracts that have been signed.

Jon and Kate have a huge responsibility to pull through and do their best to communicate (obviously) and bring themselves back together for their family. Hopefully, when they reunite after all is said and done, they'll want to genuinely make it work and find their happily ever after again. If their hearts are not in it, even after a seperation with time to think, then it will be best for a divorce to be issued because as I stated before: This is about 10 people who deserve happiness, love and a peace of mind.

Not that you might care, but after the first episode, I turned off the television and decided to leave this family in peace, minus tonight for the "special announcement" since I'm not a fan of reading People Magazine or any magazines for that matter when it comes to gossip-filled situations like this. I just wanted to know the truth and hear it directly from the source.

I wish the Gosslin family all the love, support and guidance they will need at this point in time.

Next Chapter Is Here!

2009-06-22T11:57:00.000-07:00

There's many new exciting things happening to me and I'd like to share them with you along with thoughts I have that I feel my readers need to understand, in regards to my very last post.

On Monday, June 15, through the American Red Cross, I took classes to once again proudly became a certified Lifeguard along with earning certifications for First Aid and CPR/AED for the Professional Rescuer.

The class was a roughly 24 hours in length, over a period of three days, with day No. 4 being the day to put all of the skills we learned together and apply them to "real life" situations.

A few things I've learned through First Aid and CPR/AED material:
- taking care of bee stings

- rescuing a victim who is having a seizure in the water

- how to perform shallow/deep water rescues that could be either spinal injury related, or the victim became restless (distressed) or went from active to passive in a matter of seconds (p.s. active to passive should never happen unless there's a serious medical issue)

- backboarding victims in shallow/deep water <-- deep water is VERY challenging - rescue breathing ratios for adult, child and infant

- CPR ratios for adult, child and infant

- there's many others . . . just named a few here

On Thursday, June 18, I passed the final scenario, without hesistation (I actually had to talk one of the other students through it) and shortly after packing up, one of my instructors offered me a 1-day job for the Lifetime Fitness Triathlon 2009 which takes place at Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis. I feel really happy about this since I was one of 29 students (was 31; one student became ill and the other couldn't finish the 300 yard prereq. swim) and I was taking this class very seriously; I'm convinced my instructor took notice.

By the way, @ACES4KIDS (on Twitter) is looking for volunteers: http://www.aces4kids.org/2/LTFTVolFactSheet.pdf
(help to Support ACES Partnernship with Life Time Fitness)

I'm on my way to joining the awesome team at Lifetime Fitness, as a lifeguard and applying their Vision and Mission Statements; only one interivew left. :)

On another note, I'd like to say I did not continue on into a higher education and come out with a bachelors of science degree and not intend to use it in one form or another.

There are six things I've very sure of.
I enjoy media, the general public, helping people, being in the water, being crazy, creative and being active more than anything on a daily basis.

This is why I chose Mass Communications and with my emphasis being in Public Relations, I couldn't have chosen a better route for myself.

If [you] know of anyone whose looking for some to do free lance work, send them my way. I'm also working on volunteer hours right now for different events, one of them being the link I just posted from @ACES4KIDS.

I talk highly and more in depth about Aquatics since that is more prevalent in my life, but I will continue to reach out in all forms of mass media as much as I can. Please don't underestimate my dedication to Mass Communications.

Twitter is down, so "The Golden Key" is my topic

2009-06-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm doing my best to not bore my readers to death, which is why I'm not blogging very much. I have many things to say, but not always worth others valuable time.

For some, time is money, but not for me. I enjoy getting in touch with my inner thoughts and speaking on behalf of what's really going on, all why trying to be informative.

That "informative" part, might not happen here so just warning you in advance.

I've decided that above all things, no matter how hard you try and no matter how hard you look, how smart you are, or how savvy you are in your ways, sometimes, the doors that are usually just waiting for you to open them, won't.

Though I have The Golden Key, the door that unlocks levels which would not exist otherwise had I not continued my education as I graduated from high school, are failing to open faster than normal.
"It's not about what you know, it's about who you know" couldn't be more true, nowadays.

I believe that most people are honest and we're all trying to help each other get to the next place we most desire to be. There's very few dishonest people in the world and most of us have made embarrassing mistakes that we are not proud to admit, but it's OK. Are you learning from them? That's all that matters.

Moving on.

