This month’s Trucker Hat is one I received from Miss Stephanie Wilson of the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida. She and Jessica Muroff, CEO of GSWCF, invited me to speak to their girls a year back. The topic was Goal Setting and Achievement and I spoke to three different groups of GirlScouts and their team leaders during a weekend known as “Camp CEO.” Camp CEO is a transformative weekend in which CEOs and Business Leaders attend alongside the Girl Scouts and they share valuable experience. Not only does that happen all weekend long, relationships are created and bonds that will last a lifetime are born.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to play a part in the magic that was that weekend.  While my part only lasted about three or four hours or so, the impact on me has lasted over a year. What I probably never told Stephanie and Jessica was that they had given me a gift that weekend as well. The things I saw from those girls, the other speakers, the leaders, and the team members from GSWCF have stuck with me. I have hope for our future and the future of women in leadership now.

At the end of the weekend, Stephanie gave me a bag of goodies. AND I know it was special because she took time to know ME. All of us got gifts but not the same gifts. Each one was chosen specifically for each person.

When I opened my gift, there was a really cool shoulder bag in it AND…wait for it…a trucker hat! I was so touched that she thought enough of me to really find something she knew I would love and I do! This gift was icing on the cake but it meant so much more than “thank you.” It meant that Stephanie cared, put forth the effort to know what would make ME happy, and that it was something that time and thought was put into. THAT was the REAL gift.

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Last Saturday I ran a mud run. No big deal you might think. Good for you. Here’s why it’s significant.

25 years ago or so, I weighed 231 pounds. That’s 231 pounds on my 5′ 4″ body. You do the math; that’s almost a half a pound per inch. I was round, uncomfortable, and really just unhealthy. I lost the weight and have kept it off mostly for the last 25 years. I learned to eat better, to exercise, and to take care of myself a little bit more.

Fast forward to 2019, I have found CrossFit, Paleo, and am generally a more healthy person all around. That said, I will likely never be an elite athlete. I don’t want to be. I live on this planet and I want to enjoy my time here. Sometimes, I eat too much, I drink too much, and I do things that would not be considered healthy. Everything in moderation, yes?

OK, yes, Lisa. But where’s the magic?

Great question. A few months back I agreed to do a Mud Run with my people from Post 9/11 Veterans. I am on the board and part of our mission is to get out with veterans and do things together. I might be biased in saying this but it’s a great group of people and the mission is solid. So, back to a few months ago…you know how you agree to do something and it sounds good at the time? Then you get to the day of and you start thinking “what was I thinking?” That was me. Yes, I work out. Yes, I’m much healthier. Yes, these are my friends who I love. But run a 5k that starts at 9pm that includes obstacles and mud? What was I thinking?

I did try to get out of it but I conceded and I’m glad I did. I chose doing the run and let go of that obstacle (see what I did there?). Then I just decided I would do my best. AND that’s what I did. While I couldn’t do all the obstacles (I did all but three), I did do many that I thought I wouldn’t be able to do with help from my team. AND afterwards, muddy, tired, and hurting a bit, I could not have been more proud of my team and even more so, of me.

You know, I am always going to experience challenges in my life and I am always going to have some fear of not being able to do something new. But I will never stop challenging myself to do more than I think because the feeling of conquering yourself is one of the best feelings you can have.

My goal that night was not to be the best on the course. Instead, my goal was to be the best me on the course. and that is exactly what I did. That was the Small Magic. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until I got to the finish line.

What’s next? I don’t know yet. I only know that there is something. AND I will conquer that too.

Here’s the kicker. I made it to that finish line but now the finish line has moved farther. I have to challenge myself a little more for the next time. And as I sit here with ice on my knees three days later, I look forward to whatever that next challenge is. That 231 pound me could NEVER have done something like this.

Now, I have. And I know that I am capable of so much more.

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This time the trucker hat is from the Semper Fi Project. The Semper Fi Project was started a little while back by my good friend and brother from another mother, Omar Fuentes. Omar and I met years ago at a membership club in Tampa called the Centre Club. We both had tattoos, we were both loud and gregarious, and we hit it off right away. We formed a fast friendship that has only gotten stronger. We did have a little time when we didn’t see each other as much but we still made sure to check in and keep an eye out via social media or text. Fast forward a couple years and Omar started posting a LOT on social again. I saw this new man who had a passion for serving his fellow veterans. On top of that, he seemed to have transformed himself as well. I was inspired. Omar had created the Semper Fi Project and began talking to and helping veterans all over the US. Additionally, he had looked at his life and changed the things he didn’t like about it. He started working out with a vengeance, making time for family and faith, and sharing his observations with anyone he could. I was hooked. I reached out or he did. It doesn’t matter who did really but we started talking more again. We collaborated on a few things and next thing I knew, I was working out harder than ever and more of a sense of purpose by following his discipline of consistency.

He may not realize the impact he had on me but it was deep. I will always be a fan of this man and the way he goes through life. AND I know I will always have a cheerleader in him and a lifelong supporter. This hat will forever remind me of Omar, his mission, and being a better human to not only others but also to myself.

Today, Omar is making another dream come true. His passion for serving others has manifested in his own company, Accelerated Benefit Solutions. Omar launched ABS to help families protect their most important assets; health, income, and their family’s financial future.

Omar continues to be an inspiration to me and someone with whom I will always think of as a brother, friend, and motivator.

And that is this week’s Trucker Hat Story.

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Great question. It goes in there for several reasons:

1. It got your attention, didn’t it? You were reading my bio, looking at my FB page all innocent and stuff and there it was. Made you stop a second, right? You were interested.
2. I want you to know me. People like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. You’ll definitely get to know me after hearing the stories of all the trucker hats. You might like me because of them and maybe, even trust me (the jury is still out for that last one).
3. I want you to get a sense of my personality. Some of these stories are sad, most are funny, and some are nice. You’ll get to know what I’m about a little more after reading these stories of all these hats over the next several months.

All of this to say, it DOES tie into my social media philosophy. I think the best use of Social Media is to use it as a relationship tool. It’s not really a sales tool, although sales will likely result from people getting to know you more. That’s the good news.

The other good news? You don’t have to have 30 plus trucker hats in order for you to do it.
Find whatever YOUR thing is and share that.

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