It’s true. Inchworms are indestructible.They’re tiny and adorable and appear to be easily squished. But they travel well, by attaching themselves to your clothing. I realized I carried one inside and sat on the cute, little thing…and found it alive and well…10 minutes later.  I grabbed it and released it, in to the wild (my backyard).

This little inchworm got me thinking…I was so surprised at how tiny it was, yet resilient. I’m learning that resilience can be taught through our life experiences. We don’t have to be born tough…confident….or brave. We learn these attributes from weaving in and out of life. We need to learn more about ourselves and what makes you, YOU.

7 Other Things…

The month of April taught me many things and I want to share.  This is more of a personal post than HR related, but I’m sure I’ll tie it in…

1.  For the first time in my life, I experienced loss. My 78 year old grandma passed away after battling illness and a traumatic injury.  I was close to her. I spent most of my early years visiting on weekends and learning about everything from card games, to nail polish, shoe addictions (why, yes!), how to look like a lady and how to be confident in myself. She was a Southern Mississippi girl and took no nonsense from anyone. Wished I had learned how to cook a thing or two…She made the best biscuits and tomato gravy with grits! And that amazing scent of cigarettes and spearmint gum will last with me forever. Love it. Will always remember her.

2. Flying in and out of New Orleans, renting a car and driving the hour to Gulfport, Mississippi was new for me (at midnight, nonetheless). Even though NOLA is my birthplace and I’ve lived there for many years, I’m still terrible with directions. I learned: Check the car first…there may be a man in it… (If Hertz said it was my car, but it’s already occupied by someone else, get an upgrade to another car) and yes, this girl can follow directions out of the airport and not get lost…in the parking lot. And finally from this trip- if you see someone famous and aren’t sure of their name, say it very quietly when you shake their hand…so as not to offend them when you later learn it was someone totally different. (It was not Tyler Perry!)  Laughing at yourself is awesome. Be YOU.

3. I left my “day job” of 2.5 years to pursue a different career path. What a relief to leave something you knew was never the right fit to begin with. I learned that a fence sitter never makes a move…you go back and forth….rationalizing with yourself, convincing yourself, and pretending that you can make something work…all while losing yourself in the process. I’ve got my own brand, a new phone number, and a new attitude. 😉 Be YOU.

4. A few days after my trip to New Orleans/Mississippi, I got in my car and drove 3.5 hours to Hot Springs, Virginia to lead the social media efforts for the Virginia SHRM State Conference.  600 fellow HR colleagues from all over the great state of Virginia, sharing space for 4 days at the beautiful Homestead Resort and gaining lots of knowledge from great speakers. I learned that it’s okay to escape to the pool for 2 hours while your amazing colleague fills in on the live Twitter and Facbook feeds…even if he doesn’t know you’re at the pool…basking in the sunshine. I also learned that people are anxious to hear your story. They want the true, authentic, YOU. What better place to be yourself when surrounded by “birds of a feather?”

5. Relationships. Personal or professional, people want to connect on another level… Beyond the basic. Beyond the fake. Beyond the “I’m fine.” I’m learning that I’ve been lacking deep, meaningful relationships in my life. I have found that my past experiences keep me from being vulnerable to others and therefore, I mostly avoid investing in relationships.  I’m working on this. The desire to connect, be heard, be wanted, be valued is important for all of us. So, reach out. Get rid of the fake. Be YOU. Connect.

6. Duct Tape. You can fix anything with duct tape. But do we really need to be fixing things with tape?  There are so many things in our lives right now that we overlook, push to the back burner, or pretend aren’t there. We tape over things to hide shadows, disappointment, and anxiety. I’m learning that I don’t want duct tape in my life. Sure,it’s a quick fix, but it peels away eventually, exposing a larger problem. I’ve learned that I’m stronger than duct tape. “I’m smart enough, I’m good enough, and doggone it, people like me.” Be YOU.

7. I learned that turning 37 is fun. Yep, I’m an Aries girl and I’m thriving on this new chapter in my life. Moving forward. Motivated. Brave. Free. Me.

photo credit; http://bit.ly/ZVDJFy