August | 2007 | Kontrary by Rebecca Thorman – Careers, Business, and Life Advice

Prioritize your authenticity

by Rebecca Thorman on August 3032 Comments

I don’t openly discuss the fact that I’m a tree hugger because it makes people uncomfortable. See, Mother Nature reminds us a lot of our own mother; we believe they’ll always be there for us no matter what. So I don’t talk about being an environmentalist. It would be like reminding the other person that they haven’t called their mom for two weeks. And no one wants to be reminded of their mother during happy hour.

That’s a mistake, however, because I get miffed when others claim to be environmentally concerned, and are blatantly not. Like the people who shop at Whole Foods, and think that gets them a golden ticket to the garden of earthly delights, even though they have a SUV parked in the lot.

Follow the Leader – Travis from Young Go Getter

by Rebecca Thorman on August 277 Comments

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This post is part of the “Follow the Leader” series, where you get the chance to peek into the professional and personal lives of fellow young leaders to learn how they get it all done. If you would like to be the next young leader profiled, email me.

Travis - Young Go Getter Travis from Young Go Getter is a bit mysterious. He assures me this really is him in the photo to the left. I’ll assume we can’t see his face because teal just isn’t his color. No matter. Travis is crazy successful and while I was still learning my right hand from my left, Travis was already starting businesses.

My new job

by Rebecca Thorman on August 2635 Comments

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Update: This post was also published at Damsels in Success.

I started a new job on Wednesday. At 23 years old, I am now the Executive Director of a young professional organization whose mission is to attract and retain young talent and leadership in my area in order to contribute to the regions’ economic, civic, social, and public policy futures. Can’t get more Gen-Y Princess than that.

After one of the best first days at work ever, a day that left me dazed at the possibility of it all, I sat with my friend Hercules at his condo. His condo is trendy and beautiful, and immaculately clean, like in a commercial, the kind of clean that makes you feel dirty even if you’ve just taken a shower.

7 concessions and a challenge to the Gen-Y naysayers

by Rebecca Thorman on August 2241 Comments

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Cynics have decided that I’m a “Gen-Y Princess” floating oblivious amongst the clouds, here and here.

More specifically, that I’m a high-maintenance spoiled brat. But who’s counting.

I appreciate criticism, even if it’s lackluster on the constructive side. I want this blog to recognize and appreciate the foundation that previous generations have laid and build upon it. To greatness. I want it to be about dialogue and community. And kicking some major butt. This includes realizing when I haven’t given the full picture. Here are seven concessions to the Gen-Y naysayers:

1) Gen-Y will fail. Miserably. We won’t change the world straight away.

Mark your calendar to unite!

by Rebecca Thorman on August 211 Comment

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Update: Obviously, I do not have any advertising on this site, so I cannot donate the revenue. Instead, I will donate .25 for every subscriber I have for the blog on October 15th and will split the donation between my favorite online environmental charity and my favorite local environmental charity.

I’m participating in Blog Action Day on October 15th. Are you?

Young Go Getter summarizes:

“It’s called Blog Action Day, and the blogging event is scheduled to take place on October 15th. The idea is simple: 1) Write a post about about an issue or solution that relates to the environment.

4 lessons in selling yourself

by Rebecca Thorman on August 2113 Comments

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1) A few days ago, at the urging of a reader, I attempted to figure out why the comments section on this blog was a big cluster freak on the page instead of separated into paragraphs like you good readers intended. After a useless twenty-seven minutes of poking around my stylesheets, twenty-seven minutes that I will never get back, I got fed up.

And by “got fed up” I mean I emailed my friend Mic Funk, also known as “funk in your junk,” “funky hunk,” or “thebestwebdesignerintheworld.” It took him all of two seconds to find the problem.

In a quasi-anonymous world, success is nothing without friends

by Rebecca Thorman on August 1619 Comments

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Johannes and I get together about once a week when he’s bored and I’m stressed. He’s one of those people that has only two emotions, bored or happy, and is never stressed because he never has anything go wrong. Really. It’s not normal.

