A.M.P.lified Voices by Tara Samuels Issue #6 | March 23, 2022

I'm a Relationship Building Architect with a Black Belt in Networking.

This weekly newsletter will shine a light on everything I love:

My Family (Personal and Multifamily) | Networking | Home Staging | Podcasts | Ted Lasso Life Lessons

I'll highlight an A.M.P. Champ of the Week, something I learned from a Book, takeaways from As Seen on LinkedIn, someone who has Made an AMPression on me (in or out of the multifamily industry) a Podcast Pick and Lasso Learnings (from Ted Lasso the show, not the rope)!

It will be written the way I think - scattered, but with intention and purpose.

I'm not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize for the best writing. But I am trying to win the honor of being my most authentic self -----> week after week!

Take a chance. Send a connection request today to someone featured in this newsletter thus increasing your network, one connection at a time!

#ampyournetwork #networking #project66 #lassolearnings #amplifyyourvoice

(1) A.M.P. Champ of the Week

Felicia Norman, Director of Operations at Multifamily Insiders

nominated by:

Gary Gregory

Transformational Leadership Coach * Host of SUPERFANTASTIC Exchange * Director of Operational Programs at Steadfast Management

Describe Felicia in 3 Words:

• Inspirational
• Humble
• Thoughtful

What makes Felicia a ChAMPion in your eyes?

Felicia is the person behind the scenes at Multifamily Insiders that gets things done.?She coordinates and connects so many different speakers and hosts to ensure powerful and valuable continuing education for the multifamily industry.?Like so many in our industry, she diligently makes things happen so that all her customers have a seamlessly smooth and positive experience.?Her efforts allow a collection of industry trainers, experts and presenters a platform to share so much knowledge for the benefit of our industry.

My takeaway:

When people ask about my newsletter, I get most excited about the A.M.P.Champ of the week - it's my FAVORITE part.

Gifting others with unexpected recognition is like taking a happy pill that lasts all day!

If you're someone like Felicia working behind the scenes (and who clearly is a go-getter), know that someone is always watching and sees YOU!

(2) Setting the Stage - all things Home Staging

There's just something about a white house with a red door!

Call it stately. Call it Americana.

I've lived in Grayslake, IL for many, many years - not necessarily consecutively.

And this house on Washington Street in Grayslake has ALWAYS been my absolute favorite!

Partly because it's perched on Highland Lake; partly because of its red doors but mostly because of the string of garland, red bows and white lights the owner hung on their fence during the Christmas season.

It was a true showstopper - the kind of house you'd find in a catalogue, dripping with stateliness and charm.

I always wished for a reason to go inside and really meet her.

Her name was Higher Ground.

Higher Ground is a 6,074 square foot, 16 room, 6 bedroom, 5.5 bath home with decades of history.?

And then one day, it happened.

I was crushed!

A for sale sign was placed at the end of the driveway.

For months and months, I saw her waiting for a new family.

Once it surpassed a year, she almost started begging.

She seemed depressed.

I couldn't stand it anymore!

One random afternoon in March 2014, I whipped into the driveway - stopped abruptly by a locked, iron gate and rang the bell.

I announced to Jim (who I learned was the caretaker) that I felt a calling to stop.

When he reluctantly came to the gate (I seriously think he wanted me the hell off the property), I handed him a brochure for a real estate auction company where I was the exclusive stager.

Hesitantly, he took it from my trembling hands.

I was nervous - I've been bold in my life, but never THIS bold!

I told him that I felt "a spiritual calling" to give him this brochure because Higher Ground prompted me to do so.

Later that night, the owner (who happened to be a preacher), called the auction company and set up a meeting with the owner, Michael Fine.

Mike and I attended that meeting together on March 31, 2014 - I'll never forget it.

Fast forward, I staged that entire home, it sold at auction in August that year and the owner (and Jim), believed I was sent to them by a higher power.

The moral of the story?

When you feel a prompting, act on it.

Don't be afraid.

Call it intuition, call it divine intervention, call it whatever you want.

If I didn't act on that prompting, I wouldn't have this amazing story to share!

(3) Takeaways from As Seen on LinkedIn

Unlimited PTO.

It's becoming quite the scandalous topic.

It's almost unavoidable to scroll through LinkedIn and not see someone weighing in on the subject.

I currently work for a company that offers that "perk". But is it REALLY a perk?

I'm on the fence.

Until I began this job, all of my previous companies offered the cookie-cutter 2 weeks of vacation sprinkled with a few sick days here and there.

In the past, I found it challenging to take just the standard two weeks and now I find it even more difficult to cash in on the unlimited PTO I have access to now (most of my issues stem from Catholic guilt).

I recently put in a few PTO requests through our online system and when I hit send, I completely cringed!

I got up from my desk and started pacing around my office.

I got a lump in my throat.

What the hell is the matter with me?

