Well hello there! Once again, I find myself wide awake at 4AM, completely in awe of God’s goodness and favor. I am so thankful for each and every one of you who have taken the time to read these life updates of mine, and generously give your kind and encouraging support! What a blessing it is to find myself in this sincere and uplifting community. I’ll always consider knowing each of you as one of the “good and perfect gifts” in life that the book of James talks about!
If you saw my previous social media post this week, you will know that I have some pretty BIG & EXCITING news to share with you all! So… Here it is! The BIG & EXCITING news!!!
Initially, I was going to save the BEST news for last – BUT I JUST CAN’T HOLD IT IN ANY LONGER!
I am blessed to say that I have officially accepted a job as the Director of Strategic Partnerships and Lead Project Manager at We Are Curio! I am completely in awe of this amazing opportunity, and haven’t quite stopped pinching myself! I get to serve alongside two of the most fun, encouraging, uplifting, life breathing Leaders that Lakeland has the honor of holding. I just can’t tell you how blessed I am by that simple fact alone! Hillary and Jason DeMeo have brought something unique to Lakeland that, I am 100% convinced, will strengthen the creative pulse of this entire city. If you haven’t heard of We Are Curio, take a second and check out this website! Seriously, I don’t mind waiting here for a few minutes until you do... Welcome back! We Are Curio is a Design Thinking consulting company that helps clients solve their toughest problems. No matter how tough! What exactly will I be doing, you ask?
I love that my new role at We Are Curio is 100% in line with two of my life mottos “Love people” and “Make things happen!” I get to work closely with some of the coolest, most dynamic creators, collaborators and contrarians from all over the world, and become a small part of their incredible journey to success. I’ll also have the opportunity to write creative content for people just like you to want to launch/grow your businesses, solve your toughest problems, and move forward with confidence! Cue the pinching!
QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT STILL BE ASKING...1. "What about the dream job you wrote about a month ago?"
My time working with YLakeland has since come to an end. The time I spent building the program that I had dreamt about and written down just three years before was undoubtedly one of the coolest experiences, and I am happy to have had the opportunity to begin building it. YLakeland will continue to roll-out the internship program so stay tuned! If you have any questions you can reach out to their team via the YLakeland website or via social media!
2. "Can you give us an update on your e-book 'Blog Like A Boss'?"
I cannot begin to thank each of you enough for the love and support you showed me (and continue to show me) after launching my very first e-book Blog Like A Boss: The beginners guide to next level blogging on any platform! I received so many texts, emails and phone calls from friends and family who had purchased and Blog Like A Boss on the Amazon Kindle store! If you haven't yet picked up copy, there's still time! Huge THANK YOU to Daniel Barcelo for expertly designing the cover!
During the first week of its launch, Blog Like A Boss reached three of Amazon’s best sellers lists, and it was #25,926 overall in the Amazon Kindle store! I was so shocked at that number, I literally had to take a screenshot so you guys could see it too!
I have seen God do some amazing things since publishing my Blog Like A Boss. Both people I knew, and people I didn’t know, have since read it and successfully started blogs of their own! What a dream come true!!!! I have quite a few amazing blogger friends who I plan on featuring on the blog very, very soon so stay tuned! Feel free to contact me if you too want to be featured! I love highlighting people who are working hard and doing what they love!
3. "How do I subscribe to your blog again?"
Yes! Another great question! ;) Subscribe below and never miss a beat!
TO SUM IT ALL UP!
In this season of my life, my heart is experiencing God’s goodness and His infinite grace first-hand. It’s amazing just how our own definitions of success and accomplishment are just so small in comparison to God’s amazing plans for us! Every day, from the very moment you open your eyes, surrender your day and your plans to God. Don’t let your plans burden you a moment longer. Just give them up! And rest assured that God will take those plans, and turn them into something even more beautiful and fulfilling that you will ever know!
If you have time, check out my recent post 7 Ways to Survive Change (and bounce back better than ever). The We Are Curio team would love to guide you and your business through solving your toughest problems! We have a limited number of spots left for each of our Fall 2016 CO.horts, the Lakeland Leaders CO.hort (for the locals) and the Online Google Hangout CO.hort (for the non-locals)! APPLY HERE! And if you’re wondering what a CO.hort is, LEARN MORE HERE! We simply cannot wait to work with you! With Love, STASIA ROSE
Being a young professional can be both difficult and extremely rewarding. Throughout your career, you will undoubtebly be presented with varying sets of challenges as you learn how to navigate new environments, interact with different personalities, and learn to manage social tensions. You will learn a great deal about yourself as you experience countless moments of self doubt and seasons of uncertainty.
