Day 242: Jessica Town-Gunderson

May 30, 2010 at 12:01 am, Category: Inspiration

“And one of the beautiful things about shift is that’s exactly one of the discoveries that you make, is when you do something for someone else and you see the joy on their face, that automatically translates to happiness for you.”

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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Jessica, for being part of the Project today, and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Jessica Town-Gunderson: Yes, my name is Jessica Town-Gunderson, and like many women, I am a multitasker, so I am a mother of three and a wife, and I am a full-time marketing instructor at the local technical college.  I am also a graduate student in mass communications.  I run a spiritual retreat center, and I dabble in historic home renovation, but probably the most pertinent thing that I do according to this interview is a pet project that I started with my friend Jeannette Grace which is called ShiFT the World.

Toni: My goodness there’s a lot going on in that introduction.

Jessica: There is.

Toni: Well Jessica, tell us a little bit about ShiFT the World.

Jessica: Okay.  ShiFT the World is an online happiness movement that Jeannette and I have started.  We purposefully daily do some random act of kindness, and it can be for our family, and it can be for friends, it can be for perfect strangers, but what we’re doing is trying to enlighten ourselves and hopefully inspire others to really seek out opportunities to make a difference.

Toni: Fantastic, and that’s beautiful into the very first question, which is, who do you inspire, and how does that happen?

Jessica: Okay, well, I like to think that I inspire my own children, which I think is most important.  As a teacher, I hope that I inspire students as well.  And really the ShiFT the World thing is an attempt to inspire people that I don’t even know.

Toni: Perfect strangers.  How did all of this happen?

Jessica: How does it happen?  Well, through teaching and coaching, really, which is what a teacher is, there are lots of opportunities to help people, you know, see what potential they have in themselves and work on certain skills, including things like confidence.  And through the ShiFT the World project, the idea is just to put out stories and actions that people could do daily that really start to make them think about what they could do.

Toni: So really you inspire others by demonstrating these random acts of kindness and then writing about them or showcasing them?

Jessica: Really that is the goal, yeah.  I think the best example or the best inspiration probably is to live by example, and so what Jeannette and I have made it our goal to do this year is every day for 365 days do something, and that really is supposed to be not only inspirational to us but to others.  Doing something.  It can be … and you know, I found a lot of things that sometimes are just the acts, but a lot of things that are sometimes a lot more than the act.

Toni: Jessica, how does that inspiration on ShiFT the World and these random acts of kindness, how does that then go to the other people on the who list that you inspire of children, your children, and the students?

Jessica: We do have the blog, so anyone can log on and read about what’s happening.  I just really try and live a life that … to be the best that I can be.

Toni: And that’s setting an example for not only your children but your students as well, I would imagine.

Jessica: Right, I would hope so, yes.

Toni: So how do you think by being this way and living this life the way that you are and starting this ShiFT the World project, how do you think it might help others to explore their own potential?

Jessica: How do I think it would help others to explore?  You know, sometimes people, including myself, get caught up in the day to day, all of the things that we need to check off our to-do lists.  And oftentimes we don’t take enough time for self reflection or for thinking really of others.  And I’m not talking about making sure the kids get where they need to go and all the things that you normally naturally do, but challenging yourself to think of the impact that you could have on other people’s lives and choosing to go outside your box.

Toni: Okay, so, it would really be almost thinking of things that I might never have done before that might help somebody and actually not even thinking about it anymore, but just doing it.

Jessica: Right.  And really that’s part of the 365-day journey is that my goal is I become a better person because I unconsciously or subconsciously just automatically put others first.

Toni: So there it is, it’s putting other people first.

Jessica: Yeah.

Toni: That’s what it is, all the way around, it’s putting other people first so that they will put other people first.

Jessica: Correct.

Toni: Got it.

Jessica: And the most beautiful part of that, the bonus that you get in return, is a really happy feeling, so I guess it ends up being self-serving in the end.

Toni: And that’s okay, isn’t it?

Jessica: Oh, yeah.

Toni: So what inspires you?

Jessica: What inspires me?  Well, my favorite … seriously, this is kind of weird, but my favorite activity to do is brainstorming, so what inspires me are things like getting outside or walking around when I’m thinking or just deliberately finding people that also enjoy brainstorming and talking about deeper ideas.

Toni: Okay, okay.  But you know I have to tell you, and those who will be listening to this interview opposed to reading it are going to agree with me when I say you sound inspired.

Jessica: Well thank you.

Toni: It comes across as very … that you are very inspired and passionate about what you do.  What else do you find yourself looking for as far as inspiration?

Jessica: Ah, I love to find books that would inspire.  I love things of beauty, so trying to do my own artwork or looking at other people’s artwork or, you know, just getting outside are things that are rather inspiring.

Toni: You listed during the introduction a litany of things that you are involved in.  How did you come to this ShiFT the World project and almost included into this, this already … it seems like massive amounts of responsibilities that you already have?

