Embracing My Journey ~ Living with passion & purpose!

I am pleased to welcome Jenny Leonard to the “Living the Life of My Dreams” interview series.  Thank you Jenny for sharing your inspiration!

Living the life of one’s dreams is something many people believe to be a myth….yet; you are living proof that one can achieve this goal… Tell us about the path you traveled to arrive where you are today: When I was in college I had won a student award for a contest I had entered and part of the prize was an entry to a local design conference.  At the conference they had speakers and break-out sessions on various design-related topics.  I went to this session where this speaker talked about how he had graduated from college and started his own freelance business right out of school.  A light bulb went off in my head… rather than go job seeking and working for an agency, I could start a business, just like this guy, and have freedom! When I was 18, I had written a list of life goals that I wanted to accomplish that included everything from learning a new language to racing motocross to traveling the world and I wanted the freedom to accomplish those goals.  I graduated college and despite what everyone had told me I should do like get a job or go to interviews I started my own design studio, Razviti Creative. Since I graduated at the top of my class with honors and had won several awards for my work everyone told me I was out of my mind and that it couldn’t be done.  But I did.  I got a loan to buy a laptop and software and went to work.  At first it was a struggle to find clients as I had no previous experience on how to run a business, how to market myself, how to find clients, etc. and I held a second job for a few months until I could figure it out.  After a few months, I ended up getting a few really good clients that I still have to this day.  I started my studio, Razviti Creative, because I wanted the freedom to live life to the fullest and accomplish other things in life outside of work that I wanted to do.  At the time I was an upcoming women’s racing star in motocross so I worked around my motocross routine.  Life was great.  Then I got into a bad car accident and struggled for a few years with my injury.  My freedom allowed me to work as little or as much as I needed to take care of myself.  I got better and then I got the travel bug.  I took time off to volunteer in Vanuatu for 6-weeks in 2006 and took off last October (2008) for 5-months of backpacking through South America while working remotely from my laptop.  Since I started Razviti Creative in 2003, not only have I been very successful, I’ve checked off a lot of things on my “Life List.”

What kept you moving forward on the days things were not going exactly the way you were hoping they would? My list really helped motivate me to keep moving forward when things weren’t going the way I planned.  Sometimes, I would look at my list and find something I could do that day to accomplish or move forward on a specific goal.  It gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment.  Other times, I would make a collage of my dreams and hang it up on the wall to keep me motivated to move forward and take Razviti Creative to the next level.  Another thing I did was to go out and do something creative like take photos, draw, scrapbook, sketch, or work outside my normal environment (beach, nearby city, coffee shop, etc.) to get me back into a creative mind-set.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who has decided they would like to live in a world of their own creation? The biggest piece of advice I can give is to always stay in a learner mind-set.  Always. The minute you think you know everything is the minute things start to crumble.  Secondly, take the time to stay organized. It pays off in the long-run and saves you tons of time. Lastly, love what you do.  It’s not a job, it’s a lifestyle you have chosen because you are ambitious.  The sooner you accept that, the more content you will be.

What special things do you do for yourself daily to maintain your momentum and energy levels? I start my day with something exciting or educational, for example, an article to read, a TED video (www.ted.com), an interview with someone that inspires me, a book excerpt, inspiring photographs or art. Something that gets me excited about kicking ass during the day! Afterwards, I move to my to-do list (I use worksheets from http://www.davidseah.com). Every night I fill out a printed worksheet where I write my goals and projects for the next day and leave it on my desk for the morning.  As I go through the day I work through that paper trying to get as much done as possible.  It helps me stay on track and watch my time.  I try to do something creative everyday from taking a photograph, writing blog entries, writing an inspirational quote on my white board, or participating in collaborative art.  I also keep in touch with other independent designers online so that I’m not so lonely at my home office.

If you could spend 3 days on a deserted island with two people of your choosing, who would they be and why? I wouldn’t choose anyone famous because my biggest support system is right here in my everyday life. I would choose to be with my boyfriend, Curtis, because he is my biggest support system and keeps me going when times are tough and my best-friend Ryan who recently graduated from Colorado University because he constantly makes me laugh, reminds me to be playful and creative, and tells me just how awesome the things I’ve accomplished are.  Sometimes I forget that.

What is your favorite audio material and what do you enjoy most about this material? My favorite audio material would be the speeches at www.ted.com or any online interviews with design or advertising industry leaders.  They are inspiring and I learn a lot from the tidbits of information they offer.

What is your favorite reading material and what gives it that special place in your heart? My favorite book is ‘The Alchemist’ by Paulo Coelho and I’ve read it about a dozen times.  The book is a beautiful story about a boy named Santiago who is seeking his “personal legend” (dream) without letting obstacles stand in his way. Santiago is perfectly happy living his life as a shepherd, traveling from town to town shearing his sheep and being happy with the people he meets. Then he has a dream about a treasure buried near the pyramids of Egypt.  He is prepared to ignore his dream and continue on with his life until he is urged by several strangers to follow his heart and take the adventure.  Santiago sets off on his journey encountering many obstacles along the way.  He thinks about giving it up and going back to being a shepherd but he learns valuable life lessons along the way and ultimately finds himself.  He demonstrates the power of following your heart, trusting your intuition, and learning that you have what you need inside of you the whole time to fulfill your dream.

It has many great quotes and passages of wisdom.  We are the only ones who stop us from fulfilling our destiny.  Things won’t come easy, but we must not let that stand in our way… we must try anyway.  Some people just follow everyone else and wander aimlessly through life experiencing only what others allow them to see.  Pick the path that you dream to follow and move steadily forward on that path.  You are either working towards your dream, or you aren’t.

