Hi! I am Jannica Morton, one of the partners at The MindShift Agency. A few weeks ago, as the Partner Sponsor, I had the honor to speak at AltPath - revealing the road less traveled. AltPath is an event full of speakers who have chosen to live a life in pursuit of their purpose. Below is what I shared with our audience. I hope you enjoy it and I hope that something in this presentation inspires you.
In 2015, I was lucky enough to work with Aaron Yang (founder of AltPath) and Donella Cecrle to open Makarios Community School. Throughout that experience and over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten to know and respect Aaron and be in awe of who he is:
- fearless in pursuit of his interests questions and challenges the “norm”
- a self-directed learner working towards his purpose
- a mentor to the next generation
- believes in giving back to our world
When Aaron told me about his idea for Alt Path, I was so excited! I knew instantly The MindShift Agency fit perfectly with the purpose of Alt Path and knew we needed to support Aaron in developing this event.
Love, Questioning Everything, Soul Knowledge and Purpose.
(( At this point I asked for a volunteer ))
I need a volunteer...you might have to do something silly or embarrassing, answer a question, or eat something gross. (( point to bag of trash, box, plate of noodles )).
(( One man volunteered quickly, he came up and I gave him $20 ))
I need another volunteer...any one?
(( Tons of people raised their hands this time! ))
Why did I get more volunteers the 2nd time around?
(( The audience said "MONEY!! ))
I recently read the book “She Means Business” by Carrie Green and she talks about doing this activity in front of 1000 people. The gentleman that volunteered the 1st time said the reason he volunteered was that he had spent most of his life afraid to try anything or go against the grain, but had recently survived death and had realized that life is short and that he should embrace challenges and risks. I am thinking he went through a serious mindshift.
A Mindshift is “A shift in your mindset caused by creating something out of a fine balance between insights and innovation, leading to a mindshift.” - Urban Dictionary
As a child, I was an introvert full of opinions and questions, fear and insecurities. I would NEVER have volunteered...even with the possibility of $20.
But the more life I live, the more life I want to live and I embrace challenges, risks and even failure.
I am so thankful for the lessons learned throughout my life. I was in my teens when confronted with a knowledge deep in my soul that I had to follow. It would be a big deal, a lot of work, is be out of my comfort zone and challenging myself in many ways. My dad wrote me a letter that gave me the freedom and support to follow it and to soar. So I did. I pentitioned my school board to graduate a year early from high school. This meant that while working 20 hours a week, I also had to complete both my junior and senior years of schoolwork in one year. So I did. I graduated with honors and I walked away from that experience stronger, more confident and more willing to take risks.
Then in college, finishing up a double major in accounting and finance with less than 2 semesters left. Had an internship at an accounting office. Hated it!! Bored to death. Again, that stirring in my soul hit me and I knew I had to make a change. So I did. A friend recommended web design. I researched, studied, and read everything I could on good design, user experience, web development. 4 years later, I got my degree in Computer Information Systems and Business. See, I was bored to death with accounting. I didn’t know I was on the wrong path. But when I began doing websites and marketing and working with clients, combining psychology, design, development and analysis into a solution that helped my clients, my being was both at peace and energized. It's awesomeness! I was for sure living on the path of my purpose. Now, almost 20 years later, I am still fulfilled by my career and thankful for a business that helps other businesses get their message out to the world.
God created me for a purpose.
I was designed with strengths, weaknesses, talents and dreams to pursue that purpose. I have learned that when you listen to that stirring voice in your soul, the obstacles and fear are minimized and replaced with determination. You know that you know you are on the right path and you know that this means success.
Here’s the thing, my businesses are not my sole purpose.
They are just a piece of it, giving me the experience and knowledge to fulfill other components of my purpose, such as mentoring young entrepreneurs at The Capacitor (one of my favorite experiences yet) or building out a website for a fundraiser that supports cancer research or training and mentoring young moms who need an income working at home and don’t want to leave their babies in daycare.
My big purpose is all about giving and building other people up. I have found that some of the hardest experiences in my life when shared with others, made their lives easier or helped them through a tough time. Knowing that by living authentically MY purpose, I am giving back to someone else, encourages me to share my down times and failures, to share the heartache and pain.
Living in my purpose is when I feel most alive because it's when I am giving back.
Because of our life experiences and our individual purposes, we at The MindShift Agency approach branding, strategy, marketing and web development a bit differently than most. Our culture is about giving back, mentoring and showing love through authenticity and quality work. (See why Aaron and Alt Path fit so well with our team and company?!)
- Every project/decision starts with a desire (& love) to improve and to help a client by solving their pain-point.
- This desire (and love for the client) leads to making decisions to change and move towards improvement
- Acknowledging the need for improvement leads to questioning everything about the client and their business.
- The answers direct the path that the client must take to change and improve so that they can solve their customer's pain-point Leading to growth and improvement
- And back to love...showing love to their client by solving a pain point or through support.
We named our business MindShift because sometimes that’s what it takes to get on your path, grow and improve.
To stay in line with the path of my life, I know that every once in awhile there will be a knowledge that hits me hard and I have to listen and be ready to pursue it or let go of something.
To stay connected to God and listening to that stirring in my soul, I pray for wisdom, to be put where He wants me and to be shown who he wants me to help. I stay open to learn new things and spend a few minutes every morning curiously searching for something that peaks my interests. Then I journal and think about where I am at, what is my mind saying, what is my soul feeling, what is going on, what’s weighing me down? Then I take action and think through what I need to do or what I can’t do and have to let go and I make a plan. Then I think through what I am thankful for, what has God blessed me or people close to me with? Next I write out my goals for the month and again take action to make sure I am staying on track.
But you know what?
You have to listen and acknowledge when you go off the path.
You might have to admit you've screwed up and quit being stubborn! (I HATE when I am wrong.) You have to be ready to let go, you have to question everything, change direction or you might have to start over. Sometimes all it takes is a mindshift (which can come in the form of a friend, movie, book, co-worker, challenge, loss) to get you back on the path to fulfilling your purpose.
I really hope that you are living with an open mind and heart so that you to can experience a MindShift and if you aren't already, that you start walking on the path of your purpose.
We can help!
We work with individuals and businesses to find their purpose and message.