I started a graduate class on marketing strategies last Saturday. Our first assignment, before we even stepped into the classroom, was to introduce ourselves to the class via a discussion board. We also had to create a motto / slogan for ourselves.
It was an interesting exercise that made me think about what’s really important to me. What I stand for. What makes me happy. What makes me different from all the other Jennifers out there. After a short brainstorm, I came up with Be bold. Be heard. Give back. Eat Bacon. Here’s my thinking:
Be bold.
I find the most success when I take risks and stand behind what I believe in. Period. It may not always be pretty, and it may not always make people happy. But if no one else is taking action around you, then who will? Susan Scott’s second principle in her book Fierce Conversations is “Come out from Behind Yourself into the Conversation and Make it Real.” I love this concept.
Be heard.
My voice is one of the most important things in the world to me, next to my kids and husband. If you’re going to be bold, then you better also work on being heard. And I don’t mean being loud. I mean formulate a thought, explore an idea, put your observations out there for others to react. No one’s going to care about or think about what’s important to you unless you put it out there. This goes for business and personal life.
Give back.
Philanthropy is important to me and something I want to explore more via this blog. Working in social services for the past 6+ years has showed me that it doesn’t take much to make a big impact. We can’t forget to share our natural talents and resources with others.
Eat bacon.
There’s really no explanation necessary here. Bacon is good, and we should eat it. I tend to focus on my love for bacon because it softens the blow when people hear about my hatred for pie. Sorry if I have offended anyone. (Not surprisingly, it was the bacon that spurred the most discussion in my first post to classmates.) Really, this part is a reminder to enjoy the things that make you happy. You can substitute bacon for whatever puts a smile on your face.
So, now that I’ve put it out there, what do you think? I kind of like it. I’m thinking of using it as I develop this blog and work on gaining more freelance writing gigs.
Update: Now that I’ve started the Another Jennifer Writing Lab, I’m using the slogan as my tagline. So far, it has generated lots of smiles.
How about you? What’s your motto / slogan?
