So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodnight.

I am ready to admit it: I am comfortable enough in Traverse City to start referring to myself as a member of the Traverse City community. While Florida still has a huge part of my heart, Traverse City is now somewhere that I can call my home. I've adjusted. I've accepted that I will be grocery shopping at Meijer instead of at Publix (aka the world's best grocery store chain). I automatically leave my apartment 3-5 minutes early in winter because I realize that I will need to remove the snow/ice from my car before attempting to drive to work. I know the drink & food specials at local restaurants and I can even give out of towners advice as to where they can chow down on the best local grub.

With that said, it is time to pass the TCYP Blog onto some fresh faces. My story has been told and it is time to introduce you to some other pretty fantastic members of our community and let them tell you how they came to live here and how they are adjusting. I'm sure that they will have plenty to say as far as the goings-on of Traverse City, their new experiences, as well as new TCYP events that occur.

We will still be featuring a guest blogger the first Wednesday of each month, but your new regular bloggers will be John Stocki and Mo Stych, who will be introducing themselves next week. I'll miss my weekly blogs and having the chance to explain the differences in lifestyles between Michigan and Florida (and mention how much snow throws me off guard...often), but I'm excited for you to have the opportunity to get to know some new TCYPs.

Besides, you can always catch me at Business After Hours...or Half-price sushi Tuesday at Firefly.

TCYPs are Taking Initiatives

The Traverse City Young Professionals are implementing some new programs to recruit, retain, and help new young professionals to become well-adjusted and familiar with the Traverse City community. Moving to a new area, especially right out of college, can be frightening. That's why we're trying to make the readjustment process a bit easier and far less threatening.

A few of the groups that we have formed are as follows (there are many more details involved, but for the sake of giving you a good general idea of what our YPs are involved with, I've kept it simple):

College Alumni Group: This group's purpose is to act as a resource for college graduates looking to tap into Traverse City. They will set out to attract college students at college trade shows and other opportunities. Traverse City is a wonderful place for college graduates (I would know) and we need to keep 'em coming!

R & R Group: This group is all about helping to recruit new YPs and show them all the reasons that they should stay. The Chamber fields inquiries to the R & R group, which connects the newcomer with a YP who represents the job area they're interested in pursuing. For instance, if I was part of this group and there was a newcomer who was interested in event planning, TCYP would send that person my way so that I could help out. The R & R group will be there to meet with the incoming YP, connect them with other people in their industry, show them around the area, assist with finding them an apartment...the list goes on and on. They are the ultimate host.

Wingman Group: Helping new YPs to get involved and network in the Traverse City community is what this group's main goals are. The Wingman group will meet new YPs at the door of whatever networking event they're attending and make sure to introduce them to a plethora of Traverse City locals. This group will also be present at each and every Business After Hours event.

Marketing Committee: While the marketing committee is by no means brand new, we are always on the hunt for fellow YPs to join up and assist in the management of the website and blog. Contact Lindsey Dickinson at lindsey.c.dickinson@gmail.com for more information.

Well, that's a pretty good sneak peak into our new committees and focus. For more information, make sure to attend the TCYP meetings (3rd Thursday of each month. 8am at The Chamber).

Guest Blogger: Taryn Miracle

I have yet to meet someone who isn't a fan of Taryn Miracle, and she definitely has a good amount of wisdom and information to share with us. Enjoy this guest blog by Taryn!

                  I’ll be honest - I’m a first time blogger at the upper end of the YP age group – almost an OP.  When I was invited to be a guest blogger, I struggled with what might keep everyone interested. What kind of fabulous wisdom could I possibly impart that would keep people on the edge of their seats?

I guess before I dive into this whole blog thing, I should share a little information about myself.  I’ll celebrate my 8^th annual 30^th birthday this year. I have 2 children, a husband and a dog…I’m the only female in the house. J

In my work life, I both fell into and fell in love with the hospitality industry. I’ve worked at Grand Traverse Resort & Spa for almost 10 years. I started out as a receptionist and have worked my way up to my current role as Associate Director of Sales. I lead a team of six sales professionals and we are responsible for about 70 percent of resort business each year.

For my YP Involvement, my first event was the very first YP Education Conference. I knew right then that I wanted to be more involved with the educational aspect and served as Chair for the last three YP Education Conferences.

OK, let’s do this – here are the top eight things I’ve learned along the way and things I wish I would’ve known:

1.     Take care of your own professional development. The more you learn and the more you surround yourself with other intelligent people, the more you’ll be able to give back to your team when you’re a leader.

2.     Try to see the good in people. I know, it sounds very Disney of me and I’m not a “rose-colored glasses” kind of girl. But we all have bad days, rough starts, and things going on at home that affect our day. Try to see past that when someone is taking out their bad day on you and just give your biggest smile…what can you do to make their day better? You could make someone’s day!