I had had an idea sitting in the back of my head for quite sometime, only because I was a lifeguard for 3 years and was an assistant teacher for swimming lessons. I loved it. Though I was in college for six years, I continued in my search after graduating looking for jobs I could apply for, not just because I 'wanted a job and would do anything,' but I was looking for a job that fit my personality best.
You can't fool an interviewer as an interviewee. If you think you can, either you're a natural, or you haven't found what makes your heart sing and are allowing yourself to settle for anything but what makes you the happiest.

I typed the job title "lifeguard" into the a Web site search engine I'm currently a member of called LinkedIn (http://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanr09) and looked to see what the outcome of job postings were. *Jaw. Hit. Floor* I noticed that Lifetime Fitness was in the process of hiring, though I didn't know how many people had applied for the same job.
What did I do? What most people are afraid to do -- I called Lifetime and asked to speak with the Aquatics Director.

I told her my background, why I wanted to work for Lifetime and our conversation lasted at least 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes!! And let me just say that I was pumped by the time we were done speaking.

I see myself being in Aquatics, taking classes to become a certified Swim Instructor and staying with this company for quite sometime. Not only this, I can eventually use my Mass Comm degree and put it to good use.

I hope that someday soon, I can be the hero and the "best swim teacher" (according to a future student of mine) while thoroughly enjoying my co-workers, the company I plan on pursuing a career with and the success that will occur each and everyday. Because I've chosen to take on a career in Aquatics, I'm also choosing to save lives and possibly be the swim teacher I've longed to become for the past two years.

What I desire is quite simple: a level of responsibility some may take for grantide and everyday challenges for not only myself, but my future students. This has become my own Golden Key.

"...yet I feel empty"

2009-05-02T15:20:00.001-07:00

Society has this image:
- Graduate from high school (18)
- Move away for college
- Study hard
- Find "The One"
- Graduate
- Find a job
- Get engaged/married
- Buy a house
- Start a family (sooooo by the time you're 26??)

Well, I'm not exactly 26, but I HAVE completed 4 of the 9 things. But the clock is ticking...

I have every right to feel behind because of society's "expectations" and it's not any fun. Society is making me feel empty and is draining me of my "belonging."

There's a quote about college that I know of and this part of it (off the top of my head):
You have "four years" here to goof off, be irresponsible, date, spend money that you may or may not have, stay up all night and become someone you never knew you could be or had the ability to become.

It's Vegas without the slot machines.
(HA. Did I really just say that? *laughs to self* That's the first time that's ever come to mind.)

This image I have in my head is starting to bug me and I'm losing sleep over it. Quite literally.
I'm at this point in life where everything is competitive though...and I feel that the world is way too competitive. Here's a question for you:
Are you a robot? Is your best friend a robot? Is your boss a robot? How about your co-workers?

We are choosing to live like robots. Yet we've been giving the ability to become anything we want. I like social media. Don't get me wrong. Gosh, I enjoy talking to people a lot. I'm one of those people never wants the night to end, usually. But I think that we sometimes need to treat each other like the human beings we know we are, not always demand.

My main problem? Not all companies are hiring, even though there's always "demand" for 'this or that.' It's far and few in between when it comes to call backs. So, I'm supposed to take whatever I can get, right? Right. *paused* Wait...what if my dream job is currently not available because of the economy, even though there will always be demand in this world? Do I make it happen by my own free will? I just personally feel very stuck. I'm graduating and society is making me feel as if I'm drowning into nothing. Yet, I asked for none of this.

I know I'm not perfect, but I promise, I'm worth it.

Liberation vs. Terrorism

2009-04-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a class called Intro. to Speech Communication 190.

It's all online material and the lectures to me, are boring. Well, most are. Some students have been engaged in this art of rhetoric material, though every once in a while, I'll hear my professor more clearly in other parts of these lectures than I do in others. I heard him loud and clear just moment ago.

I came across this part in my professors lecture:

What is the nature of the world created by Rhetoric?

Social-Constructivist
Through the use of language, individuals come together & build a community. It is only through language that we can understand one another, it is only through language that we can understand the world, live & affect the world.
Therefore, the world is both a reflection and creation of our use of language.
The language we use, the symbols we use, create the world in our image.

Terministic Screen
Is like a filter that stands between each person and the world that s/he observes. The symbols that we use, create a screen or filter, and that screen changes what we’re able to see out of it. A screen or filter lets in certain things and keeps others out. As screen or filter distorts what we're able to see in the distance and magnifies other things that we can see.

