The Noticer Project - Part 1
Want to send some positive vibes to the world? Make a difference in someones life? It's all about the small stuff. Just last week, I left money with a bartista at Starbucks to pay for the next customer's order. Whatever it was. Why? Because someone did this small ity bity thing for me about a year ago, on a day where I was in a pretty crummy mood, and it made my week. So, I passed it along. Well, now you have that chance as well. Welcome to The Noticer Project.
Here's the official low down:
First, I'll give you a heads up. Never read any of Andy Andrews work. In fact, never heard of him until the email landing in my inbox about this latest online venture. But, the IDEA based around this book/web site--noticing people who had some influence in your life--I love. So, I'm in. The website, is apparently not completely live yet (tomorrow is the go-live date!), but I'm ready to share some love. So here it goes, 5 people that have influenced my life that you might not expect (in no particular order):*
Dana P (name changed to protect the innocent)
High school is a pretty impressionable age. An age I don't want to re-live if you paid me. It was full of wonder, growing, and of course my first fist fight. Yup, Dana charged me at a dance and slugged my across my right jaw over some rumor she'd heard earlier in the night. With little thought I just charged back at her--thank God for the big guy over in the corner, Mark, he stopped me. Just flat out grabbed my wrist, and said, "It's not worth it Beth. Just walk away." I think I swore at him, maybe even tried to wrestle away from his 6 foot 5 inch, 230 lb. frame, but in the end I walked away. You'd think he was the one with more influence, but really it was Dana. She was taking sides with some friends of mine. Close friends. In fact, she CREATED the sides in a way. And, although it killed me at the time, it forced me to stand alone as myself in the high school crowd. To stand up for what I thought was right (me) and not worry about what the rest of the world thought. And I did. For about 6 months. Until my closest friends and I made up over the trivial mess that had torn us apart. So, Dana--if you're out there--you may have thought by throwing a punch you pushed me down a notch. Really, looking back, it gave me a bit of confidence to stand on my own. No matter what.
Jenny S (name changed to protect the innocent)
Seems I was pretty influential in high school. It's a time of learning how to deal with the rest of the world... before the real grown up part. And for me, being mostly geek, I spent a lot of time reflecting and internalizing almost everything. And then walked in Jenny. She was a senior. Me? An impressionable Freshman. Both in forensics trying to make a name for ourselves. To me, she was THE girl. Confident, beautiful, smart... and didn't care what the rest of the world thought of her. And I liked that. It was everything I wanted to be but wasn't. And bless her, Jenny befriended me. We lived out a bit from school--she often would pick me up to chat, bring me to practice, and help me become better at my "role" in the group. It was great. I'd like to think that she took me under her wing and let me be me. I think she did. But she also did more, she shrugged off the rest of the crowd and kept hanging out with me, even when it was over. And ALWAYS told me to believe in me. It didn't matter what the rest of the world thought (Remember the first one? Yes, without Jenny, I don't know I would have survived Dana).
Nancy G (name changed to protect the innocent)
Moving on to college, when you really don't have a clue what you want to do. Or you might, but just have no idea how to get there. It was just after Freshman year, I was ready to move out of the dorms and on my own (for real), and get a job. One that would give me a flexible schedule, but also--just maybe--get me out of waitressing. And I landed in the Writing Center. Loved the job, loved what I was doing (helping others write!) and loved the crowd that worked there. We were encouraged to thing for ourselves, adventure into uncharted territory, and learn. Learn everything we wanted to know about ourselves and writing and life. I even presented a paper I WROTE to graduate students (and I was an undergrad).
But during all of that, I had a hard time writing. In fact, that paper I ended up presenting took almost 9 months to write. I had the bones. I had the hard facts. I knew what I wanted to say. But the writing just wasn't. The voice just not quite right... and I was frustrated. Nancy would smile each time I "tried" and just encourage me to keep trying. That the writing was inside me, it just took time. And finally, that 20th time, it was right. And instead of reading through with a red pen in hand, she only patted my shoulder and said, "You got it. Go get 'em." From that moment on, I wanted to be just like her.
