Day One of #ilSHRM17 is in the Books!

Well here we are. Day one of ilSHRM17 is officially in the books and we are all better for it. I will be the first to admit, I did not know what to expect today. It’s been 6 years since I’ve come to the conference as an attendee…  With fresh eyes and a new viewpoint I got to experience a day unlike any of the others in my past 6 years working on the ilSHRM board. If I had to classify today in one word – The only one that does it justice is IMPACTFUL.

Opening Keynote speaker, Mallory Weggemann was amazing; the perfect combination of personal story and professional guidance. Her story of perseverance and strength alone is inspiring enough to be noteworthy. Combine that with her subtlety interwoven message of what it takes to become a leader left the room not just in awe of her as a person, but also motivated to take her messages and apply them as quickly as possible. Her anecdotes and message applies to all areas of our lives and who can argue with such sage words as: “You” are only as good as the people you surround yourself with – it’s always about community,” “the only thing that can paralyze me is fear,” and my personal favorite: “the moments and circumstances in our lives don’t define us – our choices and actions define us. All of this before 10 am, so you can bet every session after was seen in a different light, with a different lens – and absolutely – a new perspective.

Mallory wasn’t our only stellar session though…  There was something for everyone here today. And that is a hard won accomplishment to be sure! Tomorrow, when you see our Conference Director Renee Hanning, and Lori Maher McCombs – ilSHRM’s Executive Director and Conference Planner let them know what a phenomenal job they did! Not to mention how easy they made it look!

With that I’ll leave you with where we started today. Mallory’s Top 10 Pointers

1.  Let the past be the past, cherish the memories, learn from the adversities, but in no way live in it. Move toward the future and allow yourself to simply let go.
2. Don’t allow yourself to get so caught up in the future that you lose sight of the present. Allow yourself to have dreams, goals and ambition, but don’t let them keep you from enjoying the here and now. The journey along the way is what makes the end goal so special, so enjoy it!
3. When you get overwhelmed remember, baby steps. Life is a series of baby steps. Just like you cannot recite the alphabet without everything in between A-Z, life is the same, and each baby step is a part of the journey so embrace them.
4. Remember in any situation, it isn’t the circumstances that define us; it is how we react to them that define us.
5. No matter how hard it gets remember that it can always be worse. Take the time you need to grieve, but then move forward and remember to be thankful for what you do have.
6. Love. Love yourself, find love in the things that you are passionate about, and love another. The accomplishments in life are gratifying, but what do they mean if you don’t have anyone to share them with? Don’t allow life to wedge itself between you and your loved ones.
7. Believe in yourself and allow yourself to hold onto the innocence of your childhood. Remember that time that we all believed we could be anything and do everything? Don’t let life wear that away, hold onto it and allow yourself to believe that anything is possible.
8. Give back, as a citizen of the world it is a duty we all have to give back, it is not only a good deed, but it also teaches you a lot about yourself and life in general.
9. Allow yourself to continue to learn. Whether it is a new hobby, learning something new at work, or simply learning something new about a loved one. Always continue to learn more about yourself, the people around you, and the world you live in.
10. Most of all… Live life with passion, heart, free of fear, hate and judgement. Be courageous, and know that in any given moment you can make a difference and you can change the world.

Don't forget to check out Dueling Pianos tonight and we'll see you tomorrow!!

Julie Rischmiller

Marketing & Communications Director