Solstice Encounter

Came upon a piece of me that has been buried

That’s why it feels like a story, like a slice of someone else’s life

I know the pain is there because I can only read so much

Of the long ago journal before having to close the well-worn cover

It’s a story that is buried so deep

That it feels like I’m reading a novel or a bio of another’s life

*****************************************

Young, intense, competitive love

Forming each of us into adulthood

Soul click

Heart break-  no…..

 heart-shredding

Living a façade for the masses

Led to an end to us as you left for self-discovery

Escaping the conservative confines of our city

Searching for a progressive place that would allow you

To explore the stirrings in your own soul

A chance to answer the question that had been pulling at you

Like demons in the night

Buried pain, picking up the shattered pieces

Wondering if I could go on without you

Intelligent, Motivated, Driven,

Intensely Competitive, Sophisticated, Narcissistic-

You were my male twin and even our hearts beat in sync

Later, as with all deep heart-wrenching pain,

I went on with my life

Using yours as the yard stick

by which all future relationships were measured

Years rolled by and became decades

I found you once again within the pages of

A college photo album

Pictures curling as the adhesive aged

Hand-in-hand together at Coney’s Moonlight Gardens,

Nominated for Homecoming King & Queen

An irony like no other….

Searched for you online only to be met with resounding silence

You were nowhere to be found

And I feared that you no longer walked the earth

How unbelievable when the universe shifted recently and a

Tear in the cosmos allowed me to find you again

So many years have passed, yet it feels like yesterday

Only different…..

“What an unexpected gift and blessing from the universe….remember, after all these years, we have plenty of time! Love ya, Michelle.”    ~Todd

And yes, Todd. Time is the one thing we do have……

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2011

So This Is My Life- No Regrets

Erin Schreyer, President of Sagestone Partners asked me to write a bio highlighting my career, current position and volunteer work for a panel I will be participating in soon. Thought I would house it here in case there are Friends that don't know my story. For the record, I consider my greatest achievements to be the care, nurturing and education of my two children. I walked away from an incredible career building world-class household brands with Procter & Gamble in order to focus on my own home-grown brands, and I'm happy to say I don't regret a single minute of my decision. The kids are doing well and my path led me to C3- which I absolutely am passionate about!

So here you go:

Career History for Strengths & Sisterhood Panel

2/10/11

Michelle Beckham-Corbin, Owner & Principal of C3: Creating Connections Consulting, LLC, a social media marketing strategy firm.

Michelle began her career as a Sales Representative in the Health & Personal Care Division of Procter & Gamble after graduating from Xavier University and rose through various Customer Business Development & Marketing management positions during her 15 year career with P&G. Along the way, she acquired an MBA in Management. Michelle later left P&G to devote more time to her two young children and to offer her organizational & training talents to family- based non-profit, Beech Acres Parenting Center, as a Contract Facilitator & Trainer for several long-running programs.

After several years, she returned to the business world working for a local marketing firm and became fascinated by the early world of Social Media. As she built up her knowledge base of digital media, she was sought after by many companies for her expertise. Her husband encouraged her to hang her own shingle and C3 was officially born in early 2009. Today she works with corporate clients, non-profits and start-ups consulting, coaching, training and speaking on all things social media.

Outside of running her company, and keeping tabs on her two high school children’s activities, Michelle is an active volunteer in the community. She is a former Girl Scout Leader, PTO Board Secretary, Parish Council Member and Lector for her Church. Michelle is a Board Trustee for the non-profit group Authentic Leadership Cincinnati and is on the Board of the IHM Job Search Ministry Group where she shares her knowledge of Web 2.0 job search strategies and social media promotion with those in transition. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the digital networking group, New Media Cincinnati and is the host of AC-TV talk show, Trustee Talk, on Warner Cable. Michelle is a frequent speaker, lecturer and trainer. Additionally, she is a published writer, co-author of Social Media book, Age of Conversation 3 (Channel V Books, New York, 2010), frequent commenter and Blogger.

She brings great energy and passion as well as a keen ability to deeply connect with people in order to create business building social media opportunities for her clients.

~So there you have it. Not the Bio that my clients usually see. This is the back story......


Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2011

Driving My Passion With Virtual Grenades

I'd catch a grenade for love
Throw my hand on a blade for love
I'd jump in front of a train for love
You know I'd do anything for love
I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for you....

Bruno Mars sings these heartfelt lyrics in his fast rhythm song, Grenade. I love the beat; it has a pulsing tempo that just begs to pull your body into movement. However, if you listen closely, the lyrics will break your heart. When I take in his words, they makes me wonder about the things in my life that I would ascribe these same intense sentiments.

What are the passions that drive me to succeed and for which I would lay down everything. For me the number one answer would be relationships. I value the connections that I have with people. I am a deep, analytical soul and when I meet someone, I want to know everything about them.

Secondly I am passionate about self-actualization. I aspire to be the best possible version of me that can exist at this time and in this space. I love to make a difference in people's lives that will help them achieve their goals.

Lastly, I am passionate about leaving a legacy. I want to leave this earth having created pieces of myself that are left to lodge and grow and influence future generations. I don't want to disappear into the ether, but to have some tangible proof that I walked this earth and left it in a better state of being somehow.

