The Best of My World

Or

What Takes Your Life Time?

Me working for fun at
StartupWeekend in Ogden, Utah.
Yup, that's a paper towel in my hair.

I work a lot. Those very closest to me say I'm a bit obsessed and they're somewhat right. I have the opportunity to take something I got into and was good at to the things I love and care about in the world. This gets me goin' -motivates me through creative blocks, emotional downtimes and helps me to strive to do better work, smarter work, more work. You get the picture.

There's been trip ups and errors, but it all started when I was a kid. We all had our own world when we were little (as far as I can tell) and when I was little, my world was super serious, creative, social, motivating and a lot of fun...

Little Jenni Mason

I can remember wanting a briefcase. I saw one recently on a Netflix series and had that childlike urge - for a briefcase? I smiled thinking of what I was like. I made up my own homework and did it over and over until it was well written. I re arranged my room in the middle of the night - a lot. I did my first real science fair project on global warming and was a conflict manager in elementary, Student Body president in eighth grade and Debate President during high school. I once had a boyfriend whose dad met me after we'd dated on and off for a couple years. He shook my hand and later asked "Why would you want to date a debater?" It makes me laugh now how much I understand what he was talking about. I wasn't happy about his comment at the time, but he'd also had excellent feedback on my handshake, so I called it a draw.

I've expected the best out of myself - or at least the most extreme version of whatever I've decided to be, do and experience. This extremism plays out through my personal style, my vocabulary, my creative ventures and the people I'm around. This has helped me to develop a fantastic career in marketing - blending ideologies, visions and motivations with a business owner and their team into concrete messaging, delivery systems and social events. Though it hasn't been easy, from my first splash in marketing at Millcreek Broadcasting with the First Time Home Fest in 2003, I knew it was for me. I got yelled at, taught, guided and mentored, pretty much in that order - until I felt confident enough to completely go on my own in 2010.  I now own and represent businesses in categories as far apart as bio remediation and residential architecture and contracting. And I love it.

I read everything and am working on a book with my mom - a novel, even.
Reading is excellent for would be marketers.

I've allowed the criticism - and learned to take it personally. "Your self centered" was something I heard a lot growing up and the insult in it didn't make any sense. Far from other nonsensical insults flung at me like "teacher's pet" (I loved learning), this one seemed like it was not only not an insult to me, but shouldn't be to anyone else. "Self centered"- in a physical reality. Hmmm. I understand Spiritual pursuits being a "center" but that is still a central, personal / ethereal experience, so... I went with it being self centered. My true self became the goal as to creating the center of my real and physical self. 

I let myself develop actions and things (like art, promotions and written works) based on my beliefs, talents and abilities. I had a lot of great jobs because of it and the personal satisfaction of knowing I have the ability to stand up for beliefs even if I would be rewarded for ignoring them. I gave up Carl's Jr as a client given to me by my manager at Clear Channel Broadcasting, for example. I just don't think their food is socially responsible in my world. So I chose not to promote them. This is as close as I'll get to putting them down, too because I recognize that others in their world feel differently. By no means do I think that my choices are right for others, either but I try to listen to their criticisms and think about if they are right or not in any way and in what ways if I think they are right at all. It's tough - I cry sometimes - but I grow and develop to bring about what I believe in through my foundation of skills. I'm thankful for those skills and the opportunities I've been given and also hope I will continue to develop them in ways that are most helpful to those in my world.

I'm grateful and try to be fair. I've had some tough times like most people and know that there are times when all of us need a break, time, gratitude for the simplest of things or just a conversation from someone who allows you to be your truest, in-the-moment, self. I try to do my best, be fair in my business and work with individual situations to help those who may benefit from how I do things. I also try not to push too hard, but will stand on solid ground if I feel something is important, necessary, right or not right. 

Today is a big day for me. I know this post sounded a bit self indulgent, it is. I wanted to share that through these things, I've been able to see, build and realize the best of my worlds, the ones I've experienced through life. One of those realities is now a business in clean technology, which is having it's first big day. This business will effect the world in ways that were important to me as an eight year old. I use my skills in online promotion and traditional marketing to build on our reach, my public speaking skills for conventions and presentations, debate skills for negotiating and my compassion and motivation for impacting the quality of life for those in my world - and it's going to grow and grow and grow. 

Through harnessing my abilities and dedicating my real life supporting work to what I believe in, I'm creating the best of most worlds I've come to know. 

Now, to get a briefcase...