Terrified

Today, I woke up terrified. No, I didn't have a bad dream and my life wasn't in danger.

I drafted an email late last night to the almost 400 existing members of Diversability and scheduled for it to be sent early this morning. Finally crossed this one off my to-do list.

But I thought about why it had managed to stay on my list every week. It's because I'm scared. I don't know if I can do it. I'm terrified.

Now it's real. I put it out into the universe--people I've never met before--that I'm bringing Diversability back. Accountability at its finest. 

Then my friend shared a piece she had written on her brother. Stories are beautiful. Stories are powerful. Stories can be shared. And in the period of 7 months, can reach more than 8 million unique visitors. That's a lot.

To be honest, creating Diversability was one of my proudest accomplishments at Georgetown. I didn't know it at the time, but putting myself out there made me feel more comfortable in my own skin. And the impact we had on others, even if it was just a handful of people, meant everything to me.

Diversability had a few good years after I graduated, from becoming an official group recognized by the university's Student Activities Commission in 2010 to this interview with E.R.A.S.E. (Educating Residents About Social Equality) with Diversability's President Kate Newman and VP Nancy Oduro in 2013.

About a month ago, someone reached out to me asking me if I was still involved with Diversability and was interested to hear more about it. Five days later, I got an email that ended like this: "I think it's great that you have brought publicity and awareness to individuals with disability. I'm not sure when I would be ready, but I have wanted to do the same for some time now."

I felt like it was a sign.

Starting anything new is scary, whether it's a new job, a new relationship, or a new venture. But what I do know is I am passionate about this space and I'm passionate about making an impact. Are we filling a white space? I'm not sure. Can we reach millions? We'll see. We all started somewhere.

If it's both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it.

It Takes a Village

About a month ago, I spent the afternoon perusing the Winter Village at Bryant Park. I ended up getting some gifts... and socks from Bergies. I find I can never have enough socks. And these ones were "spa socks," which meant they were really soft and thicker, perfect for an NYC winter. Winning all around.

About a week later, I was going through some of the postcards and business cards from my spree and came across this: 

Take a picture, get some likes, and win an $80 six month sock subscription! If I were instafamous, this would be easy. Post the photo and immediately get hundreds of likes. Unfortunately, I'm not quite there yet but I noticed there were only a few posts so decided to try my luck.

I started with a photo and a handful of hashtags. Instagram caught on and didn't let me post anymore hashtags. Then I asked other #socks hashtag-ers to check out my photo! That got me to around 50 likes. I thought that would be enough to win until I checked out my competition a few days before the end of the contest.

I was 70 likes behind. I went into full hustle mode... Because if I didn't win the socks, I wanted it to be because I had tried everything I could. I reposted the photo on my Instagram, cross-posted on another account I managed, and consistently posted on Twitter. All I needed was a like. I wasn't asking anyone to create a new account or sign up for anything.

Then I went to facebook. I shared it in 3 communities I'm active in and asked them to help. I posted it on my facebook. I posted it on my sister's facebook. Two women from the Chloe + Isabel community got invested and shared my link on their personal facebook page and tagged people on my photo and encouraged them to like it.

I was overwhelmed by the support. For socks.

Truth is, I'm not sure any of the other entrants wanted it as badly as I did. But it was amazing for me to see the community come together. For socks. 

It really does take a village.

The Highlight Reel

Someone started a thread on Facebook yesterday for #MotivationMonday and asked us to share our favorite inspirational quotes.

This one really resonated with me.

"Don't compare your behind the scenes with somebody else's highlight reel." 

Marc and Angel said it another way: Every day we’re comparing apples with oranges – comparing our insides with other people’s outsides.

It's so true. We're not posting our failures on Facebook or sharing those lazy days in on Instagram. There's so much more to the journey than what we share publicly.

Sure, I can give you my resume. But I think my story's a lot more interesting.

What Are You Excited for Today?

"Who do you want to be? How do you want to feel? How do you want to show up?" -Silvia Christmann

What a way to start the year. Yesterday, I went to my first event of 2015, hosted by a powerhouse community called Dreamers & Doers. And what an event it was. I remember starting 2014 feeling frustrated and defeated. We're only nine days into the new year and I feel inspired. 2015, I'm ready for you!

Silvia led a session on bringing joy and gratitude into your life. Yes, please.