In the midst of a difficult season, a timely word can make all the difference. Here are a few of my favorite quotes (in no particular order) that have helped pull me out of my low moments, and continue to remind me of my capability and calling! I hope these quotes also serve you well! 1. "I hope you know you're capable and brave and significant. Even when it feels like you're not".2. "How beautiful is it to stay silent when someone expects you to be enraged."3. "Let not the opinions of man interfere with the directions given to you by God."4. "Little by little. Day by day."5. "Sometimes, you just need a break. In a beautiful place. Alone. To figure everything out."6. "It's not the load that breaks you down. It's the way you carry it." - C.S. Lewis7. "Your value doesn't decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth."8. "Stay humble. Work hard. Be kind."9. "Start somewhere."10. "Drink some coffee. Put on some gangsta rap and handle it."11. Confidence is silent. Insecurities are loud."
So there you have it, 11 quotes (provided by Pinterest) that continue to serve as valuable reminders and encouragement to me as I navigate my career and calling. I hope that these quotes provide the same encouragement to you as well!
Did any of these 11 quotes resonated with you? If so, you should totally leave a comment below letting me know! Love, Stasia Rose The BackstoryI spent 7 years of my life pursing higher education - earning my undergraduate degree in Business Management, and my Masters in Business Administration from Southeastern University (SEU). My first job out of college fell right into my lap (almost literally). I was spontaneously contacted by an old roommate (and friend) whose mother was looking for an Administrative Assistant. After some prayer and research on the company, I accepted the position with open arms and a resolute spirit. I was determined to make the position a starting point and use it to launch my career. I was determined to climb the corporate ladder and use the new position as an Administrative Assistant as a stepping stone. After ten months in the Administrative Assistant role, I was promoted to a Sr. Account Management Analyst. This role came with a very sizable salary increase of $20,000. How did a 25 year old recent graduate manage to earn a $20,000 salary increase within 10 months you ask? Well, I have included a list of 7 disciplines that made a $20,000 difference. These disciplines earned me a great reputation, and multiple opportunities very early on in my corporate career. These are all disciplines that I practiced while in my Administrative Assistant role, and continue to practice to this day. 1. Beat The DayI firmly believe that the early bird get's the worm. I was taught by a friend and mentor the invaluable importance of waking up early and "beating the day." While in the admin role, I woke up at 5:30 a.m. every morning, and would be in the office by 6:30 a.m. The first thing I would do upon arriving was check and respond to emails. I did this for a number of reasons. Primarily, I wanted everyone to know that I was extremely disciplined and took my job very seriously. I also enjoyed the peaceful solitude that getting to work early provided. I was able to prep the office appropriately by stocking the coffee station, refilling the printers with paper, cleaning up the conference rooms etc. before anyone ever arrived. More on that in a few!
It is a common misconception that every opportunity presented must be taken. As young professionals just starting out, we are taught to wait for, and grasp on to any and all opportunities presented to us. We accept promotions and new positions without a second thought. We take on big projects with a smile on our faces. We are taught to cling to every single opportunity in order to be noticed, and continually increase our sphere of influence. We are taught to accept opportunity as quickly as possible, lest we "miss our shot" and "completely throw off our future". We are taught that opportunity doesn't come knocking often, so when it does we better not miss it; because if we do miss it, we very well may not see it again for quite some time. That is, very simply, NOT TRUE. The older I get, and the harder I work, the more opportunities I am presented with. The more opportunities I am presented with, the more I realize that opportunity is not as rare as I once thought it was. Opportunity is, in fact, everywhere!
Like death and taxes - meetings are inevitable. I know this is one of my more morbid blog post introductions, but anyone who has ever been in an unproductive meeting can understand my strong stance and the purposeful juxtaposition of the three fore-mentioned terms (meetings, death & taxes). Unproductive meetings lead to: wasted time, wasted money, increased stress, team disorder and the overall frustration of all parties involved. If you are a young professional, there is a very high likelihood that you will be responsible for leading/facilitating a meeting at some point in your career. I am here to make sure that when that day comes, you will be ready! Now, there are many ways to successfully lead a productive meeting. The steps I have included in this blog post are simply the steps that I have been utilizing. I have lead and facilitated hundreds of meetings with many influential clients, and this method has worked seamlessly every time.
If you are reading these tips and have questions, or need more in depth clarification - just leave a comment below or write me directly here. I love answering questions, and I am happy to help you in any way that I can! Step 1: Develop a formal agenda for the meeting. The pre-work is without a doubt the most important aspect of holding a productive meeting. The agenda allows you to communicate the overall goal/purpose of the meeting to all participants prior to the meeting. It allows participants to review documentation & compile information ahead of time, with the goal of being able to make meaningful contributions to the conversation during the allotted meeting time. Providing the agenda early enough for participants to review information is crucial. I would recommend 3-5 days prior to the meeting. Also, send out a meeting reminder with the agenda the day before the meeting as well. The agenda should include: - meeting name/subject - date/time (specify time zone for virtual meetings) - location information - list of all expected attendees - formal agenda topics - table for collecting action items (columns include: action item title | designated POC (point-of-contact) | expected completion date | actual completion date). |