So what do my ramblings have to do with unrequited love as it is described in Bruno's song. Well not much, but words and lyrics inspire me and cause me to reach deeper into my own psyche for parallel meanings.

What things in your life would you take a virtual grenade for?





Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2011

Breathe Change Into the World

Take a moment to breathe in the cold air around you and as you hold it inside your lungs, remember that you were placed right here, in this spot to make a difference. Whether that difference is within your own family or out in the world, know that you possess the ability to faciliatate change. It only takes one committed person to move a mountain. I'll see you on the other side.

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

Escaping the Image of Me

Escaping the Image of Me

For years people have told you:

“You look just like her”

And while I don’t see the complete physical resemblance

Beyond similar hair and eye color,

I think what they were trying to do was to paint the feeling

That they had into words- the observation that our inner core, our essence is similar

Extroverted over-achievers with a flair for the dramatic and a love

Of being front and center

We have strong, independent personalities and value integrity and truthfulness

We are unflinchingly loyal,

Unless of course one has proven themselves to be lacking in the virtues we hold dear

Leaders

Thought provokers

Keeper of the peace

Risk takers (ok- we diverge here)

Brave hearts that seek to do what is right and not what is popular

Voracious readers of good content

Talented Writers

Gifted intellect


Lately you voice concerns about our similarities

And I ask, “Is there a reason why you don’t have positive feelings about being like me?

And you answer, “Because I feel like I am re-playing a movie role about your life”

Hazards of sharing journal entries of my life at your exact age….

And yes there are many, many similarities.

BUT there are differences that make you your own unique person

You are you and I am me

How lucky we are to have each other.

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

Walking Rainbows

Be my walking rainbow

Kaleidoscope of colors, exuding energy

At each point of the spectrum

We walk this earth radiating points of our personality

Each sliver, each edge of brilliance has

The opportunity to touch someone’s life

Sometimes we are unaware of the net effect

Our color chart of traits has on others;

Not knowing that the interaction,

No matter how brief, caused an intermingling of color

Into another’s life

The energy passes, is received

And recycled into the aura surrounding them

Continuing to make a mark on the next in line

Be cognizant of your rainbow and

The good you can achieve by sharing your energy with others

You have the ability to change the world with your rainbow…..

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

The Kindness of Strangers

Coincidence, Karma, Fate, Pre-determinism....

All thoughts that swirl through my coffee-fueled mind...

I believe that we have a destiny that has already been carved and within that destiny we have the ability to use free will/ choice to close our ears and eyes to the signs that are around us or to embrace them. It takes awareness and a conscious decision to slow down our lives to be aware of what is around us.

This point hit home for me with a video that was making the rounds on Facebook and has probably hit the numbers needed to brand it viral by now. Would love to share it with you, but it's not a YouTube embed, so I can't get a URL. Best I can do is give you a link to my C3 Facebook Page and have you view it there. The premise is that we tend to take people at face value without looking for the back story. Imagine what the world would be like if we extended more kindness and compassion and didn't react immediately to our first impression.

The second part of this observation is the idea that when we do extend kindness, no matter how small, no matter how random, we have the ability for that to build. People are struck by the generosity and compassion of others and the warmth that emanates inside them finds its way in some type of expression of gratitude that affects yet another person, and so on. Remember the Pay It Forward movement from several years ago? That's what I'm getting at.

I experienced several acts of kindness today, to the point where I began to wonder if there was a sign on my back that said "Show her a little love!". Weird how that happens. Here are my little miracles for the day:

1. During a surgery consult at Children's Hospital, the nurse was able to squeeze us in over the Christmas holidays so that no school would be missed for the operation

2. Stopped at a shoe repair shop to inquire whether my favorite Borns were fixable. The owner stopped what he was doing and repaired them that minute and threw in a polish and shine.

3. Popped into a local bakery to grab a muffin to eat while I waited for the shoes. Wanted to remove any traces of hospital germs off my hands, but the bakery did not have a public restroom. The clerk invited me to come behind the counter to use the bakery sink.

None of these things will change the world, but you know what. They changed my day. They made me smile.... Perhaps you will too!




Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

The Sweet Spot: Where Passion & Career Collide

Imagine the infinite possibilities that await you when you follow your passion.....




Full text of the post referred to in the video can be found here.

Want to join the conversation? Need help in navigating your passion? Contact me here and let's talk!

Also:

I am looking to establish a mentor/mentee program for women. If you have any interest on either side of the equation, please send me your name & contact information. You can reach me: Michelle@CreatingConnectionsConsulting.com

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010

The Bell Tolls

Circle of Life

Light of Hope

Belief in tomorrow

That you will be there

In your place as always

Yet

Life throws us curve balls

The path twists

And we dodge the arrow

Or unknowingly get caught in the cross hairs

Of our destiny

The pain of losing an ancient one

Is a million times milder than losing a child

Both sad, but the elder has led a long life

Affected change through many seasons

A child is just beginning to make a mark on the world

The possibilities are endlessly open

The pain cuts like a knife for those who were not there

They did not get the chance to say good-bye………

Copyright Michelle Beckham-Corbin 2010