Who has inspired you and what is it about them that you found inspirational? Most of the people that have inspired me are complete strangers or were only in my life for a short period of time.  For example, the first time I traveled outside of the United States I went to a small island in the Caribbean just after graduating college.  It was there that I met a SCUBA instructor named Miles.  Before he arrived there, he was in college and decided one day that it just wasn’t what he wanted anymore.  Despite what friends and family said, he worked to get his SCUBA teaching certification, packed his bags, and moved to the Caribbean on a whim.  He found a job at a small SCUBA shop where he could teach others to SCUBA dive and continue to explore the underwater world, his dream.  He had a glow about him that was so contagious it gave me a rush of energy and inspiration.  When I have a bad day, I think of Miles.  I can’t help but to smile and reflect on the short, yet amazing time I spent with him.  He had so much energy and passion it radiated to the people around him.  I knew that some day I could have that same glow about me if I followed my heart. Since traveling I have met many people that were amazing and full of life.  They had the guts and passion to follow their heart and fulfill their dream despite what everyone else had in plan for them.  To me, that is extremely inspiring.

What do you see in your future? I see my design studio growing to have bigger projects, bigger clients, and a huge database of independent creatives to work with.  I see a partner joining to help me manage big accounts.  I see speaking and writing opportunities popping up as well as opportunities to volunteer.  I know there will be lots and lots of world travel involved in my future as I continue to become location independent.  I see myself learning and growing as a person and shifting to a higher level of consciousness.  My dream plan is coming to fruition.

Where is your favorite place in the world to spend time, what is special to you about this location? I don’t just have one favorite place to be. I like to travel and be on the run, getting to know an area and then moving on to another.  There is something poetic about moving in and out of a place.  Getting to intimately know a person or culture, being part of their life, and then quickly moving on.  Sometimes you’ll continue to talk to them, sometimes you’ll never see or hear from them again.  I really enjoy being next to nature and around water.  The sound, sight, and movement of water reminds me of the poetic nature of independent travel.

Who has been your greatest support system and how have they shown you their support? My greatest support system is my boyfriend, Curtis.  He has been there for me through the highs and lows.  He talks me out of my funks, makes me laugh, encourages and supports learning opportunities, and just recently started to help me run the business.  We are a team and I couldn’t do it without him.

Then I have Zulu, she’s my little dog that lays in my lap everyday when I work.  She’s a sweetheart.  She is happy all the time and lives life moment to moment. I try to mimic that.

What / who are you most thankful for and why? I am thankful to have a flexible open mind that continues to learn and grow as I explore the world.  I am really thankful to have come from a country that has given me the opportunity to fulfill my dreams.  After being in 3^rd world countries I learned to not take what I have for granted and to fully appreciate it.

What is your favorite way to contribute or give back? When I travel I try to find ways to make someone’s life better without taking away the culture they live in.  Sometimes, it is just doing something nice for someone, a simple gesture. Sometimes it’s something much bigger. For example, while in a remote village in Vanuatu I realized that there was an abundance of deaf kids that were treated poorly and as if they were completely stupid.  There is no understanding or educational system for the deaf there.  Without education the deaf cannot learn language and without language the mind cannot develop.  I had taken Sign Language in college so I worked with a small girl around 7 and was able to break through with her in a meaningful way.  She is my inspiration to one day build a sustainable deaf school system for Vanuatu.

Lastly, I want to inspire people to live life to the fullest.  To appreciate every moment and to take the courage to do something meaningful, celebrating life without regret.  After inspiring a few people in my life with my trip through South America I was at the HOW Design Conference where they were promoting the Sappi Ideas that Matter grant program.  The program gives designers a grant ranging from 5k to 50k to implement ideas that make the world a better place.  My “Life life to the fullest” idea had won, and I’m excited to be building an advertising campaign to inspire people on a bigger scale.

More information about the grant program can be found at http://www.sappi.com/ideasthatmatterNA/index.asp

Please share the top three things you feel people would benefit from doing if they truly desire to create the life of their dreams? Stop making excuses.  If you really want something, make the sacrifices and compromises in life you need to make it happen.

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” – Anais Nin

Don’t be afraid to fail.  The path is extremely hard and you will fail along the way.  Be strong, humble, and learn from those failures so that you can continue on the path of success.

Seize the Day.  Each day take an action to move towards your goal.  Small steps, big steps they all add up, you’ll eventually get there.

Appreciate and recognize your journey.  You deserve it.

What products and services do you offer to assist others on their journey? For inspiration you can check out my travel blog at http://www.whereisjenny.com to read about my life’s adventures to complete my list.  For designers, you can check out my blog for Razviti Creative http://www.razviti.com/blog that gives advice on freelancing, clients, and how to be location independent.  If you’d like to see where my Sappi Ideas that Matter Project goes or ask any questions feel free to send me an e-mail at: jenny@razviti.com

I love to connect with people so find me on facebook and twitter!

http://www.facebook.com/razviti (mention this interview in request)  or http://www.twitter.com/razviti

Thank you Jenny for sharing with us!

In gratitude,

Caryn

Caryn FitzGerald is a motivational columnist, speaker and written, been featured in and published several books, including “Tulips in the Sand: A Riley Matthews Mystery.”  Read more from Caryn at her website CarynFitzgerald.com.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 6:00 am and is filed under Caryn's writing, Living the life of my dreams. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.