Example: when we were little kids, the symbol "dog" meant just about anything with four legs and fur. We drove by a field and pointed to the cows and said, "dog." We saw a cat and said, "dog." We saw a bear in the zoo and said, "dog." All we could see through our screen, were dogs.

When we got a better screen, we could see the difference.

"A choice of words, is a choice of worlds." - Kenneth Burke

Simply put: When we use one symbol, rather than another, we create a different world.

When we say "Terrorist," we create one world. When we say "Freedom Fighter," we create another world.

When we name a situation, that situation is so devine, it requires certain actions. Those actions are discint to that situation.

Rhetoric allows for people to choose the most appropriate action for each situation.

For instance: We are at war in Iraq. We term that situation a war against terror.
When we used that term, it sets up the rules that we have to live by and we have to play by in this war.

Had we used something else, such as a term we used in the 90s, a Liberation for example when we removed Iraq from Kuwait, all we had to do was take care of moving one person out of another area.

Now we use the term "War against terror," and we have a whole different set of rules we have to deal with.

Rhetoric tells us how we should feel about situations, rhetoric tells us what behaviors are appropriate, rhetoric tells us how to draw comparisions and distinctions.

Rhetoric provides a map of that world and also provides a key for that map.

If you want a definition of rhetoric, I do not have one for you.

Go here: http://www.amazon.com/History-Theory-Rhetoric-James-Herrick/dp/0205566731/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240778279&sr=1-1

and you'll see the book I've been studying out of for this class.

I thought this was an interesting example he used. Let me know your thoughts!

LINKEDIN [easy access to my page]

2009-03-13T12:33:00.001-07:00

I figured I could blog about this on here.

Go ahead and take a peek if you're interested!

http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=23667340&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro

Twitter

2009-03-12T14:09:00.000-07:00

All right. For those of you who don't 'get' it, or want to 'get' it, or are on a balance beam and haven't found your focus yet:

http://www.twitip.com/how-to-follow-alot-of-people-on-twitter-and-still-be-engaging-using-tweetdeck/

Thanks to Kelly Olexa from Chicago.

PRSSA members: I'd get in contact with her if I was you before you leave for Chicago in April. I don't know whose interested in what though. Your main focus might be agencies, but as pr people, we do know it's good to keep our horizons open.

Green (but not with envy) and ready to go!

2009-03-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

"Believe in Yourself," is a small book --maybe a 3"x 5"-- is a great inspiration to me. And once again, I'm keeping this one short. I'm exhausted.

http://www.peterpauper.com/

"Don't be frustrated by your inexperience -- all green things inevitably grow."

"Sound the note that calls to your soul." - Sanaya Roman

"Be courageous. It's one of the only places left uncrowded."

"If you don't take control of your life, don't complain when others do."

"If at first you don't succeed - try setting more realistic goals."

"Being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are being productive."

"Apologize, don't agonize."

"There are no mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from." - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"Falling's part of the game. It's like my dad always says: "No matter how good you are, the ice is still slippery." - Michelle Kwan

I have very little experience in public relations, but I know that once I get going, I'm going to do great things. Mankato, for me, plays a different tune and I'm not so good at playing along with it, especially because my first reaction isn't to call my friends on "Thirsty Thursday" and ask them to go to the bar. I'd rather go skiing, to a movie, a theater show, or to some restaurant downtown Minneapolis that I've never been to.
I do find it difficult to be courageous in this world today, because I feel inferior. But that right there...that word "inferior," isn't an option today or tomorrow especially if I wake up and I'm given the gift of being able to awaken to the sun shining. I don't know exactly what it's like to have somebody take complete control over my life either, however, I know what it's like to be pushed into something I'm not comfortable doing. But soon, I'll have the option to be able to be the interviewee and ask questions. I'm putting myself in the interviewers shoes, for now.
School just...quite simply, isn't my thing. I'm all about entertainment.

I'm currently, busy, being me. Donating plasma twice a week, doing homework, going to class, watching The O.C. (I own all four seasons), hanging out with my friends and finding out what my "dream job" is. I'm not being productive...at all. I'm doing what I need to do, to get to the next step.

It's so, so, so, easy, to point fingers when we make mistakes. But each time I do so, I've got three pointing right back at me, unless I have an actual story.
I'm learning though, in this life. Roughly a quarter of a centry old and I'm finally starting to get this life.

It feels good and so awesome to know what it's like to really start living. Are you truely living?

