The weeks fly by so fast that sometimes we just go through the motions without really living life. Sometimes we are oblivious to what’s happening around us or how long it’s been since we’ve done something we have deemed as important. It’s incredible how six months can feel like six hours when we’re caught up in a whirlwind of activities week after week. It’s easy to lose focus on what truly matters.

I was talking to my great aunt on the phone the other day about work, wedding planning and all the other activities I’m involved in. She told me it’s great to stay busy, but to always be sure I’m dedicating time to the important things in life. She used to work so much that she would forget what day it was. She also said that decades of her life went by too quickly, and she ended up looking back and realizing too much time had passed since she had done certain things. I remind myself constantly that I never want to get to that point.

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When Jeff Pulver, 140 Characters Conference founder, visited Detroit a couple weeks ago to meet with our team about  140conf Detroit on October 20, he asked us all to make a short video to share our thoughts about the conference.

The main point I want to get across about this conference is that just because it’s taking place in Detroit doesn’t mean it’s a Detroit or Michigan conference. We really want support and participation from all across the country, particularly the states in the Midwest. Midwesterners can drive a few hours to spend a day meeting new people and hearing inspirational stories. Yes, I’m looking at you Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Columbus, Toledo and Cincinnati. To help rally the troops in the Midwest, Jeff is venturing on a road trip August 22-28 to stop in a few cities, meet the community and hopefully encourage people to attend the 140conf Detroit in October. So, if you know of anyone from Michigan, the Midwest, across the country, or heck, even across the world, who has a story to tell about the real time Web impacting the real world, please spread the word.

Here are my thoughts about the conference. I encourage you to do something similar…whether it’s writing a blog post, creating a video or tweeting nonstop about 140conf Detroit for 48 hours straight (OK, that might be extreme!).

Can’t get enough of 140conf Detroit? Check out our blog, Facebook event and LinkedIn group.

Darren Rowse, aka ProBlogger, recently challenged bloggers to a seven link challenge post – linking to seven posts that fit into seven themes, which mostly relate to your blog. This seemed more like a fun exercise instead of a challenge, and I welcomed the opportunity to dive back through my almost three year’s worth of posts. So here goes…

1. Your first post. I originally used Blogger for my blog before I moved my posts over to WordPress earlier this year. I wrote my very first post on Aug. 19, 2007, and it was titled Who Knew? I basically say that I finally gave in to blogging and can’t believe how social media obsessed I’ve become in the short amount of time that I’d been out of college. My how my blog writing has matured! I went from rambling about everything and anything to focusing on six main themes.

2. A post you enjoyed writing the most. This one is a tie because I couldn’t decide between Collaborate With Metro Detroit’s Creatives at Tweetea and Five Important Lessons Learned at My First PR Job. The Tweetea post marks the beginning of me becoming heavily involved in my local interactive community. I remember how happy I was when I came home from my first Tweetea because I met some amazing people and knew this group would grow to be a staple in the community. The post about my first PR job was nostalgic for me because it was an opportunity to reflect on what I learned during my first three years at a PR agency. I distinctly remember enjoying the experience of writing both of these posts.

Meet Mallory Underwood, a Colorado resident and native Michigander who I met during my college days at Central Michigan University. I’ve been receiving updates from Mallory during the past six months while she was training for a triathlon and raising money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), which is where she worked in Indiana prior to moving to Colorado. Her story is inspiring and motivational and deserves to be shared with the world. Continue reading to learn more about Mallory and what pushed her to train for a triathlon.

What and/or who inspired you to sign up for the Elkhart Lake Triathlon?

My older brother, Matt, is an ALL leukemia survivor and in early December 2009, he celebrated being 15 years cancer free! This is the exact month I signed up for this event. But, his journey to that anniversary was long, and, through working for LLS, I understand more and more what our family went through — what Matt went through. From the diagnosis when he was nine years old, to the chemotherapy, the hair loss, his remission, his relapse and then ultimately his bone marrow transplant followed by 11 weeks in the hospital and problem after problem, he has carried on with a smile and a playful personality. I was inspired by his struggle to do this event for him, for the struggles our family went through and for the hope that one day we will find a cure for these diseases!

A guest post is a long time coming on this blog, and I am honored that my first is from a friend, colleague and all-around awesome dude – Hubert Sawyers. I met Hubert more than a year ago at Startup Weekend 2009. When I first attended Tweetea last year, I immediately knew it would become a staple in our community. Tweetea has grown tremendously in the past year-and-a-half, from one prime location at Goldfish Tea in Royal Oak to additional locations in Detroit, Grosse Pointe and occasionally Pontiac.

We have more ideas up our sleeves to keep this group growing and to attract people from various cities. The official Tweetea website will launch soon, but you can sign up for the future newsletter today. And now, the stage belongs to Hubert…

Aside from Team Detroit winning the Chevy SXSW road trip challenge, our interactive community has struggled to find ways to make a splash outside of the state about the great things going on here. We all can name several reasons why Michigan deserves more credit, but getting those with no ties to Michigan to believe that is the tough part.