Which brings me to my "as seen on LinkedIn" post of the week...

"Taking time off. Good? Bad? Accepted? Tricky?"

The first sentence of Christina Brady's recent #LinkedIn post really caught my attention!

Christina, Chief Strategy Officer at Sales Assembly gathered The Women's Circle (an exclusive executive network for women, or anyone who identifies as female, working in B2B Tech) to address this very topic.

100+ women came together virtually to dive into this healthy conversation.

A couple things she asked:

1) In what instances does it feel acceptable to request time off?

2) Acknowledging that time off is a crucial part of finding your personal balance, what needs to change to help women in the workplace feel comfortable managing their day to day lives in a way that works??

Although I wasn't part of the exclusive "circle," I learned something.

I learned that I'm not alone!

More and more people, especially women, are facing the same dilemma.

Check out Christina's post and if you're in #b2btech, consider joining The Women's Circle.

(4) Someone Who has Made an AMPression on Me?

One of my life’s missions is to connect others.

Why??Because we can all learn from one another.

Another one of my go-to questions from my AMPressions interviews is: "If our country went to 4-day work weeks, how would you spend your 5th?day?"

I chose to highlight this question this week because #mentalhealth is FINALLY on its way to being talked about more regularly!

For me, mental health is tied to "unplugging." Thinking back on all of the amazing #multifamilyleaders I've interviewed, Jeremy Milton, Senior Director, Property Management at RangeWater Real Estate came to mind.

When I asked him how he would spend his 5th day, he said:

"Day 5 would be spent doing all the things I “MEANT” to do day 1 through 4 that involved ONLY self-awareness;?such as making it to the gym at 9 AM, making phone calls to family back home (in Indiana)?that I failed to do during the week, and spending time away from all technology such as social media and email."

My takeaway:

Stepping away from your technology is freakin' HARD. The best way that I have found to start is by giving yourself permission. That may sound silly (damn you Catholic guilt, again) but I've found that it works.

We have the right to sign our own permission slips to take a mental health vacation.

Don't wait. Start today. Baby steps. Start with 5 minutes and then work your way up in increments that work for you.

(5) Something I Learned from a Book

In my 4th newsletter, I shared that I’m not an audiobook or Kindle kind of person.

To me, there’s nothing better than the feel (and smell) of a book – preferably a hard cover and when possible, from the library.

Do you remember that episode of Sex and the City where Carrie tells Mr. Big that she loves the smell of a library book?

Anyway, I'm going to get VULNERABLE with you for a minute.

When my husband and I have an argument, it usually stems from my horrible habit of making assumptions - which I am diligently working to improve Every. Single. Day!

Although I don't LOVE to read books, when I have a habit I'm trying to break, I turn to the library.

Let me introduce you to a practical guide to personal freedom -----> "The Four Agreements" by Don Miguel Ruiz.

The ENTIRE book, in my humble opinion, is peppered with "drop the mic moment's"!

In this book, the author reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that steal our joy leading to needless suffering.

The four agreements are:

1) Be impeccable with your word

2) Don't take anything personally

3) Don't make assumptions - dedicated to Tara Samuels (lol, not really but it felt like he wrote it just for me)

4) Always do your best

On page 63, Don Miguel states, "the problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are the truth. We could swear they are real."

Yup, that's me!

He continues to explain that "because we are afraid to ask for clarification, we make assumptions, and believe we are right about the assumptions; then we defend our assumptions and try to make someone else wrong."

Yup, that's me again!

This book is 140 pages of pure joy.

I would like to gift this book to four (get it?) of my newsletter subscribers!

To be considered, please send an email to: hello@ampyournetwork.com and share with me the habit you are trying to break and why you think this book will help.

Remember, you subscribed to this newsletter because you want to expand your netWORK and guess what? I'm here to place a hand on your back and help you do the WORK!

(6) Lasso Learnings (from Ted Lasso the show, not the rope)

Lasso Lesson #6

Vulnerability?

In Season 1, Episode 5, Ted, while nursing a bruised forehead he received from walking into a doorway, is sitting with Rebecca in her office sharing that "he's got some marital issues."

In typical Ted fashion, he injects humor into the conversation (which is EXACTLY) what I do!

He jokes that he and his wife tried couples therapy, but they didn't like the other couple!

Dang that's my kind of humor!

He continues sharing that their therapist suggested they create a code word (theirs is Oklahoma) and when used, the other has to tell the "God's honest truth."

My husband Rob and I have a code word.

It's Fishers.

No, not because of the nut (but we are nuts at times), but because of the city in Indiana.

When we use it, it's designed to ease any tension during a disagreement, add a bit of humor and remind one other that when we were in Fishers, we were ALWAYS happy!

Do you have a code word with your significant other?

If the answer is no, I strongly encourage you create one.

It's effective and, it reminds you to be vulnerable.

++++++++++++

Until next week my friends…