I believe in myself = key ingredient. How do I know?? Because I know. I am inexperienced, but all green things must inevitably grow.

Job--less . . . Fear--less: the future is my own.

2009-03-02T13:44:00.000-08:00

I've been out of a job for longer than I expected.

What I have more time for -and more time than I desire for- is homework. But I haven't been doing homework every waking moment.
I'm using this time to find out what my desires are and finding out what happens when the sun doesn't want to shine and I feel like somewhat running out of time.
Point blank: it's a rollercoaster ride, but I'm not just sitting on my couch waiting for something to just 'fall into my lap.'
Nowadays, I'm taking control over my next destiny and I have the opportunity to take all the time in the world to find out what opportunities are out there. Just read an article by Glamour [http://www.glamour.com/] and take a look at who is on the front cover. I read this and I like it. Gave me another piece of motivation.
Right now, I'm standing up for me, even when everything is seems to be falling apart.

The life I lead isn't stressful, it's uneasy, but I have all the control in the world as to where I want to make my next move.
I know what I want and who I am: I care about people and listen to what they want, I may not always have the words I'm looking for when I need them, and your dang right I stumble, but I am picky about detail and notice the little things and then speak on them. I'm strong-willed, sometimes carefree.

Here's another thought: If the bills are being paid, I can take my vacations and still enjoy my time with family and friends and then have some left over for whatever, that's what I'm looking for. Comfort. Not a huge paycheck. I wouldn't know what to do with $1 million.
I do know what I'd do though if I won the lottery. As I mentioned before, I'm a care-giver. I'd pay off my debt, my families and a few others. I'd also buy my parents their dream retirement home, invest, buy a few cars that I'm interested in and then I'd continue working. And heck yes, I would donate a big portion of it to charity.

If you don't think you quite get who I am by now, then I don't know what you're not getting. Especially if you've kept up with the pieces I'm writing.

40 Days til Easter

2009-02-25T12:53:00.000-08:00

I texted my friend the other day regarding what I've been thinking about giving up for 40 Days and then I paused, when she was confused. No, not because I had 'offended' her, but because she had never heard of this before. Even though we both have the same beliefs.

I also talked with one of my roommates about cults when it comes to religion. Very interesting topics came to mind. There were no arguments. We fed off each other and we're very open minded about many topics. You name it, we've talked about it, or someday we will get there if it comes to the table.

Each religion has it's own ideas as to what's 'right' and what they want their people to do to stay true and not 'wander.'

I, for one, don't have a label. I have my beliefs, that's my story, which is still being written and I continue to plan on turning the pages and allowing the blanks to fill when the time is right.

Then again, for some, the next 40 days, in a sense, is like another chance to fix what you've done to break your New Years Resolution.

Why give something up though? This is what Catholics do after all.

Why not add something to your life for the next 40 days and do something good for the next door neighbor, surprise your best friend by picking up the insane tab for dinner, find an hour of you time, send out those 'Thinking Of You' cards, make plans for another vacation just to get away and focus on life. Plan a weekly family get-together dinner or find something fun to do as a family every week. The first quarter of the year is almost gone, already.
Perhaps you've just gotten engaged, or have only been married for 6 months, perhaps your newest relationship is going really well and you want to do something to let them know what's really going on in your head.

The options are endless. Add something good to your life, don't delete, no matter who you are or what you believe.

Today, instead of going for my Diet Coke, I grabbed a Yoplait Original 99 percent fat free Strawberry Cheesecake. It was just as satifying and refreshing as a Diet Coke, but healthier for me.

Tonight, I'm going to get one of my professors off my back -he's virtually yelled at me, which is a first from all the class I've taken at MN State University, Mankato- and turn in a revised assignment that I could have turned in two weeks ago [I have until May 1], but I have 4 other classes to concentrate on. Plus for that specific class, I had studied 15 hours or so for the test and had another assignment to turn in, plus I have another assignment due before next Friday and other homework to get turned in. Oh! And I have another huge huge test coming up at the end of March.
I wish . . . I wish . . . ahhhh, I'll keep that statement to myself.

2009-02-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

My background

2009-02-22T17:06:00.000-08:00

I have had patience, for quite a while and I’ve learned the hard way when it comes to work and paying the bills.

My background, which I’m not keeping brief, because I feel a proper introduction will give you a real taste as to who I am.

