My boss spoke this phrase yesterday. I wrote it down in my BuJo and have been contemplating it. As a person with the identity of Ambassador of Hope and Beauty, it’s important for me to remember this. I need to not overpromise in the hope that I speak; and I need to strive for clarity when I speak strategically as I point toward vision.

I wrote this commitment in my Commitments page (pg. 2 right after my Vision/Values page) of my Bullet Journal last summer. I have held to this discipline on a daily basis now for more than half a year straight. The fruit of such has indeed been experienced.

—unknown

A friend read me this quote. I like it. It’s a reminder to be about the daily work of living out your vision with purpose and commitment.

Do you have a Vision and Values document for yourself? If you don’t yet, please reach out to me. I would love to talk about what a coaching relationship might look like.

Know what your "ship" is; know who your "crew" is. Understand what they are capable of. Define a high standard and point in the right direction. Then adapt along the way to maximize what the "wind" offers. It doesn’t even mean changing course; it only means changing tactics. Enjoy the journey. "Sailing" is fun. The stories are treasures.

—William Arthur Ward

Event Producing

The request was to find a way to show appreciation to >900 volunteers. I was offered the support of the other directors on the staff and a budget of $10,000. At first glance that sounds like a lot of money, but I had to use that for catering for dinner and desert, decorations, entertainment, awards...as well as invitations, childcare, photography, table hosting, setup, strike, dishwashing; also what presenters and MCs would be responsible for what communication...

I took survey of all the stakeholders - directors and key leaders. I learned what worked well with similar events in the past. I assembled a team of key partners whom I could brainstorm with and develop concepts. We did research to figure out what our ideas might cost. We met again and leaned into what had good value and scrapped what didn’t. We surveyed and used statistics to determine how many we thought would actually show up; and how many might. We put it on the calendar and after figuring out a brand for the night we sent out invitations. We worked through details with the caterer and the band. We made certain sacrifices from our ideal hopes, but ended up with remarkably clever innovations to our plan. We created a signup sheet for directors to own delegated chores and presented the vision to the staff with the request for ownership… In addition to my team of co-leaders, our whole staff stepped up and helped make a really special evening. The video above shows a few of the highlights.Download PDFDownload PDF

Lot’s of you ask about what volunteering as part of the Troy Production & Arts team is like. This video let’s some of our volunteers tell you in their own words!