Top 10 Leadership Lessons

Well, we just about did it!  University Pickers will be open 6 months June 5th.  What an absolute whirlwind it has been.  It's been amazing to watch people's dreams turn into fruition and succeed.  And just like anything "new" that enters into the world from the ground up, there's going to be ups and downs.  We've hand's down had much, much more UPs than downs.  God is GOOD!

Top 10 Leadership Lessons I've learned this year:

1) Surround yourself with GREAT people.  People who can look you in your eyes and people who you can TRUST.

2)  Always have a VISION and know the answer to these 3 questions:  1) WHAT are we doing?  2) WHY are we doing it?  3) WHERE do I fit in?  [advice from Andy Stanley]

3)  Set clear boundaries and stick to them, otherwise, a vision can easily be lost in chaos.

4)  Everybody is replacable in business.

5)  Know your competition, but don't fear them.

6)  There is such a thing as "necessary endings."  Know when it's time to prune the bush!

7)  Do not leave your Christianity in the parking lot.

8)  BIGGER is not always better.

9)  Ask for opinions.  Take suggestions.  Listen to concerns.  Make decisions based on what's right for the business and supports the long-term vision.

10)  Value diversity!!!

What makes you happy?

Back in 2001, I received my associates degree in English.  It took me 3 years to accomplish after spending my first year at MTSU in Tennessee studying everything except my school work.  I had just had my first real heart break, so I dabbled in everything my momma warned me about and told me not too.  I remember as the year was ending, sitting in my bunk bed and having the thoughts, "this is not the path that I have chosen for you."  I knew I could not go back to that place.  

The next 2 years, I lived with the 'rents, studying at Volunteer State Community College in Gallatin, Tenn. and worked full time as a Dept. Supervisor for Toys R Us.  When I received my diploma, I knew quitting college was not an option.  So I began the quest of searching for where I'd spend the next chapter of my life.

I sat down with a piece of paper and tried to write out exactly what it was that I loved to do.  Medicine? Nope.  Law?  Too confusing.  Teacher? Maybe. But what do you love??  Eventually, somewhere deep inside of me, I knew what I wanted to do was to pursue writing.  My bedroom floor was surrounded by journals I had kept as a kid.  I had filled notebooks with one-liners and random "words" (not complete sentences.) Writing made me happy.  It kept me honest.  It kept me sane.

There was a voice, however, that I could hear clear as day in my head saying, "You shouldn't be in this class.  You are not good enough."  That voice was my high school AP English teacher.  I hate to say it, but on that summer day, I gave her the one finger salute and began searching for degrees in what I loved to do: writing.

That's when I discovered Maryville College, located right on the cusp of the Great Smokey Mountains, one of my favorite places on earth.  It was like I could hear the angels sing when I discovered they offered a degree in Writing Communications.  It's been 10 years since I graduated, and yes, I'm still paying off my college loan from that little gem of a school; however, I accomplished something bigger than finishing my degree.  I made my first big decision to do what I loved.  Somewhere about half way through accomplishing it, I received word and what I felt was confirmation that my old high school AP teacher was no longer teaching but stocking greeting cards at a corner store.  Karma.  

My senior year at this school, we all were required to take a Senior Seminar class.  The classes offered were not relevant to any particular degree but was required.  I signed up for "Seminar of Happiness," which was taught by a Buddhist.  For a complete semester, we read books and philosophies from different philosophers such as Aristotle ("Happiness depends on our self.") to Voltaire ("What is called happiness is an abstract idea, composed of various ideas of pleasure; for he who has but a moment of pleasure is not a happy man, in like manner that a moment of grief constitutes not a miserable one.")

At the end of the course, our final exam was to write a letter to our "future child," giving them our words of wisdom of "how to be happy."  Somewhere tucked away in a dusty, cob-webbed box, after 6 moves later, I still have that letter.

Fast forward now, 10 years and a multitude of life experiences later, I think I have about whittled down a 5 page letter into 1 sentence:

Happiness is doing what you love; seeing the value in others and serving them; loving someone more than yourself; accepting people are merely human; being involved in something bigger than your inner circle; creating something whether it is art, life or ideas; giving more than you take; being a contributor and not a contaminator in relationships; and loving and serving God.