The How: Practice joy and gratitude every morning and night by thinking, "What am I excited for today? What would make today great?"

Just as you wake up every morning (and hit snooze if you're like me), read theSkimm, brush your teeth, hop in the shower, and get dressed, practicing joy and gratitude should be part of your routine.

I've put a sticker under my bathroom mirror that says, "What are you excited for today?" Actually, it's my name tag from the event but if anyone has ideas for a nicer sign, I'm game. But I digress.

Don't have time? Think about it while you brush your teeth. It made me think about what I actually think about when I brush my teeth. I'm pretty sure I'm not even thinking.

I also loved the way she talked about the people in our lives and connecting on positive frequencies. Who are your doers (motivators), enthusiasts (cheerleaders), skeptics (for constructive feedback), connectors, coaches, mentors, examples, etc.?

And who are your energy vampires? You know, the ones who make you feel bad for hustling and make you think you have an obligation to give them your energy. Cut. Them. Out.

I've never done a people inventory before, but this is the year to start.

The Gratitude Project

I've always had an issue with expressing gratitude. I think part of it stems from a need to be self-reliant and independent and then the other part of it just stems from me being awkward. Sometimes I can't even take a compliment! I'll just stand there... stop and stare... cue OneRepublic... cue awkward turtle... slow... clap...

It's something I want to work on.

Enter The Gratitude Project. It was actually Sukhy's idea. We met briefly at lunch at ConnectorCon (I was leading a panel on personal branding). I couldn't stay for the entire conference but Sukhy followed up with me afterward, sharing that one of the things he wanted to do in 2015 was to write and mail a short Thank You card once a week.

To say I loved the idea is an understatement.

I sat down a few days ago to brainstorm a list of people who might be the lucky recipient of a card. It was a good exercise in itself just to realize how many people I'm grateful for. And I know this isn't a comprehensive list. It'll grow and change as the year goes on.

This week I sent my first card (pictured above). It took me a few days to actually get the nerve to write it. How could I express my gratitude in one card? How would the recipient react? How many exclamation points can I really include in this?

Signed, sealed, (to be) delivered. We'll find out.

New Year, New Blog

"I want to get back into blogging."

I cringe hearing myself say (or think) that because I've said it every single year since 2010.

• 2010: The Closing Banquet
• 2011: Untitled
• 2012: To Be Continued
• 2013: To Be Continued (after a hiatus)
• 2014: Life By Yu
• 2015: Tiffany + Yu

I have a feeling this year will be different.

As per usual, I spend one of my first posts looking at my resolutions from the past year and setting some new ones for the upcoming year.

To be honest, I kind of forgot about my 2014 resolutions. The year went by so quickly I feel like I blinked and it's already 2015.

1. Write more. I'm not quite sure what would constitute "more." I was more consistent with writing in a journal, plus I wrote a couple guest posts for chloe + isabel, a piece in Levo League on staying in the know, and my first piece for REVOLT!
2. Save money. This is an ongoing process, but I was more serious about it this year. I moved money over to a savings account I couldn't easily access every month.
3. Better diet and exercise. It's constant battle. About halfway through the year, I started walking. A lot. With ResQwalk, I can track my walk and have money donated to Mr. Bones & Co., a local NYC animal welfare non-profit. I've been trying to be more disciplined with my 30-minute yoga workouts and recently, eating better meals from my friend Chef Melissa Gellert. 
4. Live life, be positive. 2014 was a year of transitions. This was definitely an aspirational resolution.

For 2015, I want to:

1. Work on being on time (let's start with work)
2. Live in the present (limit "looking at phone" time when around people)
3. Be magnetic (attitude of gratitude)
4. Note to self: stop saying "sure" and use "yes"

Broad, I know. They're more like intentions I'm setting for this year. I like the idea of writing a journal entry from the future and monthly check-ins.

January 1, 2016

Wow, is it already 2016?!

I traveled to:

1. Seattle

2. Philly

3. Costa Rica

4. DC

5. Manila

6. Other impromptu places

I spent more time:

1. On "me" projects

2. Supporting my friends and making some new ones

3. Expressing gratitude

I'm most proud of

1. Inspiring others

2. Stepping out of my comfort zone

3. Being my best self

Words to describe 2015: meaningful, growth, thrive