But, something awesome happened last week. That something awesome is Jeff Pulver’s 140 Character Conference, which will be held for the first time in Detroit on October 20 (location TBD).

Don’t let the 140 characters reference fool you – 140conf is NOT a Twitter or social media conference. You will not learn about social media tools or social media best practices. The 140conf is all about providing insights and stories about the effects the real time Web has on society, businesses and us as human beings. This is a fast-paced conference that I imagine will leave our heads spinning…in a good way. Most presentations are 10 minutes, with “featured talks” and panel sessions at 15 or 20 minutes. Other cities that have hosted 140 conferences include New York City, Los Angeles, London and Tel Aviv. Washington D.C. plays host to the event this Thursday.

Aside from my personal blog, I write for two other outlets: the Identity (my employer) blog id tags and Metromix Detroit. I decided I want to avoid sharing the same content on the three outposts, but I will break my own rule occasionally.

I wrote an Earth Day article for Metromix Detroit and featured two local entrepreneurs who are running eco-friendly businesses. Not only is this a positive story because their products are safe for the environment, but even more importantly, they are entrepreneurs who successfully started businesses in Michigan. WIN! This article originally appears on Metromix Detroit and can be found here – Earth Day 2010. Also check out these photos from Sweet Plum Vintage and Verde Lifestyles.

To say that FutureMidwest induced a whirlwind of emotions would be an understatement. This past week was crazy chaotic, but in the best way possible. For anyone who isn’t familiar with FutureMidwest, it was a two-day technology and knowledge conference (technically it was a conference, but I prefer “movement” because it meant so much more) that took place April 16-17 at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. It featured fantastic speaker presentations that all revolved around the impact the social Web has had on businesses and communication in general. There was also an evening entertainment/networking program.

This will not be another FMW recap post. You can read some coverage and recaps from the conference here and on several local blogs and Web sites, like Detroit Moxie, The Detroit Regional News Hub and the Yaffe Group Tidbits blog.

I experienced something different as the person in charge of interviewing all the speakers for a special FMW video the team is putting together. While this job caused me to miss a good portion of the Friday speaker presentations (all those recaps are really helpful!), I had the pleasure of getting up close and personal with the speakers. It was very refreshing to hear the enthusiasm in their voices when they made comments like “FutureMidwest proves positive things ARE happening in Michigan” and “I’m blown away by this conference and all the people here.” I wanted to know what the speakers’ impressions were of FutureMidwest and what those who lived out of state planned to tell their friends and families about metro Detroit when they went home. The answers were very positive, and every speaker seemed sincerely impressed not only with the conference, but what they learned from attendees about how they’re playing a part in moving our state forward.

Imagine dogs of all breeds and sizes running around in contained quarters and having the time of their lives. Add in Yelp Detroit raising funds for the Animal Welfare Society of Southeastern Michigan and you have metro Detroit’s first Dog-Up, which took place this afternoon at Canine to Five in Detroit.

The purpose of Dog-Up was to bring together metro Detroit animal lovers for a day of laid-back fun with pooches. Even better, the event was free and open to everyone, regardless of whether or not they owned a dog. Liz Blondy, owner of Canine to Five, graciously agreed to host the event. I decided to attend to live vicariously through all the dog owners because I would LOVE to have a dog. Pets have a way of inducing happiness, and you’ll never have to worry about them falling out of love with their owners! My dream of becoming a dog owner may come true one day. But until then, Big Ern (MAL’s fiesty cat) will rule the house.

Change can be scary and overwhelming. On the flip side, change can be exhilarating, refreshing and positive. Change can bring on tremendous new opportunities.

I recently decided to change jobs, which is the first major switch I’ve made since beginning my PR career. Starting Monday, I’ll be working with the Identity Marketing & Public Relations team. Saying goodbye to the Franco PR Group family I’ve grown so close to was bittersweet, but the new challenge and opportunities that lie ahead are very exciting.

These past three plus years have been an insane learning experience, so I wanted to share some of the top things I learned at my first “big girl” job in the real world:

1. Have confidence, and show it. Confidence was one of the first things I struggled with after I landed a job fresh out of college. I believed I was smart and had the capabilities to succeed, but it was difficult to convey that to others, especially when many of my coworkers had years and years of experience that I lacked. I often kept quiet during client meetings because it was tough getting accustomed to being the “expert.” Expert is a strong word, but when you work with clients, they look to you for counsel and guidance and expect you to best know how to service their needs. I was extremely nervous to voice my opinion because I doubted someone twice my age would take my advice seriously. It took some time (and a good amount of self pep talks), but I developed that confidence. Without it, I would have never grown as much as I did at my job.