Jessica: Wow, how did I come to this place?  You know, it is kind of boring for me to do just one thing forever, and I have a fantastic job that I love to do, but some of the things that I do there I do the same things over and over.  So I’m constantly seeking something extra that will be more fulfilling, and shifting is something that is so easy to incorporate into daily life that it really doesn’t take that much effort — it just takes more of a thought process.  I thought to myself, if I could do this and feel better about myself every day and make a difference for other people, it would be so worth that little time it takes to think about it.

My theory on life is if you fake it, it becomes true.  So for example, I am honestly quite frankly born a shy person, and when I was 16 I started a job at JCPenney as a sales clerk.  And it was my job to be outgoing and to seek customers and ask them if they could have needed help and greet them, and it was so fun to pretend that I was outgoing, that pretty soon outgoing became kind of natural.

Toni: So you were forced out of your comfort zone.

Jessica: Absolutely.  Shocked out of it.

Toni: Is that something now that has occurred to you most of your life?

Jessica: Yes.  Absolutely.

Toni: So do you find yourself now stepping out of your comfort zone more and more?

Jessica: Absolutely.  I have a friend whose favorite quote he made up is that “You need to be comfortable being uncomfortable,” and so that’s something that I try to practice each day.

Toni: And when you’re inspired by beauty, by … I would imagine you’re also very inspired by the random acts of kindness yourself.

Jessica: Absolutely.

Toni: And when you’re finding a day that maybe you wake up and you say “Gosh, you know, I’m looking for a little inspiration today,” are there tools or resources that you tend to reach for on a consistent basis?

Jessica: I have a book called Simple Abundance that I read daily and kind of gives me perspective on life and how to look for things that really enrich life that don’t cost anything or don’t put you too much out of your… out of the way.  That’s a book that I read for inspiration.  I can’t think of other tools other than just trying to shift my own attitude.

Toni: And then is that very easy for you to do on your own, or do you seek help to do that at certain times?

Jessica: Both.  I think it is something that naturally I can talk myself into.  I have friends.  I have purposely made friends that can do that for me.  And one of the beautiful things about shift is that’s exactly one of the discoveries that you make, is when you do something for someone else and you see the joy on their face, that automatically translates to happiness for you.

Toni: And then what do you do to continue to explore your own potential so you can continue to have these types of experiences and share them with everybody?

Jessica: What do I do to explore my potential?  I just honestly … I try to stretch myself, and that sometimes translates into not a lot of time with these different projects, but  once upon a time I thought the right answer in interviews to the question “What is your weakness?” I thought the right answer was “I’m a perfectionist,” you know, because you can spin that really great and show people what a thorough job you would do for them.  And until recently … or recently I discovered that really I don’t think that perfectionism is that great of a trait, because it means you haven’t stretched yourself as far as you can go.  Because when you hit that limit of all the things you can do, you realize you can’t do everything perfectly and you’re much smarter to choose which ones you would like to.

Toni: But do you have to test those first?

Jessica: For me I did.

Toni: Okay.  Okay.

Jessica: Perhaps the answer is different for everyone.

Toni: But this has been a process for you?

Jessica: It has, yeah, yeah.

Toni: It’s interesting because listening to who you inspire with your children and students and these strangers that are just going to be experiencing this shift as well, and what you hope that that does for others to, you know, pay it forward to creating shifts around them, it’s interesting that I guess exploring your own potential and stretching, how does that correlate for you to experiencing shifts?

Jessica: Well, honestly, I have picked a partner in ShiFT the World, which is Jeannette Grace, who has different strengths than I have, and Jeanette is … I don’t know if you’ve read Strength Finders, but one of Jeannette’s most fabulous traits that I love about her is she can talk to anyone, and she can win them over.  I mean, she is just personable and someone you want to be around.  And me coming from a shyer background, I watch that and I go “Wow,” and I watch her do some of her shifts that really would be way outside my comfort zone, because most of Jeannette’s shifts she really does approach strangers.  And I think that’s one of the things that I want to work on next, becoming someone who can really approach the unknown.

Toni: And so that’s your stretching.

Jessica: That’s where I’m going to stretch next.

Toni: So really what I’m hearing from you is that your shift will come in watching your partner create shifts, and that’s what you want to do as far as exploring your own potential?

Jessica: That’s true.

Toni: That’s fantastic.  That’s really cool.  Well, Jessica, what you guys are doing is amazing with this project, and we’re going to keep tabs on it, and we will also put a link at the bottom of your interview on how people can see the progress.  You do post a blog, correct?

Jessica: Daily, yes.

Toni: Daily.  Okay.  We will put a post so that people can follow you and see how you’re doing in that 365 days, and we can’t thank you enough for being part of the Get Inspired! Project.

Jessica: Well thank you so much.

Toni: You’re quite welcome.  Take care of yourself.

Jessica: You too.

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For more information about Jessica Town-Gunderson:  shifttheworldwithjessandgrace.wordpress.com

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