Good luck to all this week as we all journey the "pursuit of happiness."  May we all give the one-finger salute to that voice who is telling you "you're not good enough."  God bless!

Don't you DARE walk away!!!

I saw the below picture a few months ago and its been haunting me.  Enough so, I decided to google it, find it again, and share with the University Pickers gang.  

I don't know if I heard this as a child or what, (perhaps the "concept" is even Biblical although I'm not sure,) but I have always had a strong vision of what it's going to be like when we get to Heaven.  

I like to imagine that before we are welcomed by the arms of Jesus, we first enter a "holding room."  I can visualize a large, movie screen coming down and sitting in the big, dark room completely alone.  It will be one of those moments in time where you will feel the sensation of your heart beating out of your chest.  It's a bit cold, and then, scene by scene, year by year, our life will be played before our eyes.  

That day when you were late for work because you couldn't find your keys.....  That stranger that you were kind to....  That tragic event that took place in your life... ALL the "whys of life" will be explained.  We will have the biggest "ah-ha" moments ever imaginable.  

We just think we know what our "most embarassing moment" has been in life.   Just wait until we see on the big screen the harsh words we used on our spouse.....The time we "made fun" of someone or mocked someone.... The time we interrupted or ignored that small child trying to tell or show us something.... The time we ignored that feeling to call someone just to say "hi."  The time we criticized.... judged.... discouraged ... hated... ignored... avoided... lied... cheated... misled...  AND the effects these moments may have had on others.  Ugh!  I just can imagine looking over and seeing Jesus weeping in the background during these sinful moments.  I expect to cry soulful, agonizing tears.

I have complete faith, however, that in the end of the movie of our "life," we will have a crystal clear understanding of what our intended purpose was and the magnitudes of impacts, both for the good and bad, that we had while in the flesh.

I say "intended," because not everyone lives up to their intended, God-given purpose or potential.

I am currently reading a book by John Maxwell, and in it, he tells a story about a man who dies and goes to heaven and while at the gates of heaven, he asks St. Peter, "Who was the greatest Colonel who ever lived?"  St. Peter points over to a man standing in the distance.  "Impossible! The man says.  I knew that man on earth and he was no Colonel!  He worked at the local factory in my town and never served a day of military in his life!"  And St. Peter responds, "True.  But had he had followed the desires that were placed in his heart, he was the greatest Colonel who ever lived.  That was his purpose that unfortunately he chose not to fulfill it.  There has not or will not be another that would be a great as he."

I have burned the above image in my mind, and I must tell you, I have had to "call upon it" for encouragement the last fews weeks.  

So, I leave you this week with this word of encouragement and this is my prayer this week for us all... If the Lord has put something in your heart, DO NOT give up and walk away!!  Although you cannot see it and it may feel like you have done everything, keep the faith!  You are ALMOST to your breakthrough!!!  

This is I know to be true:

Romans 8:28 (NIV) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Weird Pickin' Obsessions

In the past 10-15 years, I've moved probably around 8 times.  Luckily, I'm not a hoarder.  I buy and immediately resale or I'll buy, fix up, use for awhile, then eventually resale....  

Rarely do I pay "retail" price for hardly anything. Other than maybe a pair of work shoes and shirts, I cannot think of the last piece of clothing that I've bought that didn't come from either "GS Fashions" (aka, Garage Sale Fashions) or our neighborhood thrift store.  Heck, even the mattress that the Mr. and I sleep on was a hand-me-down from his mother.  I just don't let myself get too attached to "things."  

I wish I could give a noble story of how I help save the Mr. and I "X" amount of money for being a "picker."  But, that would be a lie.  I spend A LOT, but I also have a knack for getting rid of A LOT, whether through University Pickers, or before through a yard sale or by giving away- which I try to do very often.  

Don't let me fool you though.  Every time I've ever moved, and even after a hellacious yard sale, I still have to rent the largest truck on Uhaul's lot.  I have my little guilty pleasures for certain oddities that I just can't seem to pass up when I'm out junkin. 

