dear diary, I am FIERCE

Last night, I went to see Arlene Dickinson speak. She is the CEO of Venture Communications Inc. and a panel judge on the Dragons Den.

She is also FIERCE but she doesn't know it!! (Females Inspiring Each other in a Real Community of Empowerment.... the group I'm starting... I'll get to that later)

She spoke about being true to yourself and knowing that if you are being honest about who you are and what you are doing, it is more important than anything else you can offer someone.

I needed to hear what she said last night because of all of the other bullshit that is being - or has been - said about the magazine, and now my blog.

So I listened carefully when she started talking about taking on a leadership role, seeing the potential instead of the problem, and waking up every day with a purpose. Now, I thought about this a LOT as I drove home and wondered how I could see all of these negative comments as potential.

Let's recap, shall we?

Point one: My blog is "unpolished and unprofessional."
Well, yes, yes it is, I guess if you like to follow the rules but as my dear friend Maria Callas said, "Don't talk to me about rules, dear. Wherever I stay, I make the goddamn rules."
Perhaps my content and the language I use aren't the norm in small-town publishing but that's OK. Rules are made to be broken and I have built a community of MOM Magazine readers who happen to like what I do.

Point two: I'm using the wrong fonts and the design is all wrong.
OK, so AMPA and the panel of industry "experts" didn't really care for the magazine but I look back at our first issue - which I would NEVER have submitted and it was actually designed by someone in the industry - and I am so proud of where we are now! We will continue to develop and grow, using the wrong fonts.

Uhm I'm tired of defending what I do and how I do it, so let this be the last post on that. If you continue to have issues with it, check out our What the FAQ!? section on the website. That should address some, if not all of your concerns.

After I let go of some of these problems, I had to look at the potential. Now, I always see room for growth and hope to evolve the magazine with each issue. I am keeping the pinup look - even though a design "expert" referred to it as a Sunshine Girl look. I have researched some different typefaces and even asked a dear friend of mine for some tips. She happens to be the art director for Consumer Reports magazine in New York, so I am sure she will provide some ways to clean up the design without talking down to me.

And last, but not least, I know the magazine has touched lives and made a difference to some women. That is what I am trying to do, and after hearing Arlene speak about taking a leadership role I know I am on the right path.

When I wake up every day, I have multiple purposes (insert sex joke here!!). LOL
My purpose includes connecting with women and telling YOUR stories. My purpose includes being the best mom I can be to Oz and Lola. My purpose includes empowering women. My purpose includes being myself and not compromising what I believe in.

My purpose is FIERCE.

Now, speaking of FIERCE. The kickoff is Sunday and I am frantically trying to finalize some things. So far I surpassed the number of tickets I expected to sell, so that makes me happy!

I only hope it all comes together and that I can pull everything off in time for the big day!!

Have an extremly productive day and get on your path to success!!

t.