She carries memories around like souvenirs down in her pockets

“She don’t hold onto nothin’ new for very long.
Yeah she writes you in as just one more tale — and then you’re gone.
‘Cause she once fell hard ’cause she dropped her guard
And no one gets to stay — it’s just too late.
For as much as she stumbled she’s runnin’, for as much as she runs she’s still here.
Always hoping to find something quicker than Heaven
To make the damage of her days disappear…”

“…know that everything happens for a reason.”

Career Changes

As I mentioned in a previous (and rather short) post, a LOT has changed in my life in the past several months. After a short stint as an IT recruiter, I realized how much I missed the challenges and creativity of PR and social media, and thus my job search was back on. Initially, my focus was on staying in Michigan (what can I say, I really DO love Detroit) and that’s where I focused my search for the first few weeks. Then, after much soul-searching and discussions with my family and beautiful friends (you know who you are), my search unexpectedly expanded to the Boston area, Chicago and Louisville (again).

You see, I left Louisville about three years ago and never had ANY intention of coming back. I was headed to the east coast and my plans included a great job in Burlington, long weekends spent in Boston or on the Cape, quick trips to NYC and gorging myself on lobster in Maine. After about two years and many major life changes (sensing a theme here?), I found my way back to Michigan and 10 months later, back in Louisville.

It’s funny how even the best laid plans can sometimes be run completely off track — and how that can be a beautifully disguised blessing.

So here I am again — this time working in social media for a national non-profit (a longtime dream of mine). I couldn’t have guessed even a year ago that I would be able to realize my dream so early in my career, and I am thankful every single day for all of the crazy events, heartbreak and hurt that have brought me to where I am today. I find myself challenged, inspired and excited every day, and thankful for the amazing variety of people that I work with and often not even feeling like I’m at work while I’m there.

The elusive “they” say that’s what it’s all about, right?

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right…”

What I’m Reading: The Birth Order Book

Let me just throw this out there up front — this isn’t a typical read for me. A dear friend of mine recommended that I give it a shot, and I’m honestly really glad that she did.

With a very conversational style, Dr. Leman attempts to get inside the head of children and adults based on their birth order (first born, middle child, baby and many combinations thereof) to attempt to explain why we behave the way that we do. Dr. Leman’s book is heavily focused on application — how our birth order applies to the business world, marriage and dating, parenting style.

As I said, this isn’t typically the type of book that I would be compelled to read. In fact, I’m not usually a fan of books that are written in a conversational tone (I usually find them difficult to follow and tend to lose interest quickly), but Dr. Leman does a good job keeping this book interesting and informative.

Give it a shot when you’ve got some time. If nothing else, it will make you take a step back and think about how you behave and may shed some interesting insight into the why behind your actions.

Big Changes…

Sadly, it’s been a while since I’ve had the time (or the motivation, quite frankly) to blog… and A LOT has changed since my last post.

I’m back in Louisville, took a new job (much more on that later — it’s AMAZING), found a stellar apartment (and am living on my own again) and have embarked on the next scary (and exciting) leg of this crazy journey.

What’s next? I’m not sure… but I do know that for the first time in many years, my heart is truly happy and I am incredibly excited to see what’s around the corner. I’ve also realized how blessed that I am to have SO many amazing people in my life. To my family, friends, co-workers and even a few random, kind strangers that have managed to play a part in the craziness of the past several months, THANK YOU. I cannot express how much love I have for each of you. ❤

What I’m Reading: The Drowning House

Elizabeth Black makes her debut with a novel set in Galveston, Texas featuring protagonist Clare Porterfield. Porterfield, a photographer, returns to her roots in Galveston to direct an art show — and in an effort to escape the loss of her only child and her subsequent crumbling marriage. The basic premise of the story: two mysteries disrupt her exhibit research — the tale of the drowning of a young woman in the island’s historic Carrady house in 1900 during the Great Hurricane, and an unresolved incident from Clare’s teen years and her “boyfriend’s” exile from the island.

