No excuses, but life has gotten in the way and my blog has suffered because of it. Ugh. Worst. BUT, as good ol’ Bobby Dylan once put it, “The Times They Are a-Changin’.”

Now, to the point at hand: Authenticity.

It’s a topic I’ve touched on, well, a few times. But it seems as though lately, a series of events, conversations, and life en general have further solidified my feelings on the subject. So, in summary, when it comes to authenticity:

Be who you are and rock the heck out of it.

Stop letting other people dictate what you should do, how you should dress, and what you should say. When it comes to applying for a job, throw the conventions of what you’re “supposed” to do out the window. Do what you know you should do (*within reason of course). If it’s been six months of looking for a job, and you still don’t have a job, change your way of thinking. Shift your priorities. Stop spending 119210928 hours in front of your computer applying for jobs online and get out there and use the people who know and love you. It’s not using them and abusing them, it’s taking your most natural resources that you have access to and being a genuine networking pimp.

Your friends, former co-workers, professors, and the like know you better than anyone. Ask if they know someone? Make that call. Make that connection. Go to another event and be awesome. Be memorable. Stop whining.

And when it’s not a job, but when it comes to life, just be yourself. I know it sounds trite, but I feel like the interwebs, and tv, and the opposite sex, and the same sex are all pressuring us to be/act/behave/talk/walk/sneeze a certain way. Stop pleasing other people. You can’t make other people happy until you, yourself, are happy.

Case in point – someone once told me my laugh was too loud. [SCREEEEEEECH] Guess what? I immediately shut down, became self conscious, and had a mini-identity crisis. Then I realized, that person sucks and needs to lighten up. Sure, I laugh loudly. Who cares? My dad has a loud laugh, my mom had a loud laugh, my sister has a loud laugh, and my family is happy and we love each other unconditionally and dinners (when we see each other) are hilarious.

Lighten up. Be yourself. And I guarantee, things will start happening for you. Whatever it is you want from life (relationships, dreams, jobs, money, whatever), it will come once you throw away the conventions and notions of what you THINK other people want to see, and you start being yourself and doing what you know to be true.

In my short 24 and a half years of life I’ve learned the following:

1. Laugh a lot.
2. Laugh loudly.
3. Work your butt off.
4. Laugh some more.
5. Work harder.
6. Love your friends.
7. Love your family.
8. Love unconditionally.
9. Work even harder.
10. Relax and don’t take it too seriously.

What do you think? Am I full of it? If so, tell me.

*All rules of authenticity are moot when general self-respect, decency, and not making a damn fool of yourself come into play.

Oh, two weeks ago I met the man with the world’s most contagious laugh. He exists. Thus, here’s proof that I, too, love to laugh:

Word.

If this is the career confessional, then it’s been four months since my last job.

That’s right. I left a steady job, with a steady salary, a great benefits package, and a 401(k). [I didn't even know what a 401(K) was until about a year into the workforce... they don't teach you that stuff in college]. I packed up my things into a rented U-Haul truck, I left Richmond, VA, drove two and half hours, and unpacked my things to start a new life in Carrboro, North Carolina.

Why? Why would I do these things in the middle of one of our country’s worst recessions in a generation? Because I’m passionate. I’m passionate about what I do.

I came to a point where I needed to do what I love: perform, write, and go out on my own. [Now, everyone knows that I love writing and I love comedy. But this is not what I'm here to talk about. I'm here to talk about social media].

Sure, everyone and their great-aunt uses social media these days. Everyone seems to be calling themselves an “expert,” a “guru,” a “ninja.” But I am going to tell you that I am none of those things. I am not an expert, guru, or ninja. I am someone who is passionate about social media and what it can do for individuals, small & large businesses, non-profits, and the public at large.

So many people that I meet and work with ask me: “What is your social media philosophy?” At this point, that is a heavy loaded question, and many people will disagree with each other as to a particular definition or the type of weight that it carries. To me, personally, social media is:

• A means of building a community around a common idea or goal for the purpose of connecting, engaging, supporting, marketing, and branding.
• It’s taking traditional media, and upgrading it.
• It’s turning marketing, into engaging.
• It’s supporting competitors, and connecting with others.
• It’s having a positive attitude towards your purpose, your goal, your business, your competitors, and your clients.
• It’s always accepting the opportunities that are in front of you and building upon them in a new and interesting way.

Okay, so that’s my opinion. But what do I know? Well, I started early. I blogged when blogging wasn’t cool. I saw the gradual (and suddenly overnight) transformation of these social networks from just connecting with long-lost friends and family to utilizing these tools for business and working towards a goal. I also realized that these tools are changing every single day and that there is no way that I could possibly know it all. So I’ve begun to learn, absorb, practice, and implement these tools. And I love it. Sitting down with people one-on-one and talking about social media gets me excited about work and the possibilities that lie ahead.

So why should you hire me? Because I’m smart, I’m funny, I’m enthusiastic, but most of all, I’m passionate. If you aren’t passionate about what you’re doing, then you are ultimately failing yourself and those whom you are working for. I love social media. I love it. [In fact, I might even be obsessed].

Because I like to make lists, here are my bullet points and highlights:

• I’m new to the area
• I don’t have a full-time job yet – I want a full-time job
• I’m networking like crazy
• I’ve met some incredible people along the way
• I’m building – I’m learning – I’m growing
• I know what I don’t know
• I work hard – all the time
• I’m awesome

And that’s why you should hire me.

So let’s meet.

You can contact me for an interview through the blog, by email, or Twitter.