3.     Work/Life Balance. That’s funny. Really, what I’ve learned about balance is this: Discover your ability to say “no.”  You don’t have to go to every cocktail reception, volunteer for every event and sit on 52 boards.  You’ll end up spreading yourself thin and not making a difference anywhere. Choose the one or two organizations that will better you as a professional and individual and then pour your heart into it. Your family will thank you and your career will be better off.

4.     Support the people around you. In general, be nice. Positive attitude is mandatory.  Good leaders don’t claw their way to the top. They’re taken to the top by the team that carries them there.

5.     Be the new guy.  Not the “I’m lost, where’s the bathroom?” new guy.  What I mean is, never lose that excitement you had on the first day. Important for any job ­- especially important in the Sales and Marketing world.  If you’re not excited about what you’re doing, neither are your customers.

6.     Treat people as individuals. I’ve learned it’s not possible to be fair to everyone treating them as a lump sum group. Each person has their own unique traits, or life things that are important to them. Recognize and value what makes your team members individuals and you’ll function better as a team.

7.     Take care of your health, mind and body. Step away from your desk, work out, take a vacation.  Make working 70 hours a week the exception and not the norm. Respect yourself and value your own time.  Your family will thank you and you’re showing your children, our future YPs,  the respect they should give themselves before they can take care of others. Your co-workers will thank you too. They’ll thank you for being able to make a clear decision because your mind isn’t foggy from sitting at your desk for 10 hours straight. You’re refreshed and ready to conquer the day.

8.     Understand your own limitations and recognize that some people are better at certain things than you. It’s OK to not be able to do it all.  It’s OK to ask for help from your team. It’s OK to not be the very best at everything. It comes back to the recognizing individuals item above – we all have our strengths. The strongest teams recognize that and capitalize on the strengths of the individuals, ultimately leaving their weaknesses behind.

I know, a Top 10 is typically the “norm” for lists. But I learned that as a blogger, you should never go over one page which I’ve already done here.

See? Learning things and still breaking the rules! J  

Winters are simply better in TC

Guess what I would have been doing if I was still in Florida right now? I most likely would be either:

a.) Doing the same exact things I do during summer (run, lay on the beach, complain about how hot it is all the time)
b.) Shivering and cursing any temperature below 50 degrees -- 60 degrees is a cause to whip out the "winter coats"
c.) Wishing it was snowing
d.) Complaining that it isn't snowing


Meanwhile, in Traverse City, I am getting to experience outdoor activities that are not the exact same all year round. Yes, tropic temperatures may be great...but when you do not get the chance to get outdoors and throw on snowshoes, hop over the the local outdoor shop and rent some cross country skis, build snowmen (sandmen just are not the same...nor are sandcastles. There is always that one rude individual who feels the need to stomp them down. Always.), throw snowballs with your family and friends (again...sand balls are definitely not the same)..."winter" gets real old real fast.

Traverse City's winter may seem to go on a bit long sometimes, but I personally am glad that we actually have snow and are able to engage in fun outdoor activities. Sure, it's a pain to shovel and not the most fun to drive in, but at least we are not cursed to frigid temperatures with no snow at all. Places who experience that kind of winter are subjected to weekends spent indoors wishing it was warmer outside.

Plus, we get to have winter festivals and go ice skating and are able to tell all of our out of town friends that "Yes, it really is still snowing." or "Eh...probably another 6-12 inches, no big deal." The benefits are endless!

So, I've said it once and I'll say it again: enjoy your Traverse City winter. It won't be around for a whole lot longer (or shoot, maybe it will...you never really know!).

Get Involved -- State Theater Volunteer Shifts

I could write a blog about how cold it is outside and how I don't remember what life without a down coat is like (seriously. I have one in both black and khaki. They go down to my knees...the khaki one kind of looks like a trench coat, which is great because if all else fails I can solve mysteries.), but instead I am going to make sure everyone is aware of a wonderful volunteer opportunity that the Young Professionals program offers.

Let's start out with a few very important questions:
1. Do you enjoy making new friends?
2. Do you enjoy volunteering and supporting local establishments?
3. Do you enjoy free movies at The State Theatre?
4. Do you enjoy eating a whole bunch of popcorn & sipping on some free soda?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you should consider volunteering at The State Theatre! The Young Professionals work concessions and help to usher every fourth Tuesday of the month. You get the opportunity to interact with movie-goers, help out a well-known Traverse City establishment, mingle with other YPs, and most of the time you are invited to watch the featured film during your shift!


...and did I mention free popcorn and soda? Or that you receive a free voucher to a future show?

The weather may be on the chilly side, but the State Theatre is nice and warm. You can sign up for a shift and check out other YP events right here.   The next opportunity to volunteer is next Tuesday, February 26th. Argo is playing. You really cannot go wrong with Argo.

