I collect inspiration like other people hoard coins, or American Girl dolls, or signed baseballs or those silly little Precious Moments.

And by ‘collect’ I mean seek out, absorb, implement.

I read voraciously.  I listen deeply.  I watch others who do things well.  I think all.the.time.

So naturally, if given the opportunity, I will listen to and take the advice of successful people.

Enter Liz Strauss, Carol Roth and Ghennipher Weeks.  Do you know them?  Well, you should.  Not because they are amazing and successful.  Not because they know how to buckle down and work for what they want, not because they tell you that you are wonderful (they won’t unless they mean it)

But simply, because they are real and they have earned their following by being honest and forcing those of us who listen to take a long hard look in the mirror. Carol’s tagline is ‘sunshine and puppy-dogs not included’ – and she means it.

But let’s focus on my collection of inspiration.  I entered the “Doing Business in a Social Media World’ session at EVO (Evolution of Women in Social Media Conference) this past weekend with my imaginary cocktail shaker….prepped to gather the ingredients I would need to move forward, ready to shake them into the concoction that would make sense for me.

I walked away irresistible (Liz’s word – and what she demanded of us).  My shaker was filled with strategy, the value of my time, heart, and intention.

I’ll explain.

When I stop to consider where I am in this wild and wonderful world of blogging and social media, I know a few things:

• I work hard.  Late nights and long hours don’t phase me.
• I adore this wild, wild west that is social media
• Having been a traditional journalist, my approach to everything I do is tinged with my experience – and that makes me stronger.  Story-telling is where my heart is.
• I aim to operate as a professional.  The ‘me’ you see online is the same ‘me’ you get in person.
• I love video.  And by love, I mean adore-can’t-live-without.  It is a vehicle to share the ‘real me’.  It is a story-telling tool.  I believe it is the future.

However….(this is where the cocktail shaker is coming in handy – during the assessment and subsequent attack on my flaws)

• I can’t always claim to have worked smart.
• I have had no business plan.  That’s right – none.
• I have often fallen in to the category of dreamer, not doer.
• I have failed to value my time, making it impossible for others to do so.

But this changes now.

Shake.  Stir.  Pour.

Liz and Carol asked if anyone was willing to pronounce themselves irresistible and state their intention (note:  the difference between a dream and a goal?  INTENTION)

I will confess.  I hesitated.

Enter inner dialogue:

If I say it out loud, it becomes more than a pipe dream, it becomes my responsibility.  If I say it out loud someone might remember and ask me about it.  What if I haven’t done it?  What if I haven’t even put my foot on the yellow brick road? What if…what if…what if.  Now wait a minute, Danielle, what are you really afraid of?  This is the first step.  Without the responsibility, without allowing for the input and guidance of others, without intention, you have nothing.

I raised my hand, I gripped the microphone.  And, in front of 75 odd people – some I know and some I don’t, I said, “This has always been my dream.  I would love to have a television show focused on telling people’s stories – average, everyday people.  We all have a story.  We all have something to learn from each other – and I want to be the one sharing those stories.  The caveat with the show – it will have to ‘give back’. ”

What does that ‘giving back’ look like?

I want to put computers in classrooms, food in the bellies of kids, provide cars for people to get to work, award scholarships to allow kids to go to college, bring military men and women home to see their families, grant wishes for kids who won’t live to grow up…..and so on and so on.

It is both a specific goal and a broad one.

It is my intention.