Day 262: Jennifer Davidson

June 19, 2010 at 12:01 am, Category: Inspiration

“We all have like a flame, like this fuel, this passion that is who we really are.  And through life things happen, and that flame can get really dim, or it can be burning really bright, and there’s times when you can’t even see it, hear it, feel it.  You feel like it’s gone – but it’s always there.”

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Toni Reece: Thank you so much, Jennifer, for agreeing to be part of this Project and before we begin, can you please introduce yourself?

Jennifer Davidson: Yeah,  I’m Jennifer Davidson, and I live in Portland, Oregon, and I’m with Strategic Deviation and KISSpdx.

Toni: Jennifer, when you think of the word inspiration, who do you think you inspire, and how does that happen?

Jennifer: Oh, wow.  Well, I think that most recently I’m connected to the women in my local community and how I show up for them, and I think that the way that I’m inspiring them right now is by living boldly, being brave enough to say my dream out loud, share it with other people, and go for it, you know, 100%, no matter the outcome; just really knowing and trusting that whatever is supposed to happen will happen.

Toni: How does that message get across to these women?

Jennifer: Well, through KISSpdx; it was actually an event.  So I had this dream to bring local professional women together and share resources and ideas about how do you live a sustainable life where you can have an awesome career and be healthy and full of life and excited about what you do and, you know, part of the family and all of that.  So I started talking to women about it.  I started collaborating.  I started, you know, bringing people in as speakers.

And when the event happened, it was magical.  I mean, you could tell people where changed by the event.  I mean, people told me they were changed by the event.  It was kind of one of these things where you’re like “Yes, this is exactly what I was supposed to be doing.”

Toni: If you had to pinpoint a change, what was it?

Jennifer: I think it’s the realization that you’re not alone.  That’s probably the biggest change, because when you’re isolated in your own head or in your own thoughts or in your daily routine, you forget that there are so many other amazing women out there going through really similar things.  And when you bring people together in a room and you start sharing these ideas and start sharing values and start sharing fears and start sharing ideas and inspiration, you realize there’s a whole community out there ready to support you.

Toni: How do you think by being part of this community – whether it’s women or, you know, a mixed group of folks – how does it help others to explore their potential?

Jennifer: I think a few things.  I think when you see somebody else doing it, you think “Well, I can do that too.”  Or, you see somebody else doing it, and you know, maybe they mess up, and they’re like “‘Yeah, it was actually okay to fail’ and you know what?  I want to fail too.”  So I think it’s this realization that it’s okay, and sometimes it works out really amazing, and other times it’s messy, but either way, like when you can lean into it and live boldly, it’s just powerful.

You see what it does to people when they’re doing it.  You can actually physically see that person and the impact it has on them and their persona.  It’s amazing.  So I think that that in itself, just witnessing it is really powerful and can inspire people to do life differently.

Toni: So it’s really setting that example and also, I like the word “witnessing” it.  You know, it’s not just talking about it, really, is it?  You have to witness it.

Jennifer: Yeah, yeah.  I think that that’s one of the things through KISSpdx that people were able to see is, you know, not only other women who got up and spoke through the different business partners and people, but in me just standing up and saying “Hey, this is a crazy dream idea I had, and now you’re a part of it.  Like now, you get to be in this community; you’re part of me living my dream,” and realizing that “Wow, this is like … this is bigger than just any one person.”  Like my impact can be bigger than just any one person.

Toni: And if you are willing to connect, then the person standing next to you may be just as willing.

Jennifer: Yes, exactly.

Toni: Fantastic.  So what inspires you?

Jennifer: You know, the word that inspires me I think is “drive.”  A few years back, before I started my business, I was looking for inspiration.  I was actually … I was feeling really stuck and I was confused, and I didn’t like where I was, but I sort of knew I had to be there for a while.  I realized that the one thing that inspires me in other people is their drive.

I made it look really pretty in PowerPoint, and I printed it on purple and turquoise paper, and I laminated it, I posted it on my computer, and it was just the word “drive” because it was that thing that was like “Oh yeah, keep going, and when you feel stuck, keep going, and when you feel scared, keep going.”

It’s the drive that separates people, and I wanted to be one of those people who could separate from the pack, and I knew that the way to do that was through drive and through staying motivated and wanting to go forward and wanting bigger and wanting more.

Toni: Fantastic.  So where did you get the courage?  How did that happen?  Because that’s bravery, isn’t it?

Jennifer: Thank you, yeah.  You know, it’s funny – it’s kind of like I almost sometimes see it in reverse.  People would always say “Well gosh, you’re so brave and you know, that first step is so scary and oh, wow” … and I said “Well, I think for me it’s like a smart/efficiency thing.  I looked at it and I said, well, if the first step is the hardest, I’m going to take it the fastest.  That is the step I’m going to go for, because I know that once I do that, the momentum has begun.”

So I think it’s bravery, but it’s also this knowing that I’m okay being the odd man out as long as I’m being true to me.  It’s okay if I’m a little different or a little weird, or if I can’t sit in a cubicle all day the way that other people do.  It’s like, it’s okay.  Whoever I really am it’s okay, and just take that first step.  Just do it.

Toni: When you find yourself seeking inspiration, where do you go for it?

Jennifer: I actually … I have a few favorite quotes.  I was fortunate enough to see Michelle Obama speak once, and she said that, you know, there’s no limit to the height of your achievement except … I think it’s like the depth of your dream or something, and your willingness to work hard for it, or the reach of your dream.  I look to quotes.  A lot of times I’ll actually go online and even like just type inspirational quotes.