Anyways, the Mr. and I are about to move....again.  We have been renting the past year a wonderful home in the Mt. Carmel area.  We adore the home and the area, but our priorities have changed.   If we could find a big workshop/warehouse, and some small living quarters, (as long as it had a good shower a place for my dogs to run, and a comfy place to set up our bed,) we'd be in heaven!  (seriously....let us know if you know of somewhere around here like that.)

So today, I'm looking around at all we've got to pack up.  Why oh why couldn't my pickin' obsession have been "less is more?"  Instead, I am obsessed with smalls: random, little things.   You'll notice that at my home AND in my personal booth at University Pickers.  (BTW, my booth is located by the woman's restroom and called "Like Mama Had.")

This little shadow frame hanging in my dining room, turned office, is a prime example.  I'm obsessed with old-school office supplies such as this pencil sharpeners, staplers, hole punchers, you name it.  I also love random pops of colors and vintage kitchen accessories from the 50s and 60s.  When my husband's mother passed away, we inherited her rather large Coca-Cola collection, and now, can't hardly pass up anything Coca-Cola as it makes me think of her.  As a child, I remember my mother not being able to pass up much of cobalt blue glassware, which in turn, I find myself picking up random pieces.  I'm also oddly obsessed with little figurines of animals, such as horses, dogs, squirrels, and skunks.  I have no idea why.

I also adore small collections of "things: grouped together like the above.   This old hanging fishing basket (I think that's what it is) is filled with vintage matchbooks and it's hanging on my wall in my craft room.  

There's a few key pieces from my family that I will never let go of, like this old Breyer horse that used to sit on top of my Grandma's pie safe, that I was obsessed with as a child.  

Anyways, I think I have procrastinated enough for today.  What is your pickin' obsessions look like??? 

Shouldn't do should.....

"But instead of spending our lives running towards our dreams, we are often running away from a fear of failure or a fear of criticism."  

Eric Wright

If it was up to me, the word "should" would be added to the list of words that your mama taught you not to say.  "Should" is right up there along with all the soap-eating 4-letter words. It tops the list, right after those words that make the preacher shake his head and somewhere in the mix of words such as, "can't and ain't."  It needs to banned from people's vocabulary.

Should (verb)

Used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone's actions: "he should have been careful". Indicating a desirable or expected state: "by now students should be able to read".

"Should," regardless of how you start it out, whether it be "I should," "you should," "they should," or "we should" often leads to criticism. "I should" is the worst.  

I've lived underneath those two words.  Living there means living with guilt, constant feeling of failure and a life dis congruent with the heart.  I have since tried to live in the "I am" or "I will" highway of life, and I've slowly rolled out of that dark ditch of "I should."  It's a much happier and exciting road to travel! (I feel someone out there needed to hear that for them self as well.)

To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.
Elbert Hubbard

Right now, at this moment, even though I know it is a fact of life and even sometimes necessary, I DETEST CRITICISM.  

Detest is a strong word, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look very far to find what has evoked this blog or emotion.  So yes, in case you missed it this past week, I received a big dose of good-ole-fashioned, ready or not, "put your big girl panties on" criticism.  Criticism that was posted publicly in the world's and my face about my baby (aka, University Pickers.)  

So before I get into the "criticism is a part of life" portion of this blog, let me share with you the truth for your amusement my initial reaction after receiving this wonderful "gift of feedback."

I was ready to go Mama Bear on the girl.  I debated stalking her down and putting a big ole bar of soap in that pretty little mouth of hers until she confessed that she was the spawn of the devil.  Recognizing that I was not being rational, I instead texted my sister the comment and told her my desires to stalk the girl and I poked fun at her profile picture.  We debated how I should respond.  Then, I hide the girl's comment from the "world."  Needless to say,  I did not handle the criticism very well....at...all. 

So, a few days has now passed.  My emotional response to the unsolicited criticism has subsided and I've come to grips that this is just the beginning.  That was just a taste of what's to come.

