IBA SUCCESS MAGAZINE Volume 6 Campaign 1 | Page 22

COVER STORY Recently, one of my close friends and I talked about my motivations. What types of things make me tick and get me out of bed each day? Since she’s a writer I thought it might be fun to have her interview me. Our time together turned into an introspection of the life and times of Jennifer Yon, so I welcome you to enjoy a snapshot of me and how I became the Jennifer Yon you know today. growth the MINDSET meet a lot of people in my line of work and those who are most successful have a few common characteristics. One of those characteristics is called the Growth Mindset. Specifically, the Growth Mindset is the understanding that personal qualities and abilities change. The people who possess this quality innately are typically star athletes, executive directors, company presidents...basically people who aim high and are never fully satisfied with being mediocre. Jennifer Yon has exhibited this characteristic from our first meeting, and I wanted to capture some of Jennifer’s growth mindset for her readers, so here goes. Jennifer Yon 20 IBA Success Magazine n VOL 6, Issue 1 Almost twenty years ago, I met a young lady with more wisdom than any twenty- year-old should have. As our friendship grew, I learned life hadn’t always been kind to her. Her life experiences, while difficult, weren’t worn on her sleeve though. She expected only the best from herself and gave fully to the job at hand. Whenever she’d share a life experience with me, sometimes I was so startled that I wondered how she didn’t let it hinder her. She never saw herself as a victim in any way and wouldn’t let you do so either. At the time, I was a new divorcée who wallowed in my self-pity. I knew that eventually I’d need to gather myself but I couldn't help the “woe is me” feeling at first. Not long after our first intense conversation, Jennifer says to me, “You know you’re going to need to stop feeling sorry for yourself. It doesn’t help. And it stops you from moving on with your life. Don’t do that to yourself or your child.” I felt entitled to my grief. I held onto it like a shield from the world. It barred me from relationships and consumed my conversations. And here she was trying to take it from me! Although she’s 10 years younger, Jennifer had heard all she could stand of my ex-husband and all of the things he’d done wrong. “What do you intend to do to change your situation,” she’d ask. “How do you hope to grow?” I remembered her looking around my small one-bedroom apartment saying that she expected me to get more out of life. Not immediately, but eventually I took the advice and moved on and I am forever grateful for the kick in the pants from my friend. It was then that I began to take a closer look at her life. How did one so young become so tough and gifted? Remember, people with a growth mindset don’t usually know what By Danna Jackson-Carroll