Kurt R (his name was changed to protect the guilty)
I'm moving chronologically here... and we're going to land right at my first job. Green as green can be I landed a tech writing gig at a company that was in the hay-day of technology. It was hip, industrial, and full of a team of tech writers that were everything surrounding fun. And really (really) smart. So smart in fact, I felt a little out of my league. How was I, a recent grad, going to compare to these ultra-cool geeks that could set up a SIP network with their hands behind their back and rebuilt a PC with nothing but junkyard parts? Well, it involved many bar nights followed by days in the computer lab, and one kind gentleman who walked me right into my own geekdom (aside from my husband, who I met in college and MADE me sit my ass down in front of a computer and learn how to use it). And here I am today, a pretty knowledgeable tech writer. But what Kurt really taught me--was to just get right into the nuts and bolts and learn now to use it FOR REAL (none of this text book bull shit, get into loosening screws, and typing in code).
My Late Mother in Law
And the last on this list.... hmmm. There's a lot I could say here--we weren't fast friends, in fact, not sure we would call each other friends at all. In fact, the relationship was rocky at best. And there were a number of factors that made the situation what it was. BUT, she made me realize it isn't all about me. Not that was completely self-absorbed in any right, but I had to look past the difficult situation and make the best of it, for my husband. And for OUR life. When I was younger, I'd always thought I'd have a family much like what I had growing up. Mom's parents and Dad's parents, coming over all the time at the same time and eating HUGE meals together. And all getting along. Not that getting all the parents in the room didn't work for us, it was just uncomfortable. And there was always that hidden reservation hiding in the corner. In the end, I had to believe in myself, my husband, and my marriage. It made me stand up, and be me. Be a wife. And be a mother. BE something larger than just a woman trying to keep it together. And I was. And in the end, I'm stronger for it. Even though, the relationship tough.
It's kinda funny this list. I never really thought about how I would answer this question beyond those I am closest to. And yet, here it is. Every one of them helped me learn to be me. And, you know what, I'm still learning. But Dana, Jen, Nancy, Kurt, and Chris... hey, you made an impact. And I'm who I am today because of you.
Want to play along? Please do, just make sure to link to The Noticer Project (and add your choices to the page when it goes live tomorrow!). And if you think of it, let me know. I'd love to see who has influenced you.
* I decided to add on the "might not expect" qualifier here because, honestly, I'd pick my parents, my husband, and my kids. I obviously grew up around my parents, found and lived with my husband for over 10 years, and now am raising 2 kids--how can that NOT be influential? So, I've made this more difficult for myself. I'm going to call out people that may or may not know--that aren't immediate family--they've influenced my life and how/why. You can play along in any fashion you like. There are no rules.
Here's the official low down:
On April 7, 2009, a viral grassroots movement called The Noticer Project (TheNoticerProject.com) is calling on people everywhere to "notice" five people who have made a positive impact on their lives.
The concept is based on the new book "The Noticer" (Thomas Nelson, April 28, 2009) by bestselling author of "The Traveler's Gift" Andy Andrews, which is all about gaining fresh perspective on life by noticing the little things. How you choose to recognize the five people who made a special impact on your life can take many forms-by joining The Noticer Project Facebook group, by publicity posting on TheNoticerProject.com, by posting a note on your personal Facebook site or blog, or even just sending individual emails. The basic point is to offer hope and encouragement in these tough times through the simple act of recognizing someone significant to you.
First, I'll give you a heads up. Never read any of Andy Andrews work. In fact, never heard of him until the email landing in my inbox about this latest online venture. But, the IDEA based around this book/web site--noticing people who had some influence in your life--I love. So, I'm in. The website, is apparently not completely live yet (tomorrow is the go-live date!), but I'm ready to share some love. So here it goes, 5 people that have influenced my life that you might not expect (in no particular order):*
Dana P (name changed to protect the innocent)
High school is a pretty impressionable age. An age I don't want to re-live if you paid me. It was full of wonder, growing, and of course my first fist fight. Yup, Dana charged me at a dance and slugged my across my right jaw over some rumor she'd heard earlier in the night. With little thought I just charged back at her--thank God for the big guy over in the corner, Mark, he stopped me. Just flat out grabbed my wrist, and said, "It's not worth it Beth. Just walk away." I think I swore at him, maybe even tried to wrestle away from his 6 foot 5 inch, 230 lb. frame, but in the end I walked away. You'd think he was the one with more influence, but really it was Dana. She was taking sides with some friends of mine. Close friends. In fact, she CREATED the sides in a way. And, although it killed me at the time, it forced me to stand alone as myself in the high school crowd. To stand up for what I thought was right (me) and not worry about what the rest of the world thought. And I did. For about 6 months. Until my closest friends and I made up over the trivial mess that had torn us apart. So, Dana--if you're out there--you may have thought by throwing a punch you pushed me down a notch. Really, looking back, it gave me a bit of confidence to stand on my own. No matter what.
