No One Does it Alone
One of the things that bothers me about the Khardashianization of society (whew – try saying THAT 3 times fast) is that it overlooks how many people are part of the success of an individual. While so many are distracted by the celebrity of one person, no one accomplishes anything by themselves.
Even Napoleon Bonaparte needed help; while he is often hailed as the Conqueror of Europe, it was actually the French Army that conquered Europe and Napoleon gave credit where it was due. Yes, he was the brains behind the operation but he knew without the Army he was nothing but a guy with big ideas (and an ego to match).
Writers may live a solitary and sometimes lonely existence, but they cannot bring their work to the public without editors, designers, publishers, and marketing experts. While the writer creates the content and puts in the most energy and effort, it is meaningless without the team that backs them up.
As we in the United States look to the Thanksgiving holiday, we are reminded to be grateful and to work on an attitude of gratitude. One of the best ways to do this is to look around us and see who is in our corner and helping us succeed.
I am a solopreneur, and that may sound like I “do it all” on my own. Admittedly, I do a great deal of my work but I have a group of people that support my business, collaborate with me on ideas, create or facilitate courses and study groups with me, and partner on projects with me.
Making a list of people to recognize and thank is not meant to leave anyone out, and I definitely don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, but I feel that there are people currently in my life who deserve a shout out for being part of my dreams, schemes, and plots to take over the world a la Pinky and The Brain.
(My husband is a given: Pete Sepp you know how much you tolerate so that I can chase my dreams and try to change the world!)
Fern Carbonell: Long-time friend, colleague, and MasterMind group collaborator. Fern is also a contractor with Rogue Tulips Consulting and is my “back-end backup.” She researches tools and options for operations, manages and designs both of our websites, and gives excellent business and personal advice. Without Fern, the content I create would not be shared in a timely manner and my company would be in a much different place. We have fun working together too and do our best to keep each other on track. Our friendship and collaborations have covered decades and we are still excited about what we do and how we do it. If you have a friend like Fern, tell them how much you appreciate them.
Chery Ronk: While I haven’t known Cheryl quite as long as I have known Fern, our friendship goes back many years and like many friendships started with a favor. Cheryl had a last-minute cancellation on her radio show, and the subject was white papers. She saw that I had written something about white papers for Associapedia (ASAE’s now retired wiki) and she asked if I would be her last-minute guest. I said yes and a friendship was born. Over the years, Cheryl was my CAE teacher and mentor, encouraged me to mentor others when I earned my CAE, and she is now my collaborator and partner on many of the CAE courses and services we offer. I always tell people that Cheryl is my friend that convinces me to do things I don’t think I am ready for – we all need a friend who sees more of our potential than we see ourselves. Together we are trying to change the world . . . well at least our little piece of it.
Elisa Pratt: We have been friends for about 5 years now because Elisa was interested in the Rogue Tulips company when I first launched it as a consortium. She is now an Expert Partner and I so enjoy her take on the world and her dedication to excellence. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one seeking perfection! We have a lot of fun working together serving our clients on joint projects and always finding ways to support each other. “The stars are beyond our reach but not beyond our grasp.” Oscar Wilde.
Stacy De La O and Dana Ritchie: This is a Terrific Twosome of CAE Mentors that are a huge part of the success of our study group. I may be the lead mentor but Stacy and Dana add texture to our discussions with their unique views and experiences. They are great motivators too! Stacy and Dana are strong supporters of the work Rogue Tulips does through The 501c League program and are evangelists for our efforts to elevate the profession of nonprofit management. They are great friends to me and bring light and positive energy to my life.
And rounding out my list:
Linda Garavaglia and Carol Weldon – my lifelong friends that I have known since I was age 2 and age 5 respectively. The list is too long to go through but these two people have been supporters, confidants, counselors, friends, and sisters to me throughout my life. Near or far, times we talk or times we don’t, these are the kind of friends that you can not talk to for a long time and then it’s like you just talked yesterday. We are growing old together and I know the best is yet to be!
Many other people have touched my life in many ways. You are near and dear to me too even if your name is not on the list.
To everyone I have ever met, ever known, or are related to, thank you, and I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!
Rogue Speak will be taking the week of Thanksgiving off for the holiday (as will our podcast Nonprofit Conversations). We’ll be back the week of November 28 with more food for thought and provocative content. Stay tuned.
