No, this isn’t a post about House 2 direct mail packs. I’ll save that for another day. In the pass two weeks I have been shaken by two events that have reminded me what “this” is all about.

“This” being the work we do, the lives we lead.

I mentioned I was away on vacation just over a week ago in Mexico. We stayed at a gorgeous resort just south of Cancun where the sun shined every day and the people who worked there did their best to bring a smile to your face. We were relaxing with a book and drink late in the afternoon of our second day when I noticed almost everyone on the beach standing and looking over my shoulder. As I stood and turned, I could see a man that was in obvious distress and clinging to the ropes and buoys that lined the back end of the swimming zone, waves crashing in over his head. The beach lifeguard was just getting to him. The undertow along our beach had been quite strong and obviously this man had gotten pulled out further than he wanted.

As someone who almost drown in Costa Rica years ago due to an undertow, I knew exactly the sorts of thoughts and panic that would be going through his mind as he wondered how he was going to get out of this situation. The life guard reached him as we watched was able to bring the terrified man, somehow, back into the beach. As they made their way up away from the water, most people clapped and then sat back down to their drinks, as did I. Not long after I put my headphones back on, I could hear the shrill of whistles and noticed a number of resort staff running pass us across the sand.

The man had collapsed into the sand and the lifeguard who brought him out was performing CPR on him. We stood, shoulder to shoulder with strangers, holding our breaths. Some people moved closer for a better look, some rushed to help if they could, some people talked about what was happening. Tara and I stood silent hoping that they would be able to do more than CPR. Tara was a former lifeguard and we both have experience at the YMCA and know the first 10 – 15 minutes are critical especially if someone has a heart attack.

We watched and waited.

The Mexican EMS took almost 30 minutes to arrive by which point we all knew it was too late. People slowly left the beach in shock, the young man’s widow screaming at EMS to help as they walked away. Apparently he was a Canadian from Guelph, 42 years old on a relaxing vacation with his wife, kids at home with relatives.

A defibrillator on that beach would have likely saved that man’s life. And we told the resort staff on check out that we were deeply disturbed by the lack of response to this man who needed help – help that never came.

The second event is the shocking passing of our colleague James Julien. James, Founder of Public Outreach, was a young man as well. He was in Australia visiting colleagues and having a vacation.  He suffered a severe stroke and passed away two days later on the 20th of February. Everyone I know is left speechless by his passing.

The two events have moved me to the core. Reminders that time here may be long or not long enough. They are reminders to me to work my ass off to help those who need it and to make some sort of difference in this world. To have some sort of effect so no matter if my time is long or not – I will have done something… They are reminders to love the things that my two small girls do to annoy me and hold them as much as I can. To appreciate those people who surround me and the joy they bring to my life.

I respect my colleague Kimberley MacKenzie who has published her very own personal mission statement on her blog. It reads, “I value integrity, generosity, honesty and empathy. I will strive to surround myself with people who share these values. Before I die I want my children to see me as a hero who made a significant contribution to a healthier, richer and more humane planet than the one I inherited.”

I haven’t written mine down yet, not on paper anyhow, but today I feel closer to defining myself with a personal mission statement, especially as I reflect on these events.

I don’t strive to be a hero, but I feel power and pride in the path I have chosen.

We are world and sector full of people trying to make small differences. And that is an amazing thing.

There is a lot of pressure with the first post of the year. The message should be hopeful and forward thinking. Right?

I don’t tend to make resolutions, but I do tend to set some goals, personally and professionally. I won’t bore you with my personal goals, but professionally, here are some of the things I will accomplish this year.

Update my main website. My thoughts surrounding “Idea Design” change and with that, I realize having a static site that never changes doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. I had a similar discussion with a couple of colleagues over the holidays. Why do charities bother spending many dollars and many hours of time creating a site that will just sit there doing nothing? Your donors (or in my case) my clients are not sitting there doing nothing – their interests, their needs are ever changing. Change with them, be current or
get left behind.

Get to the IFC in Holland. This has been high on the list for years now, but as I stretch out and virtually meet new people from all over the world, I realize that now is the year to go and see some of these people face to face and learn from the best in the world. I am really looking forward to it.

Be a driver, not a rider. You would think that if you run your own business you are automatically a driver – but it is not so. With each month I have a clearer vision of the types of work I would like to be doing more of and the kind of people who I love working with. I will continue to seek that out and really drive this thing. No sitting back allowed.

Help charities do more. By spending less. I think that there is a perception out there that you need to spend a lot to get anything done. It’s not true. There are always alternatives out there. You could spend $5,000 on a welcome kit – but you don’t need to. You could spend $20,000 on a web site, but you don’t need to. You could hire a planned giving person, but you might not need to. There are alternatives. There are other ways of doing the things you want to do to reach the donors you want to reach, and they should not be outside of your reach.

And finally, be a better communicator. I talk to people all the time. I am constantly communicating and know that at times, I don’t do it very well. Do more thinking before speaking. Find new ways of saying things. Look at different ways of reaching out. Be transparent. Be honest, even when you know it’s going to hurt.

2009 I hope, will be short of dull moments and full of learnings. And I am certain for most of us it will. Happy New Year.

Dear Reader,

Thank you for coming here week after week to read my thoughts on design, communication and strategy. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.

As the year draws to a close and my mind turns to the final post for 2008, I thought ‘who cares about design stuff 3 days before Christmas?’. Likely – only me.

With all of the doom and gloom in the news and in our inboxes every day, I didn’t want to add to that.

Every year at this time, I get reflective about the past year, and like to look at the things I did right and some of the things I wish I could do over.

This year will go into the books as a turning point in my small shop. It was the busiest ever and the most challenging.

I’ve “met” so many engaging people who are inspired by what they do, the change they bring and and effect they have in this world. We’ve had some great conversations and arguments and all move forward having learned something.

I’ve learned quite a few things – and this won’t be a complete list:

- People inherently want to help other people. I have a problem – I broadcast that problem to whoever I think might have something to say about it – and I hear solutions.

- Writing a blog every week is very hard. Thankfully there are a lot of other bloggers out there I can use for inspiration or work with clients who give me a lot to think about.

- Collaboration is a wonderful thing. I work with writers, consultants, designers and printers – to put our collective brains together to come up with something different than I would have thought on my own. And it’s fun! And hard!

- I love what I do. When the weather is nice and there are no pressing deadlines, I try to get out to the driving range, or go for a long walk and enjoy the world around me. Sometimes, not often enough of course, when I do a good job a client will call me and say “good job!” which makes me love them forever.

- Business is strange. You never know where you next piece of business will come from, who knows who or who will talk nicely about you (or badly!). I like the control and challenge of running my own shop but dislike the frustrations of billing or the unknowns of what will happen next – but I can do this the way I want and learn from all of the mistakes of my former employers (and copy the successes!).

I look forward to 2009 – to have the ability to take all I learned this year and make it work better next year is a wonderful thing. It seems every day I hear from someone new who might offer an opportunity to learn something new or make what I do better.

It will be a whole year of unknowns, new connections, different challenges, unique learnings and wonderful inspirations.

Thanks to 2008 – you have been great to me. Come on in 2009 – lets have some fun!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. See you in 2009.