My first “dream” job was not working as a public lifeguard, but I have come to find this is/was my favorite job. If I would have stuck with it, I could have made a career out of it, perhaps moved to California and gone through more testing as well as training and then eventually, moved my way to a major university for an actual degree, but I had to leave Lakeville for college in Rochester. There was no other way for me. So! Here I go.

As a public beach lifeguard, being outside, being in the water, my feet in the sand, knowing first aid, being CPR certified and working with a team of 25 people, it was purely awesome. My boss was one of my sisters good friends from high school who now lives in Denver with her husband and we keep in touch through Facebook. As a team, we worked together, yet completely independently and yes, we grumbled when you could smell rain and then more or less when it poured, but now that I think about it, who really wants to work in rain? There’s a reason I’m not going into construction management.

I’m not a person who enjoys standing in the rain and being poured on, unless I’m on an adventure climbing through rocks and trees with a group of people I may or may not know. Or perhaps I'm puddle jumping with a friend at 2 a.m. This has happened before.

Communication is essential, especially in sticky times when people are getting frustrated. Talk the situation out and you’ll come to an ending most can be happy with. It’s like voting: even if you think the system is not fair, don’t complain if you didn’t take the time to vote. That’s four years of your life, in comparison to ten minutes to an hour of your time standing in line.

My next job position took me to Kwik Trip Inc. and I was hired May 28, 2004. I worked there for just under four years and I put in my two weeks when I least expected it. I grew and matured quite a bit while working for this company. I began in Rochester and worked at store #418 [right off Hwy. 14 and Cty. 22] for 3 years, Joe Storts if you ever run into the guy, he still works for this company after 25+ years . . . and counting. Mind you, he began working for this company when he was 17. Anyway, I was given a few pay raises, one very decent pay-raise because I left the company for a short period, just under three months to go work on Mt. Rainier National Park. I asked for my job back, before I left and my boss said “it’s yours.”

Then, I graduated from Rochester Community and Technical College in May 2007 and transferred to my next Kwik Trip in Lakeville. After the summer of 2007 was over, I moved to Mankato to start AND finish my bachelors of science. I’d love to be bilingual and this is the only thing I would have done differently with my education. Anyway, I transferred to a Mankato Kwik Trip.

First off, I didn’t want to move to Mankato, because of rumors I had heard.
Today, I don’t believe everything I hear.

Before moving to Mankato, I found a place to live, moved in –everyone was friends, great group of people, except for one of the guys [I can fill you in on the personality if you’d like], I had yet to get in my program, was in a new town -physically had been to Mankato three times, my days were mixed up, yet I managed to always make it to class and I had only one problem; the Mankato store had to call me every time I worked because I wasn’t showing up. Never in my life have I ever been this late to work so many times. In fact, last year, I was late to work twice and only by five to seven minutes, but I called and let management know what was going on.
Something wasn’t working and I don’t know what wasn’t working with this Mankato store.
Oh, I had also yet to take the diagnostic test which I had been studying for, for an entire summer. I had a lot on my mind, but still, no excuse to being late.

I transferred back to the Lakeville store around November, but my boss never scheduled me, however the team knew my situation and number, so people called when they needed a shift covered. Perfect. I was also able to work plenty of hours during Christmas Break because people quite simply did not want to work.

Well, I moved back down to Mankato after Christmas Break and my boss didn't schedule me at all . . . again. We talked on the phone and agreed that it 'wasn't working’ for me, so I put in my two weeks over the phone because my boss didn’t have any hours 'available' for me. Well, he actually chose to not have any hours for me. It wasn't that he didn't like me, he, I believe, was too lazy to let something happen. This was the dumbest thing I could have done while in Mankato; putting in my two weeks with a company who had great benefits for anyone who works for the company and now I’m jobless in a town which thrives off of college students and now had to find another job. I thought it would be easy.

I had yet to figure out that 'easy' really means 'right place, right time.'

I then proceeded to get a job at Olive Garden, as a host. I had the same attitude as before when I was hired for Kwik Trip Inc., as when I was first hired for OG: I was excited and ready to be dedicated, once again, but not as dedicated as I was when I was first hired to work for Kwik Trip Inc. What I mean by this: I bought only my bread, milk, eggs at Kwik Trip.

Anywho. Needless to say: wow. This job isn’t easy.

First off, you may find an interest in either one of these articles I found on MSN's Web site. Be prepared for your jaw to drop. However, if you've never worked at a restaurant, be forewarned. You may not 'get' what they're saying.