But I look there, and then I also … I look to other people who have struggled or other people that I’m inspired by, and I remember “Oh yeah, they actually have been in this place too.”  I mean, Suze Orman is a great example.  She was a waitress until she was 30, you know?  She went bankrupt.  Like, she just, you know … and imagine what she’s accomplished in like 20 years, 25 years – give me a break.  It’s things like that, like being reminded that nobody is perfect, and we all hit these speed bumps and it’s staying connected to my purpose, and then looking to outside sources like “Okay, where else can I connect or reenergize with what’s going on?”

Toni: Jennifer, there’s a lot of people that are sitting listening to your interview right now or reading your transcript and going … you know, they could be sitting in Turkey or Spain or Tennessee and going, “But I … I don’t have that bravery.  I want to, but I don’t have that bravery.”  Did you always know?  Did you always know that you were that way, or what did it take?  And I think that’s been part of the Get Inspired! Project, is that first step, you know, that was the fastest and the hardest, you know?  Were you always built that way?

Jennifer: You know, I kind of have this belief that we all have a fire within us.  We all have like a flame, like this fuel, this passion that is who we really are.  And through life things happen, and that flame can get really dim, or it can be burning really bright, and there’s times when you can’t even see it, hear it, feel it.  You feel like it’s gone – but it’s always there.  And so I have a belief that we all have it within us, and it takes slowly listening to yourself and to your body, slowly taking actions based on what you really want.

It doesn’t have to be … the first step doesn’t have to be this big, bold, life-changing, quit-your-job thing – it can actually be as simple as spending five minutes listening to yourself and asking yourself “What are my dreams?  What do I really want?  Where do I  want to be in five years?”  It’s just looking and then listening, and then as you start to do that, that voice, that flame, it will start burning brighter.  The more you fuel it by listening, the more you fuel it by reconnecting to that place, the stronger it gets, and eventually it’s just there and it’s burning bright, and you can’t hide it.  Everybody else can see it.  It’s there, and it’s like … it’s contagious.  I mean, it really will become contagious, not only for you, but for all the people around you.

Toni: So what are you doing to explore your own potential so you can keep moving and doing the work that you want to do?

Jennifer: Yeah.  Well, it’s funny that you ask that today, because there’s been a couple things.  The last two weeks I let myself just be.  I went to this big event.  There was a lot of work afterward.  I felt really tired, so I let myself be.  It’s like, I get real weekends.  You know, I mean, I deserve to have a weekend off just like everybody else, and I was really restful, allowed myself to veg out and watch movies.

That’s part of it, and then I think the other part is being really, really truthful with myself and with the people that are close to me in my inner circle.  If I feel sad or frustrated or like I need support, then I ask for it.  I ask for help, because I think that, you know,  it’s really easy to make up that you have to do it alone, especially in certain cultures, and that’s just not true.  It’s not true.  You don’t have to do it alone, and everybody has a gift to offer, and sometimes allowing a friend or a colleague to step in and give their gift is rewarding for everybody, because you get the benefit of receiving, and they get the benefit of being there to help you out.

Toni: And it is very reciprocal, isn’t it?

Jennifer: Yeah, it is, absolutely.  It’s one of those things where if you squish other people when they try to help you, you actually take an opportunity away from them, because we all like giving.  We all like feeling like we were needed.  So it’s really important to remember “Oh yeah, I can have that drive, but when I need to take a break – whew!”  It’s nice for somebody else to take the wheel for a little while, and that’s okay.

Toni: So is your drive in neutral right now?

Jennifer: Yeah; I would say I’m kind of doing some coasting, and then maybe a little bit of like doing loops.  It’s almost like in San Francisco with that curvy path, that really curvy famous street, I can’t even think of the name.  It goes back and forth forever, all the way down.  I’m doing a little bit of that.  I’m looking at options, I’m checking things out, I’m remembering to look both ways.  I’m kind of in a little playful mode right now, like “Oh, I’ve got to kind of redefine who I am and what this looks like,” and it’s kind of fun, you know?

Toni: And so really you are truly doing some soul searching, aren’t you?

Jennifer: Yeah, absolutely, yeah.  One of the things for me is, you know, if you’re going to live boldly, you better be willing to do what you say, and you know, I consult people all the time who are at the point where they’ve kind of forgotten who they are, or forgotten what their purpose is.  And I would say for me, I live by three really simple principles.  I started offering too much, too many services, too many ideas, too many … and it’s like, it just needs to be me, you know?

It can be simple again, that, you know, I don’t have to prove to everybody that I can do 15 different amazing, powerful things.  You know, that’s great – so can a lot of other people – but what I really want to be known for is, you know, a simple thing that I’m really connected to, and I haven’t totally defined it yet.

Toni: That connection.

Jennifer: Yeah.

Toni: But boy, when you listen back to this interview, you will hear that you’ve made it all over the place.

Jennifer: Aww, thank you.

Toni: You really have, and you truly are teaching what you need to learn.

Jennifer: Thank you.

Toni: I appreciate that you have shown up to the Get Inspired! Project, and we will have a link on how people can get a hold of you or what you want them to see at the bottom of the transcript, so for now, we thank you and wish you the best.

Jennifer: Thank you so much.  I appreciate being part of the Project.

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For more information about Jennifer Davidson:  www.kisspdx.com, www.strategicdeviation.com

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