I saw Johannes last night after a long day and an even longer meeting, and started talking as we sat down at the restaurant. I told him the recent gossip. I talked all about my latest success. I described how I got in trouble for my recent post. I told him who had called me, who I had seen, who was annoying the heck out of me.

Follow the Leader – Manage your life like other young leaders

by Rebecca Thorman on August 159 Comments

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Tiffany Monhollon Gen-Y does a heck of a lot. This is the first post in a new series called, “Follow the Leader,” where you get the chance to peek into the professional and personal lives of fellow young leaders to learn how they get it all done. If you would like to be the next young leader profiled, email me.

When I wrote my first post, it was Tiffany Monhollon (left) who contributed the first comment. Which made me giddy for days upon days and gave her instant status as my first bona fide blogging buddy. It only made sense to feature the talented writer of Little Red Suit as the first young leader to be profiled for the Follow the Leader series.

When everyone gets in the way of changing the world – my blogging paralysis

by Rebecca Thorman on August 1332 Comments

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I’m going to start something new and exciting soon. As a result, “everyone” has been talking to me. Or rather, at me. They talk. I sit. They have opinions and advice and information, and it doesn’t matter if they have credibility or experience, they tell me what to do regardless. “Everyone” knows better than I do.

And, as a result, I’m paralyzed. I’m scared to do anything. I can’t even get dressed in the morning without thinking about what “everyone” will think.

My paralysis has been especially prevalent on this blog. I feel I can’t write what I want to write because it might offend “everyone.” Swirling through my head are should nots and better nots and other such niceties that make small talk boring.

The W (and M) List – Promoting Quality Bloggers

by Rebecca Thorman on August 0825 Comments

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Valeria Maltoni graciously included me in a list of power women bloggers yesterday, and suggested to everyone that they return the favor by recognizing quality women bloggers. This is a wonderful project, and I’m honored to be included and happy to add:
Dooce by Heather B. Armstrong
Lindsay Pollak by Lindsey Pollak

The W List – Women who blog

45 Things by Anita Bruzzese

advergirl Leigh Householder

Back in Skinny Jeans by Stephanie Quilao

Biz Growth News by Krishna De

BlogWrite for CEOs Debbie Weil

Brand Sizzle Anne Simons

Branding & Marketing Chris Brown

Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk

CK’s Blog CK (Christina Kerley)

Communication Overtones Kami Huyse

Conscious Business by Anne Libby

Conversation Agent Valeria Maltoni

Corporate PR Elizabeth Albrycht

Customers Rock!

How video games can show us how to engage Generation Y (or anyone)

by Rebecca Thorman on August 0722 Comments

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Full disclosure and necessary reminiscing: I grew up with a second-hand Nintendo (shout out to my pals Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda). Before that I played on a second-hand Atari (Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, you rock my world), and before that a really large second-hand computer filled the corner in my bedroom (Tetris- did life exist before you?). These days, I don’t play many video or computer games, but the ones that I occasionally happen upon are pretty cool, like this one, a modern day Pong/Tetris mashup addiction.

Here’s how video games can show companies, nonprofits, and others how to keep young talent engaged:

Give us a BIG challenge… Video games are not easy.

Three workplace weaknesses that are really Gen Y strengths

by Rebecca Thorman on August 0623 Comments

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When asked in an interview, “What do you think are your greatest strengths? Weaknesses?,” I always find it difficult to answer because I feel my strengths and weaknesses are intrinsically linked. Generation Y has three such instances where our perceived weakness are really our strengths:

1) Selfishly entitled. Guilty. Generation Y believes that we deserve everything the world has to offer. And we do. Paying dues when we enter the workforce is a joke. Not only have we already paid dues in high school by working harder to advance our standing in college, but we then work even harder in college to get ahead once we dive into the real world.