We hope to see you at future State Theatre volunteer events and at the Young Professionals meeting tomorrow morning (Thursday, February 21 -- 8am at the Chamber).

Attention: New Guest Bloggers Needed!

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being "mehhhh" and 10 being "that sounds like a great opportunity!"... how interested are you in being one of our 2013 TCYP Guest Bloggers?

For those of you who are not aware or are new to the blog, we have a guest blogger on the first week of each month to spice things up a bit. We love allowing our YPs to share their unique experiences so that our readers can see how well rounded the TCYPs really are (see -- we aren't just making it up!).

We are currently on the hunt for a few more guest bloggers for our 2013 calendar year, so please read the following qualifications and if this sounds like something you were born to do (or that you'd just be a good fit for... I tend to be a bit dramatic), please email me at Meaghan@EventsNorth.com.

1. You must live in the Traverse City area
2. You must be a member of the Traverse City Young Professionals program
3. You must be between the ages of 18-40 (although you would have had to already cover this requirement in #2)
4. You have a unique story to tell that would interest readers -- whether it be how you came to live in Traverse City, why you stay here, anything in relation to your own personal experience with TCYP.
5. Please be able to keep your blog post interesting.If you wouldn't want to read something, chances are your readers won't either.
6. Type like you speak. Blogs are meant to tell a story and allow you to utilize your own voice. I have a whole lot to say and anyone who knows me is aware that there is a really great chance I'm going to ramble...hence why I type out my blog posts the way I do.
7. You have to care about Traverse City and all that it has to offer. If you're writing about the area and the YP program and you aren't actually a fan, you're not going to fool anyone. It's going to show. Passion is powerful
8. You cannot use the blog post to promote your business. This is not the place for that -- if you happen to have an exciting job, we'd love to hear about it...but a blog post that is blatantly an advertisement for your organization is not what we're looking for.
9. You have to sing me a song while standing on one leg.



....#9 was a joke. But on a serious note, please contact me if you're interested! We'd love to have you on board.

Guest Blog: Valarie!

It is time again for another guest blog. This week's guest blog is brought to you by Valarie Handy (who is an extremely involved TCYP, especially with our volunteer-related events). Take it away, Valarie!

I’m a small town girl. I’ve lived in Traverse City my whole life. I didn’t even move away for college. I landed a great job right out of high school that has allowed me to plant roots in my hometown and I couldn’t be happier about the decisions that have brought me to where I am today. My position with USDA Rural Development has provided me the opportunity to travel throughout the country and the world. In my travels near and far I’ve noticed that more and more people are beginning to know of our little city tucked away in the north woods. As I get more involved in the community through the Traverse City Young Professionals and other avenues I am meeting more and more people who have moved here from other places.

When I was younger I remember hearing comments about “those people” the “out-of-towners” who were moving to Traverse City. I always liked meeting new people and hearing about the places they came from, but quickly learned that not every local Traverse Citizen felt the same. I thought that our community was improving how we treat newcomers until I recently heard a story from a friend who is working as a paralegal at a local attorney’s office and moved here from Boston by way of Colorado and Detroit. He told me how he was at work one day talking to a Traverse City native about a crime that had just occurred in our community. It was something that would have been rather small in the cities he had lived in, but here it was all over the news on the way into work. His co-worker’s reaction to the crime itself was not the disturbing part of my friend’s story. It was her comment after discussing it a bit. She said something to the extent of “see this is what happens when you people move into our town.” My friend’s reaction was “us people from the east coast who wear blue blazers with gold buttons?”

I was appalled when I heard his story. I realized that since I enjoy finding out about where people come from and how they came to be in Traverse City so much I began to assume our whole town was full of locals who want to share this community with good people from all over the world. I was wrong. Whether my friend’s co-worker meant her comment as a joke or as an “every outsider but you” sort of statement is beyond the point. We live in a country built on the premise that we are a melting pot and that’s what we need to continue building ourselves into.

I work with municipalities all across Northern Michigan on building, maintaining and adding value to essential community facilities. Someone I met through work once told me that invisible fences are for dogs, not people. I completely agree with that notion. It shouldn’t matter which side of a City or Township line you live on or whether you have lived in Traverse City your whole life or not. A good idea is a good idea. We all live in this community together so it shouldn’t matter who an idea comes from as long as it makes the community better as a whole.

Since the aforementioned story from my friend was told I was accepted into and completed the Leadership Grand Traverse program offered through the Chamber. There, I was pleasantly surprised to find that even as a Traverse City native, I still had a lot to learn about our community. As I continue learning, I just want to point out that everyone comes from somewhere. Whether you were blessed to be born in a beautiful town like Traverse City or you’ve made your way here through trials and tribulations from all over the country or the world, I’m glad you made it here. I look forward to working with you in whatever aspect of the community drives you. Thanks for making Traverse City your home.