The 8 Kinds of Restaurant Customers
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17057772

7 Kinds of Servers
http://cityguides.msn.com/citylife/cityarticle.aspx?cp-documentid=17058015

Anywho, once you get the hang of hosting, you can do it in your sleep. I had 46 tables to memorize, 40 servers to get to know –this doesn’t include dishwashers, bussers, production people or cooks, 4 managers to figure out, customers to prevent from pissing off -when they want their booth they want it and when they want their table, they mean it, know what sections open at what times and when to start closing them, a bar area which was first come first serve and the wait list? Well, if you do it correctly and the ‘right’ way, you won’t get yelled at and people won’t be asking you questions. On top of this, I had a speech to memorize which changed about every 14 weeks –so easy but if you ‘drop’ a table (don’t give the speech) the managers will find out. Oh! And the menu is to be opened and placed in the customer’s hands, not on the table unless you had a party of 8 or more. You're more 'efficient' this way.
On top of this, each server waits on only 3 tables at a time. Is it a party of nine or more? You should have two servers. If you have a crabby general manager and s/he finds out what you’ve done -broken the rules, pisses off a customer, you’ll be given the cold shoulder and scolded ‘behind’ doors, most likely in front of your co-workers. If you don’t keep track of who is getting how many tables, servers will politely bitch and whine either to your face, or you’ll catch them complaining to another co-worker, depending on how big the restaurant is. It is your entire fault if they were supposed to have been given 2 tables already, but all the customers want booths. You’ll also walk around everywhere like a maniac making sure your duties are getting completed –this also includes, sometimes, helping out with getting drinks ready for a table, but when you get to the head of the restaurant, you put that big smile on your face, build rapport and walk the next set of customers –hopefully- to the correct section and seat them in server “x’s” table. Why? Because they are next and they will approach you asking why they didn’t get seated. Once again, all of that with a big fat smile on your face, like everything is okay.
Most of the time, I guarantee, when it's dinner time or there's a waiting list or it appears busy, somebody somewhere, is in fact freaking out and making someone else feel like they've done horse sh*t and only care about twirling their hair. Translated: dumb as bricks because apparently, you don't 'get' it or you can't count.

I memorized all 46 tables in less than three weeks, but it took me roughly 1.5 months to nail everything. It also took me three months to learn all the names of servers.

Like I said, I was dedicated, but only to a point.

It’s been almost six years since I’ve graduated from high school. WHERE did the time go? I fell in ‘love’ with Kwik Trip Inc., when I moved to Rochester and I would move back there again. And, I’d move within five minutes of that store, in hopes that my job would be within a reasonable distance of that part of town.
It’s growing rapidly and my best friends live there. It’s home away from home.

Mankato, it’s a hate love relationship. Yes . . . hate love relationship. Well, I guess I can turn that around and say love hate relationship. I’m not a fan of this town. On the weekends, I study. I don’t go out. I’m sick of partying. I’m tired of that lifestyle. Quite frankly, I was never into it. I’ll do it when I come back home because in the cities, it’s different. But, not every weekend. I’m growing up and I will have bills to pay, really, really, soon.

I want to find a job, relatively soon as well. I would like to move back to somewhere in the cities, but find a place of my own. I’m also cool, as I said before, with moving back to Rochester. I’d also be up for moving west. Out east? I don’t know that area so well.

I also want to break free from a shadow that’s been cast over me, mentally and I want this shadow to leave me alone. Too personal to dive into any further here.

I’m a writer, a blogger, musician, care-giver, daughter, sister-in-law, friend, niece, God-daughter, student, co-worker and I’m doing what some people are doing who are my age -or should be doing- in my position: doing their best and just starting to learn what life is really about.

What else, folks? If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

It's a harsh world out there . . .

2009-02-07T17:56:00.000-08:00

Being the underdog is absolutely no fun. But I suppose there are worse things happening in the world.

I don't have the world or someone walking three feet in front of me, shoving a foot long telephoto lense in my face trying to catch a snap of my face, only to make some money off of the shot and then making up some story about my current life and what I'm feeling or doing. They don't watch my every move, trying to find a way to blame for me disappointing fans or people who look up to me either. I have no idea what that lifestyle is like, though someday, yes someday, I may come to find out what that is like.

Inquire if you must.