The Mr's and my creation of University Pickers is now out there and not every body is going to love it.  Apparently, some (1 out of 3,500 so far) will even hate it.    

So, I share this little story with you perhaps for my own good but also with hopes that someone out there might read it whose been dealing with some unsolicited criticism as well.  We can spend days trying to understand and analyze why some people are just so mean.  We can agonize over what we "should" do.  We can allow self doubt to creep in.  Or, we can continue to focus on and follow what in our hearts we know is the truth. 

I think Joyce Meyer says it best:

"Statistics say that 10% of all people won't like us, so let's enjoy the 90% who do and stop worrying about the 10% who don't!"

This week, I am counting my blessings and very thankful for the 90%!  

  

See in color....

On a recent trip to Birmingham, I found myself on a side road in a less than prevalent area, pulled up and parked at a little house off the beaten path.  It had a sign adorned in the front yard that said something like "hidden treasures inside," and mounds of vintage goodness on the front porch. 

The picker inside of me knew that I had just hit the jackpot.  The little girl inside of me was crying saying "let's just go home!!!"  I went against every womanly instinct that I had, and I went inside with my purse tucked tightly under my arm pit. 

Two men greeted me inside and immediately the smell of liquor about intoxicated me.  My "Get out of here,"  voice was quickly muffled when I saw every corner of this house had mounds of vintage linens, glassware, luggage, art work, dolls.... I was in picker heaven. I introduced myself asking, "so all this is for sale?"   

"Yes ma'am.  Is there anything you are looking for?

Before I could even answer, a woman walked into the home.  It was apparent she hadn't bathed in days.  In her hands were 4-5 crumbled up packs of cigarettes.  "Anyone want to buy a pack of cigarettes?" One of the men shuffled her quickly to the porch.  

I went deeper into the home.  Oh, vintage Pyrex, I thought to myself as I entered into a portion of the home where they had sorted out mounds of vintage kitchen odds n ends.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a back door.  The men followed me, politely taking things out of my hands and designating a "pile" for just me.  "All prices are negotiable," said one of them.  Without even asking, I walked outside.  Outside, I was met by another man.  He startled me.  He was a tall, black man outside smoking. And if I am honest, he was not the sort of man who I find myself wanting to be especially alone with.  There were tables covered by wet tarps, as it had rained earlier.  Old doors, windows, vintage Tupperware surrounded me.  Finally, it hit me...   

I was 2.5 hours from home and had no clue where I was or who these men were who surrounded me. And now, I was standing in a backyard surrounded by a chained linked fence with one way in and one way out.

But I didn't leave. In fact I dug deeper as the sun began to go down. The men took turns bringing me boxes as I filled them with vintage goodness. I dug through spider infested mounds of clothes to find a pair of sweet pink vintage gloves.... I crawled underneath this home to be shown an old door salvaged from God knows what. As it began to rain, I told the tall black man that he didn't have to stand out side with me, that I would be wrapping it up.... And he looked at me and said, "I'm not leaving you out here by yourself. You don't need to out here alone." He then shared with me a few stories and we shared a good laugh as the ground became more and more slippery as the rain picked up and we began to run around, slipping and sliding, trying to cover up all the tables that I just had to uncover to see what was hidden.

Back inside, I had accumulated quite a pile. I needed to pay up and my Visa card wasn't going to work. So I took an accompanied walk down the road, alone, to a bank teller with the tall black man, who just hours before had startled me so much.

For $300 bucks, I did not have an inch of space left in the Ridgeline as they loaded me up, tarped me and tied me down. Each of them gave me the sweetest hugs of gratitude that I had ever received as I pulled out a University Picker business card. Right before I was about to leave, one of the men came running out and handed me a large scrapbook with pages filled of sweet 1940s and 50s notecards and writings. He said, "I want to give this to you because I know that you will appreciate it." He lowered his voice, pulled me into him and said that he felt that The Lord had led me there as their family was really struggling and really, really needed the money. He then looked me straight in the eyes and said "thank you so much." I quickly got in the truck with tears in my eyes as the whole experience and his words haunted me and touched my heart. I believe him fully.

