Akuba T.

So…I spent my NYE with Idris Elba!! Well, not really.  But I did get to take this awesome picture and have a little convo with him.  I ACTUALLY spent NYE with my awesome boyfriend, high school bff and a group of awesome individuals who I hope to become good friends with.  We went to the Biltmore with about 3,000 other individuals.  Based on my experience a couple years ago, I wasn’t too keen on going to another NYE party unless we could get a group to go.  We got a group together last minute.  I enjoyed myself thoroughly.

I’m not one for making new year’s resolutions but I am going into this year very purposefully.  There are many milestones I want to hit this year both professionally and personally.  To be quite honest, i’m still in planning mode but I can tell you in advance they will be in the areas of:  Fitness, Finance, Spirituality, Faith, and expanding my network (i.e. – making new friends).

Overall, 2011 ended up being a great year thanks to career risks I took toward the end.  I could have been a better friend, girlfriend, sister and daughter.  I met some really amazing people and established relationships that I need to make sure I build on for 2012. I left 2011 asking only one question:  WHERE DID THE TIME GO??

Regardless, I have a renewed energy going into this year that I hate to admit has everything to do with my career progress.  I honestly let my discontentment with work affect my life outside of work.  I just need to figure out what my 2012 is going to look like.

Here are a few things I KNOW I want to do this year:

• Attend SXSW
• Start a CSR program for a company
• Write a Social Media plan
• Lose 4 inches in my belly
• Learn a programming language
• Be on a reality tv scavenger hunt

I think I may have an awesome opportunity to build a company’s CSR program from the ground up.  I’m currently researching tips on just how to do this.  Here are some initial things I found.  Check them out if they tickle your fancy.

Case Study:  http://www.article13.com/A13_ContentList.asp?strAction=GetPublication&PNID=1344

Tons of Organizatins:  http://csrjobs.nl/usefull-links/

I thought the cartoon was hilarious but touched on a real issue.  Consumers are demanding that companies demonstrate that they care for the communities they profit from beyond financial donations.  Companies must find a way to balance operations/profitability with addressing legal, environmental and/or philanthropic issues relevant to their business.

I will touch on this more in the future.

XOXO,

AYT

Every once in a while a good program comes along where all the starts are aligned:  Great speakers, great content, awesome giveaways and FREE.  Well i’m happy to report that I found one and grateful that I went.  Before I proceed, let me give my disclaimer as to why you weren’t invited:  I didn’t have this blog up and running then.

On Saturday, October 22, the awesome people over at Rolling Out Magazine so graciously hosted the event which was held at the History Center in Atlanta, Ga.  Not 10minutes after being there yours truly won $100 from American Express!  I needed that.  The event was opened by Tami of the blog Talking with Tami.  There were tons of giveaways in which I racked up again.

The speakers were: Tracy Jennings, Michele Thornton, Keisha Walker, McGhee Williams Osse and Natasha Hastings.  Each woman shared their personal success stories and bits of wisdom.  I gained a lot of perspective from the event.  Admittedly, I tend to be hard on myself about how long it took me to get to a place where I understood what I wanted my life to look like and actually go for it.  With that being said, it was refreshing to know some of these women made career-altering decisions in their late 20s and into their 30s.

The most resounding message was how important it is to brand myself.  This blog is part of my attempts to do this =)

I applaud Rolling Out and I look forward to attending this event in the future.

“Be a brand, not an accessory.” – Michele Thornton

XOXO,

AYT