For example, Michael Phelps. Many people are asking, "what was he thinking??" If you have been living under a rock, or maybe you've been consumed by other media, then take a look at this article: http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/9186634/USA-Swimming-suspends-Phelps-for-3-months?MSNHPHCP&GT1=39002

There are posts regarding Miley Cyrus, supposedly making fun of Asian's?
Took me a while to find the article, but I made it!

What MSN had to say first: http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=350628

Miley Cyrus defends herself: http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=351051

Oh wait, that's not all . . .
Apparently the TomKat crew is trying to make money off of their little girl, who I for one, find absolutely adorable: http://movies.msn.com/movies/article.aspx?news=350821&affid=100055

Unfortunately, for Suri, she didn't ask to born into the spotlight. But, she has a mother who continually lets her be snapped by these photographers.

What my question is? Is this healthy? Do celebrity parents realize that not everyone is born for the spotlight? I'm not sure.

My immediate thoughts? Leave the little ones alone.

We, America, are beyond obsessed with pointing out other people's flaws or mistakes, yet we all have our own. We are so concerned about who is seeing who, who is cheating on who, who supposedly made-out at club "X" with who, but they're supposedly seeing someone else and then we're wondering why a couple like Lilo and Sam are supposedly fighting. This list can go on and on and on.

We are obsessed with reading about people, we are consumed by drama, and I don't understand how people can even watch so-called reality shows like The Hills.

I quit watching The Hills because I cannot stand Spencer and Heidi, or the image they protray on this television show. I want to think they're different in person, though. I really do. The other reason I quit watching? Lo's character in this show, specifically how she treats Audrina is sickening. If you don't know who I'm talking about click on this link: http://www.mtv.com/ontv/dyn/the_hills/cast_member/cast_member.jhtml?personalityId=10266 and you'll get a better idea.

I, for some odd reason, very much enjoy watching The City and I'm captivated by Whitney.

Does anybody remember Dakota Fanning? If you don't, I'm speechless.
http://dakota-fanning.org/

My brain actually relaxes when I think of this young lady. Fanning's smart, has grown up to be a beautiful teenager and I can only imagine how stunning she will be when she is 20 years old. Also, Fannning is talented beyond words, and smart to live the way she does. I've never met her, but recently thought of her yesterday and went to her Web site.
It's very interesting how one can live in Los Angeles -as a well-known celebrity, have a few dozen credits to put on their resume, and their face doesn't appear everywhere. Not only this, there aren't stories out there to haunt them in their sleep. In other words, it's possible to live a very down-to-earth kind of lifestyle.

To tell you the truth, when "...Baby One More Time" came out, the world was stopped dead in its tracks because we had a 17-year-old girl in a mini-skirt and -possibly- an Oxford brand buttoned-up dress shirt on which revealed her torso.
You can't tell me that Ms. Britney Jean Spears didn't have it coming, but could have stopped the attention, if she really wantd to and still would have still been just as big of a star as she it today. For goodness sakes, Christina Aguilera did it.
Is Spears really down-to-earth, or did she asked for everything she's been handed?

Now, Phelps, Cyrus, Suri, Pratt and Spears.

One of you is a regular 23-year-old who loves what he does and did what plenty of other people in this world do, yet they also have people who look up to them as role-models. Unfortunately, you [Phelps] has a whole world watching you and you have sponsors who assume that they can suspend your contract almost immediately because it's the only thing we can do to make you feel punished. Americans are too engulfed in watching other people screw up and would like to point the blame at someone else. I guess I can fairly say, you did it to yourself. But what I really want to say? Oh. My. Gosh. It's a bong and our Troops are doing the same thing overseas. I'm not sure what's more important in the American mind: saving lives and defending American freedom or being a celebrity who breaks world-records.

Cyrus, you're within three years of Ms. Fanning, I do believe. You're beautiful, young, talented, already been compared to newly divorced Madonna while on a photo-shoot or making a video for your newest recorded single. How about you take your friends elsewhere on a private jet, or go somewhere else you won't be noticed.
No, actually, how about you just be a kid. My goodness. Did you forget a step?

Suri, pictures are worth a thousand words, but I don't know what you're feeling at all. Yet, when you cover your ears and hide your face, I hope this would be a strong indication that you are trying to show your parents a sign and maybe your parents aren't listening. It is totally possible. There are no perfect parents out there.

Pratt, I do not know you and honestly, sincerely, I don't want to know you.