As I drove home, I could hear the voices of my family, "are you crazy??". But, I must say, I received such a blessing on my life that day as I do each time I venture out "picking."

I share this story with you all today because this day scared me. I totally abandoned my reason and cautious Spirit. I put myself consciously in a potentially dangerous situation. I just decided to trust God, let go, and I survived!!!!!

That's what I love about "pickin." "Pickin" gets you out of your comfort zone. It can introduce you to a whole new world of people, places and experiences. It requires you to take risks at times and to rely on information and sometimes help from others and strangers. To be successful, it requires the ability to see the world differently, including the possibility that that there may be a hidden treasure or opportunity to receive the Lord's blessing from the most unusual places- found not always at "society's norm." Since getting more and more into "pickin," I find myself looking and discovering beauty in every neighborhood, regardless of economical structure. I've also found myself making connections with people from all walks of life.

If I could leave some encouraging words today, it would be this... Kindness is a Spiritual gift from The Lord. It's not only important that we share the gift of kindness, but also that we open our hearts to receive this gift from "other" corners of life that we do not occupy each day. "Other" means from people and places that is not a part of our family, jobs, and church. As we all go out into this new week, I pray this blessing upon us all. Let us open our hearts to receive the gift of kindness from The Lord through our "pickin" ventures. I challenge you all.... take 1 small risk this week that scares you a bit, and enjoy the blessings you will receive from letting go and trusting God!

Have a wonderful week, and Happy Pickin'!!!!

Cut them off...

On a recent road trip, with "Hallelujah" by the Canadian Tenors on repeat, I was reflecting on the difference of experiences between the 10 years I've spent in retail management and being co-owner with the Mr. of University Pickers. Going into this business venture, it didn't take long (okay, all it took was a red "Stop Work" notice by the City) to realize there's a big difference.

I knew going into this that branding was essential in developing a good business structure.  In addition to the checklist of "name recognition" and advertising, the Mr. and I were determined to not leave our Christianity in the parking lot.  In the "Big Box" world, I could have "possibly" jeopardized my job to make any sort of statements like that regardiny Christianity when discussing business as their representative.  So,  yes.  That's a major difference.

But, there's also similarities.... One management lesson that I learned early on, applicable to life AND business is this:

if you want exceptional results, 

then surround yourself by the best 

If I was to say that to more than half of my Pickers, they would turn Merlot red and say "no, I'm not the best." But I'm telling you... I believe we have the best.  (As I'm typing this, I can FEEL from here the glared looks and puffed tail-feathers from my competitors.)

Let me explain and happily share with the naysayers who 1) said we'd never make it and 2) sneak in our store without properly introducing theirselves and/or sneak in our store and then try to low ball prices and pay our pickers cash under the table, [which really happened and by an owner of a rather large antique mall in the "Northern Alabama region," btw] the "University Picker" formula for success....

Our Pickers compliment each other. They swap ideas.  They introduce us to their family, their children and their fur babies.  They share supplies and contacts.  They are appreciative.  They pray for each other. They keep in touch. They celebrate other picker's success. They share each other's "status updates" on FB. They are mindful of others' bread and butter to prevent unnecessary competition.  They expound on other's talents within the Picker team to further their brand.  They pray for Paul and I.  They contibute, participate, engage and communicate.  They overcome each and every obstacle along the way and maintain a positive attitude.

This community + diviersity + having onboard crazy talent has been the formula to our success so far.

But there's a life lesson here to be learned.....  Whether you are the owner of a new business or the "owner" of a household family, we are all "brand protectors."  It's essential that negativity gets cut at the root quickly and shiftly. Come across someone who wants to carry on small talk about so-so?  Cut them off.  You can't make a simple decision without it being followed by criticism?  Cut them off.   Have someone in your life who is contaminating more then contributing?  Cut them off.  Have someone in your life that never says thank you? Cut them off.  My personal favorite....someone who critizes you behind your back?  Cut them off.

It's these small things that takes something, a community, a friendship, an organization, a business....and transforms it from good to exceptional.  

God Bless University Pickers!