4 minute read
LADY “O”
LIFE IN TRANSITION
BY DANIELLE MENSING
Life in transition. There has been a collective transition since the pandemic began. Transitions like entering a new job, building a business, changing careers, moving locations, ending bad habits and starting good ones… For many, the pandemic was the final straw that broke the camel’s back. We all started to look inward at our lives and make changes for the better.
“The Great Resignation” and “remote or hybrid” work are popular buzz words. Proud to be among this group seeking better opportunities as I started a new job as a Regional Director of Advancement for a University. I love the work I get to do! My passion for fundraising has aligned with my personal mission as well as introduced me to the most amazing individuals and organizations that impacted lives. I am also the Founder of Voices For Impact, the podcast.
Last year, I created a podcast to help people thrive by creating content that encourages a growth mindset and reimagines how people can find their purpose. At that time, I did not consciously realize that I was building meaning into my life along with building a platform. I was being redirected to a new purpose while helping others find theirs.
I have always maintained a personal mission and every decision I have made in my professional and personal life has aligned with that but I was searching for something deeper. The pandemic is a reminder to us all that life is fragile. For me, it has reinforced being a woman of clear pur-pose and how powerful purpose transforms… How could I make a bigger impact? Do more with the time that I have?
I had conversations with entrepreneurs,
artists, educators, athletes and changemakers about how they found their purpose and what gives them meaning. Voices For Impact turned into a platform that gives people tips on overcoming challenges and keeping a positive mindset by sharing real stories of leaders in our local community and from around the world that have made significant accomplishments in their lives and have gone through their own adversities but have made it through those challenges and made positive impacts through their work.
In the last year and a half, I matriculated into a two year grad program and then boldly graduat-ed with my MBA in one year, while working full time and growing my podcast. Talk about transitions…
I recently came across this quote:
“Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt. Meaning is something you build into your life. You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties… out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something.” - John Gardner
Isn’t that the truth? “Meaning is something you build into your life.” A common mentality that is expressed in almost every Voices For Impact episode is bravery and going after what you want in life without fear of failure. Enjoy the process, enjoy the journey, and while building on your goals, entering a new chapter, starting a new job — you are building meaning.
You may believe in karma, you may believe in God’s plan, you may believe in the scientific laws of nature. Know this as you are going through life’s changes — Today’s low point sets us up for tomorrow’s high.
“He who has why to live, can bear with almost any how”. - Viktor Frankel
I hope you feel motivated to take on the day after reading this article and for more daily inspiration listen to Voices For Impact on Apple, Spotify, and iHeart Radio podcast platforms. Subscribe and stay connected on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn @ VoicesForImpact. DID YOU KNOW? Podcasts are really effective at selling, spreading awareness, and building good reputations for companies. It’s an intimate medium where listeners develop real relation-ships with hosts, so when hosts recommend products in their own voices, audiences are more likely to try their product. Voices For Impact has attractive demographics for advertisers, with listeners that are more of an affluent, educated consumer than average, according to Edison
Research. My current list of sponsors include Always Chasing Better Coaching, Kefi Market-ing, EmPowered Nutrition, among others. Email voices4impactcuse@gmail.com if you would like to get your message out to a new audience by sponsoring an episode or sharing your story to help encourage people to find their passion and purpose.
Danielle Mensing, MBA currently resides in Syracuse NY and works as Regional Director of Advancement at a University. In addition, she volunteers for several organizations in the community, is a Board Member for Skaneateles Festival and Association for Fundraising Professionals. She is also a Central New York Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty honoree.