Ms. Spears. You know nothing else, but fame. But I am thankful you have friends and family who will never leave your side, no matter how far you try and push them away. Fans come and go. I don't care how much money they've spent on you, how many hours they've devoted to promote you, or how many concerts your biggest fan has gone to. They don't know you. However, your friends and family; they are there to catch you and guide you with their love and support. You are lucky. Blessed. Fortunate. And another thing? I do believe you are a smart woman, mother and aunt who only wants the best for their own family. You have the world pushing you around, people you work with who hear you, but don't listen sometimes.

"Love me, hate me, but can't you see what I see? All of the boys and all of girls are beggin to if you seek Amy." - Britney Spears 'If U Seek Amy'

Also, life is short. And here's a great song by Bebo Norman:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn6Hi6Jq0lM

"I know love goes around the world we know and we never see it coming back, but I can see it coming back for you." -Bebo Norman 'Britney'

I like to learn about people, celebrities and discover who we are individually.

Remember in the beginning how I said that being the underdog isn't so bad? Well, I do have my own life to live and I just escaped my own reality. It is a harsh world out there. Now, I must go back to where I left off before I began writing this: abstract papers and studying for tests.

That is my down-to-earth life of being a college student. And like celebrities, I have a stressful life, too. I just don't have stories being written about me and sponsorships being taken away.

2009-02-02T02:36:00.000-08:00

Don't have much job experience? No worries . . .

2009-01-31T17:07:00.000-08:00

http://modite.com/blog/2009/01/26/four-ways-to-find-a-job-without-a-specific-degree-or-experience/

Miss Manners "and guest"

2009-01-16T13:10:00.000-08:00

I read this article -below- on http://www.msn.com/ and posted it on my Facebook.

I had one person comment, so I followed up with their comment. Then someone else commented and once again, I decided to comment on their comment!

Then, I figured 'maybe this would be a great topic to start blogging about,' so here I am. I gave my URL http://www.springtoanything.blogspot.com/ this title because I want this to be any 'anything goes' kind of deal.

I'll literally be 'springing to anything' on here, myself, and feel that I may have just done something that will lead to . . . well, I'm not sure. But, I'm willing to give this a chance to see what happens!

Here's the article I was discussing with my friends:
Dear Miss Manners,
I have noticed lately, that amongst women of the same age group as myself who are engaged and planning large, expensive weddings, that my single friends are invited to said weddings without "and guest" added to their invitations.
It is almost as if the engaged women, in an attempt to keep cost down, have decided that the single women, whether they are dating someone or not, do not get the option to bring someone along to the wedding and reception.
Is this rude? I feel that just because these women are not married or engaged, they still should have the opportunity to bring a date to the wedding and that by assuming their dates just aren't as important if not legally bound by law, the engaged woman is being presumptuous and rude. What are your thoughts?

Gentle Reader,
That the invitation is to a wedding, not to an evening out on the town, and it is not rude not to be married in front of strangers who mean nothing to them and not much to you. If you must scour up a date, Miss Manners suggests looking over the single gentlemen at the wedding, who would not have been asked to bring along "and guest" either.

I know that I will want to be surrounded by only friends/family who I know well enough to the point where I'm not racking my brain making the guest list. Everyone is different though.

Also, a friend of mine, whose wedding I went to with a date - he also knew the couple and he was invited, we didn't know anyone and ended up leaving shortly after the reception began. We made sure to congratulate our friend (we both worked with her) and her husband (who was a customer at our work -Kwik Trip).

If you know that the friend of yours who is getting married, perhaps there's someone at the wedding they've invited who they can be sure to take a minute and introduce you to them at say, the wedding rehearsal. This is what happened to me at a wedding. I was good friends with the bride, dateless, but I was her wedding singer. You bet I was checking out the grooms men since my friend [the bride] told me that she wanted to introduce me to one of them. Funny part is, at the rehearsal, I remember I was scanning the guys and happened to pick out the exact guy she would introduce me to in an hour. We had fun at the wedding and went our separate ways. I have not seen or talked to him since.

Here's the deal though: not everybody will go the to reception and that's a smart move if you're alone, but if you're a chatter bug and extroverted, and are up for it, you'll find a way to keep yourself at the reception and enjoy the night. Essentially, you have been invited to a wedding to support the couple and witness something that is a very sacred moment your friend(s) life. You'll take the time to enjoy yourself and the moment. The couple wants you to enjoy their night, so do yourself a favor and get out there. You never know who you could possibly meet.