Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Everything You (N)Ever Wanted to Know About COMFORT ZONES!!!!! Teachers, Nitrogen Cereal, Patch Decks, and You

So, this week has been a bit weird. Not only is #RedforEd a thing, but we're on Spring Break, so I got a bit of time off to just do whatever I wanted/needed to do.... though, for a Teacher, it means that I get to do a ton of stuff I don't get to do on normal school weeks. In other words, I get to grade papers, answer work email, lesson plan, and do things that I should be paid and have time to do when I am at work... but get to use my time off to do, instead. That, along with the time I need for the start up business I am running, and taking family time (and the all important personal rest time.. which means going to the dentist and doctor and taking the kids to random things THEY need me to take them to).

Literally, this amounts to little actual personal time. Yet, I managed to spend a bit of time at the #mall with my #teeanagers eating #nitrogencereal (video here): Jonni eating nitrogen cereal - I know - this is seminal and needs it's own Academy Award category.

This week has been weird because those of you following me know that I am in the process of building a start up company that will... I hope... eventually change the face of education and mental health.... But, I finally got to visit a place called the Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation, and meet with a current mentor of mine. I won't name her yet because I haven't asked her for permission, but I am sure you all will learn about her in good time.

Anyway, I drove down to one of the sketchiest industrial parts of Phoenix to meet with her and her crew of innovative pirates, and learned a ton about advisory committees, building a solid start up team, and inviting people with different domain experience than yours into your sphere of knowledge. She and I also chatted for a while and she taught me new lingo that sort of startled me. For all the pride I have in my knowledge of running a business and doing the minutiae of the things I have learned as an Entrepreneur for the past 6 years... I had never once heard of a Pitch Deck.

The reason I am writing this blog entry today is NOT to teach you about pitch decks. In fact, I have homework tomorrow and can't really talk to you about what they are yet, though I have a general idea. What I wanted to share with you all is the reality of feeling like you know you know what you are talking about, and you know what you are doing with your life, and then being confronted with something that rocks you out of your comfort zone.

Yet, that wasn't what rocked me hard. It was the invite to do an interview with a journalist. Not just any journalist, but a journalist who has his own Wiki page (Jerry White) because he ran for President in 1996... and works for a lesser known publication - who happen to be Socialists. As a child of the 80s and 90s, and a military Brat, I have become skeptical of political parties and aligning myself with anything. In fact, I call myself non-partisan and will go out of my way not to align myself in ANY way with any known political party or agenda out there. Most of my conversation with him was about my personal feelings about -isms and how the world is, today... still, I told him my thoughts. He told me his. We agreed.

Imagine that! Being able to be "out" of my comfort zone talking to someone, and yet I was directly IN agreement with much of what we were both saying. In the end, it's all about creating relationships. More on that, tomorrow. For tonight, I encourage you to go have an honest talk with someone you might not otherwise talk to because you are scared of the label they own... and see what comes out of it. You might just learn something... and might even make a new friend you only agree with some of the time. Sort of like all the other friends you already have. :)

Love, Jonni