When I first picked this book up, I thought I would love it. The book summary provided enough to entice me with what I thought was going to be a very dynamic storyline. It took me several weeks to get through this story. While Black’s writing style was intriguing, many of her characters and her storylines were underdeveloped, making this less than a page turner.

With so much packed in this work, the conclusion leaves many strings hanging and questions unanswered. Porterfield’s teenage relationship is often discussed, however, readers aren’t introduced to the character until nearly the end of the book — and it’s a bit of a letdown. The other major mystery the novel is centered around also finds a seemingly unsatisfying conclusion.

While the end of the novel may have been a bit disappointing, perhaps that was Black’s point? Regardless, I enjoyed the tone and style of the book and will be curious to read whatever she may have up her sleeve next. Check it out if you can!

PR Toolbox — Pearltrees

Pearltrees. I know it’s not new or necessarily cutting-edge, but it’s a tool that I’ve been using (and loving) for several years and I thought it was worth a quick mention. I think sometimes we get so caught up in talking about what’s new, or what’s hot, that we forget about some of our old favorites.

If you’re not already familiar with it, Pearltrees is a visual collaboration tool that allows users to collect, organize and share any URL they find online (users can also share photos and notes via Pearltrees).

So why do I still love Pearltrees?

1. It’s so easy to use. By simply downloading the Pearltrees extension for Chrome or Firefox (for either a Mac or PC), all I need to do when I run across something I find interesting and useful is simply click to Pearl my content — an easy-t0-use drop down menu then allows me to select where I’ll place my Pearl (Some examples from my Pearltree include: Blogging, PR/media relations, Career Advice, etc) and voila!

2. Collaboration. Pearltrees allows users to search for content that others have pearled that may be of interest to them (example: PR and social media are two of my most-searched topics), and then gives me an opportunity to “team up” with users who consistently pearl content that I find interesting in an effort to further develop our common area of interest.

3. Integration with other social networks. It’s incredibly easy to share content that I’ve pearled with my other networks (although I predominately share my content exclusively via Twitter).

4. It’s visual — and easy to navigate. I’m an incredibly visual person. I use other tools to keep track of content that I like, but this is by far the easiest to navigate (and it’s pretty slick looking, too! ha!). Here’s a screenshot of my tree…

What are some of your favorite tools (new or old) and why do you love them so much?

Lessons Learned

As a young PR pro, I know that I’ve still got a lot to learn. Over the past few years, I’ve also learned a lot (thanks to a few great bosses, colleagues and mentors). Here are a few items of note that I thought I’d share:

1. Always listen, and keep an open mind. If you can take the time to step away from your phone, email, etc and truly listen to those around you, you’ll tap into a sea of invaluable knowledge. Some of the best lessons I’ve learned thus far in my career have come from spontaneous and incredibly candid conversations with colleagues and mentors, not necessarily from hands-on applications of the tools and techniques that I learned in the classroom.

2. Don’t be afraid to admit that you don’t know something, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. As a young pro, I’ve always felt that I had something to prove. To prove that I know my craft. To prove that I can survive, and thrive, in this industry. To prove… well, just to prove myself. From time to time, the need to prove myself had caused me to be a bit nervous to admit that I didn’t know how to tackle something, or to ask for help when I needed it. What almost always ended up happening in this situation was that I felt overwhelmed and as though I was spinning my wheels — something that’s detrimental to not only myself, but also to my colleagues, bosses and clients.

3. Be patient. It’s seriously so important. Patience hasn’t always been one of my strong points, and it’s something that I’ll admit I’ve had to focus a good deal of effort on over the past few years. In any industry (especially PR), it’s incredibly important to be ambitious and to have a plan in place. Work hard, but don’t forget that success isn’t going to happen overnight and being impatient can harm you, your colleagues, bosses and clients tremendously.

What are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned thus far? What are some of the best tips you’ve got for recent college grads and young PR pros?