Finding Your [Social] Self

From colleague, and source of endless inspiration, Seth Godin.

Never smooth enough--a modern addiction

Once our needs our met, our instinct is to invent new ones, to find a fuel to continually move things forward, to bring that propulsive energy back.

Social media makes it easy to be both dissatisfied and to have a mission at the same time: Make everyone happy.

Every single critic silenced. Every customer delighted. Every prospect interested.

Sort of like your footprint in social media. It's imperfectible. There is someone, right now, who's miffed at you. Someone who misunderstands you. Someone who used to work with you who doesn't any more, or someone who has the wrong impression of you and won't even give you a chance. Not to mention the trolls, the ones who merely seek oppositional positions.

It's imperfectible.

For every person who wants you to have bigger portions, there is someone who says the portions are too big. For every person who says your writing is too personal, there's someone who wants it to be more personal...

Seeking a perfect sphere might be a hobby, but if it's not giving you joy, it's a lousy way to live. It's an addiction, not a useful tool.

People have been talking about you behind your back ever since fifth grade. Now, of course, you can eavesdrop whenever you choose. Don't.

Turn it off. Walk away. Accept the lack of perfect.

Better to make something important instead.

Jessica Higgins is a public speaker, strategic consultant, published author and advisor on creating end-to-end culture design solutions in healthcare, higher education, governments and large corporations. She is the Chief Operating Officer of Gapingvoid Culture Design Group, of which she developed and manages the only end-to-end culture design consulting practice in existence. She and her team work with Microsoft, Zappos, Roche, AT&T, Pfizer, L'Oreal, US Bank, Babson College, and many others. She is an expert in the field of Lean Six Sigma with specialty in systems design for sustainable growth. She holds a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma, a Juris Doctor in law, a Masters in Business Management, and a Bachelors degree in Behavioral Psychology. 

She has been an equality activist for over 15 years, cofounding the LGBTQ organization in her graduate school, as well as serving as President of the Texas Pay Equity Committee, an active supporter of Special Olympics, an active member of the AFL-CIO, member of the Gray Panthers, member of the LGBTQ Law Association, and is frequently interviewed and published on female entrepreneurship, gender and equality issues. She advises and mentors women in business success and volunteers for homeless and underprivileged families and youth in her community.

She has been published in The Ladders, Workforce Magazine, Training Industry Magazine, HR Daily Advisor, Becker’s Hospital Review, B2B Kununu, and has corresponded on news media including CBS, Newsweek, The Miami Herald and Huffington Post. In the course of her career she has created over $500M in combined cost savings and business development and has created over 5,000 jobs throughout the United States. 

For more information, contact jessicah@gapingvoid.com.