My first GMM as a Provisional for Junior League was absolutely entertaining, with a presentation by Amy Tobin, culinary consultant, radio host and author. Her speech, titled "Inspired Ideas" was punctuated with quotes, announced by ladies of the League scattered throughout the audience and followed with heartfelt and hilarious stories by Amy.
I loved listening to what really charges her up - she has great energy and presence and is a fantastic speaker. Perhaps if she had any extra time on her calendar, she could lead a region for Toastmasters? :) She shared a snipit of her personal vision statement which got my wheels turning - this is definitely something I need to create for myself. But I'd like to share some of my take-aways from the evening. These are my thoughts, inspired by her ideas:
What you get is what you see.
Ever so true. I love moments when situations or scenes are explained to me by a fresh set of eyes. In all actuality, the way we choose to perceive something is ultimately what we extract from it. Huh. We can twist it to let a little light shine at a better angle - that's our own choice. Perhaps that may not be what Amy's point was, but that's what this idea says to me. Additionally, we have no choice but to consider that the other person's view may be right. She shared a tale with a coffee cup as an example: if you're holding it, the handle is on the right side; then to the other, it's on the left. Whose perspective is correct? Which side is it on? Who's wrong? Exactly...
Fall in? Swim to shore.
She wished for us all to experience a major failure. It's great for one's empathy, humility and compassion. I couldn't agree more. I had one of these moments or experiences, if you will - one that I thought was epic. Tragic, even. Embarrassing. But as Amy indicated, it provided more clarity and strength then I ever could have calculated.
She talked about the joy of receiving the instant rubberband of good karma - amen - and how the lottery doesn't give us pie. If what you're doing doesn't bring you joy, consider - why the hell am I doing this? And one note that I think is very important for myself and many of the people I know is that there is no action with a balance scale - we beat ourselves up because we fail to achieve work-life balance. Sometimes we will work weeks that make us wonder what "life" is like - and others, we are blessed with the company of our family and friends and enjoy wonderful food and drink and visit incredible places. But the teetering keeps it interesting and helps us achieve appreciation when the other side of the scale drops.
Amy talked about how hard work and passion are hardwired into who she is - I was able to relate to her on so many levels during her presentation. I was truly inspired and look forward to chatting with her more - she will be one of our celebrity judges at the Cincinnati Chocolate Festival. I'm also looking forward to taking one of her cooking classes at EQ at the Party Source - cheers to Amy for sharing her inspired ideas.
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