Jenny S (name changed to protect the innocent)
Seems I was pretty influential in high school.
Nancy G (name changed to protect the innocent)
Moving on to college, when you really don't have a clue what you want to do. Or you might, but just have no idea how to get there. It was just after Freshman year, I was ready to move out of the dorms and on my own (for real), and get a job. One that would give me a flexible schedule, but also--just maybe--get me out of waitressing. And I landed in the Writing Center. Loved the job, loved what I was doing (helping others write!) and loved the crowd that worked there. We were encouraged to thing for ourselves, adventure into uncharted territory, and learn. Learn everything we wanted to know about ourselves and writing and life. I even presented a paper I WROTE to graduate students (and I was an undergrad).
But during all of that, I had a hard time writing. In fact, that paper I ended up presenting took almost 9 months to write. I had the bones. I had the hard facts. I knew what I wanted to say. But the writing just wasn't. The voice just not quite right... and I was frustrated. Nancy would smile each time I "tried" and just encourage me to keep trying. That the writing was inside me, it just took time. And finally, that 20th time, it was right. And instead of reading through with a red pen in hand, she only patted my shoulder and said, "You got it. Go get 'em." From that moment on, I wanted to be just like her.
Kurt R (his name was changed to protect the guilty
I'm moving chronologically here... and we're going to land right at my first job. Green as green can be I landed a tech writing gig at a company that was in the hay-day of technology. It was hip, industrial, and full of a team of tech writers that were everything surrounding fun. And really (really) smart. So smart in fact, I felt a little out of my league. How was I, a recent grad, going to compare to these ultra-cool geeks that could set up a SIP network with their hands behind their back and rebuilt a PC with nothing but junkyard parts? Well, it involved many bar nights followed by days in the computer lab, and one kind gentleman who walked me right into my own geekdom (aside from my husband, who I met in college and MADE me sit my ass down in front of a computer and learn how to use it). And here I am today, a pretty knowledgeable tech writer. But what Kurt really taught me--was to just get right into the nuts and bolts and learn now to use it FOR REAL (none of this text book bull shit, get into loosening screws, and typing in code).
My Late Mother in Law
And the last on this list.... hmmm. There's a lot I could say here--we weren't fast friends, in fact, not sure we would call each other friends at all. In fact, the relationship was rocky at best. And there were a number of factors that made the situation what it was. BUT, she made me realize it isn't all about me. Not that was completely self-absorbed in any right, but I had to look past the difficult situation and make the best of it, for my husband. And for OUR life. When I was younger, I'd always thought I'd have a family much like what I had growing up. Mom's parents and Dad's parents, coming over all the time at the same time and eating HUGE meals together. And all getting along. Not that getting all the parents in the room didn't work for us, it was just uncomfortable. And there was always that hidden reservation hiding in the corner. In the end, I had to believe in myself, my husband, and my marriage. It made me stand up, and be me. Be a wife. And be a mother. BE something larger than just a woman trying to keep it together. And I was. And in the end, I'm stronger for it. Even though, the relationship tough.
It's kinda funny this list. I never really thought about how I would answer this question beyond those I am closest to. And yet, here it is. Every one of them helped me learn to be me. And, you know what, I'm still learning. But Dana, Jen, Nancy, Kurt, and Chris... hey, you made an impact. And I'm who I am today because of you.
Want to play along? Please do, just make sure to link to The Noticer Project (and add your choices to the page when it goes live tomorrow!). And if you think of it, let me know. I'd love to see who has influenced you.
* I decided to add on the "might not expect" qualifier here because, honestly, I'd pick my parents, my husband, and my kids. I obviously grew up around my parents, found and lived with my husband for over 10 years, and now am raising 2 kids--how can that NOT be influential? So, I've made this more difficult for myself. I'm going to call out people that may or may not know--that aren't immediate family--they've influenced my life and how/why. You can play along in any fashion you like. There are no rules.
Labels: books, life, me, reading, The Noticer Project
