One of our traditions at Small Biz Survival is the Brag Basket. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one May 13-15, 2011. Since it’s Friday the 13th, why not make it a lucky Brag Basket. :)
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| Basket full of lucky horsehoes. Photo (cc) by Leo Reynolds. |
Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it’s not really about bragging. It’s about sharing. It’s here so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend. Don’t hold back because of that word, “brag.” When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others.
Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others’ stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.
How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.
This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It’s a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.
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OK, so I’m going to brag on YOU – for being the open plenary keynote speaker this week at #RevitalizeWA statewide preservation and heritage tourism conference in Walla Walla. I heard you rocked the house on Thursday!
Next week, we are doing a Tourism Currents webinar together in partnership with the biggest destination marketing association on the planet, and it’s all because we are brave enough to jump into things and give it our all.
I am proud to work with you, Becky.
“we are brave enough to jump into things and give it our all” – that’s what I love about both of you, Sheila and Becky! Go ladies!
Sheila, Glenda, thank you both, most sincerely.
Becky, of course, can do anything. Largely because she truly “jumps in.” She gets it: You can’t do more until you’ve done some.
And, yes, this is turning into a How-Do-I-Love-Becky Fest. Relax and enjoy it.
Long time reader, first time brag-basketeer here. :)
After moving back to the hometown I grew up in and finding the downtown needing some help in the revitalization department, I joined the Chamber and about a billion committees, thinking it would help. (Or that I could help, at least.) What I found is that there’s a lot of talking going on. Being an internet girl, I like my actions quickly executable, and the committee thing was frustrating me a bit.
So…about a week ago, I started a blog. Ostensibly about my hometown’s history and downtown area, and life in a small town. My thought was to get people involved on a small, social level first, and extend from there (we’re a long way from the highway, so tourism is a concern here).
Well, this past week has been interesting. I threw up a post on letterboxing and placed one at the CVB, intending to do a whole series based on the history of downtown. (Surface level: fun little game for people and families to play. Deeper level: to get cars of people downtown to play, and, hopefully, to spend money locally.)
We’ve had three folks — since Wednesday(!) — contact us about how soon the rest of the series would be placed so they can travel here for the boxes. One person changed her summer travel plans to include our little town, even. (She would have skipped it entirely if it wasn’t for the boxes.) This little tiny thing has grown up in *days* to drawing people in. (Not a HUGE number, by any means, but still…even alerting people to our presence is a really, really good thing.)
I feel kind of weird about bragging, since it’s so new, but I’m struck by the fact that tiny little actions by individuals can make ripples of impact, and the thought that if more people made small ripples, it could really end up equalling something huge…way more than just a committee or a council.
So there’s my little brag. Thanks for giving us this soapbox and resource. :)
Thank you, Mom!
Em, welcome to the Brag Basket! You have a great story, and you’ve started something good. Kind of goes along with the theme of “jump in there and try something!” Congratulations!
I attended Big Omaha this past week and it again exceeded expectations. I would recommend this for anyone who is trying to make more of their time in the tech world. It is a very inspirational energy that exists there.
The one thing I think they could use is a greater focus on the rural aspect of where Omaha is located and how there are great things happening right here in Small Town U.S.A. in technology, the creative sphere, and entrepreneurialism. We are smack in the middle of fly-over country. This needs to be celebrated, not swept under the rug. I would love to see a “Small Biz Survival” session dealing with some aspect of this rural revival next year. I’m going to suggest to Jeff and Dusty you speak there if you would be willing.
Shannon, thanks for the positive report from Big Omaha. Cheers to the whole team that works on the event each year!
While I’d love the chance to speak there myself, I think it would be more inspiring and useful to see a group of small town entrepreneurs talk about what they are doing. The view from those doing the actual work is what I’d love to see showcased.
I like the idea of the brag basket. I might adopt that, actually. I know a family who, on a weekly basis, have a compliments night. They go around the circle complimenting each person for things that were done that week. There is enough sad news in the world; we need more opportunities to encourage and inspire.
Nick, that is an awesome idea! I hope more people will add a positive item to their daily work.