91看片

Life is a lot simpler when you know why you鈥檙e here. So says , a motivational speaker and best-selling author who recently addressed Auburn University鈥檚 chapter of Women in Business along with other students, faculty and staff at 91看片.

Her hosts at 91看片 said she was invited as part of the college鈥檚 efforts to promote greater diversity and inclusion, such as by promoting more women and minorities in business. Dufu didn鈥檛 disappoint in addressing those goals on the wider spectrum.

鈥淢y life鈥檚 work is advancing women and girls. It鈥檚 pretty much why I鈥檓 on the planet,鈥� Dufu said of herself, and as for others, she asks, 鈥渉ow do we harness women鈥檚 ingenuity and other talents for the benefit of the world?鈥�

It begins, she says, for women 鈥� and men 鈥� to first know who they really are, what they sincerely want and expect to accomplish, and establishing those expectations themselves before getting stuck on the expectations of others.

An impressive resume

Dufu, a Washington state native who today lives with her husband and two children in New York City, is a popular public speaker often seen on national television, quoted in media or heard on such radio broadcasts as National Public Radio. She is the author of 鈥淒rop the Ball: Achieving More by Doing Less.鈥�

Her list of accolades and experience is impressive. Dufu serves as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies and was named as one of 19 鈥渨omen who are leading the way鈥� in the Huffington Post amongst luminaries such as Diane Sawyer and Hillary Clinton.

She is founder and CEO of The Cru, which features an algorithm that matches circles of women who collaborate to meet their personal and professional goals.

Dufu has raised nearly $20 million toward the cause of women and girls. She was a launch team member to 鈥淟ean In鈥� and was chief leadership officer to Levo, one of the fastest growing millennial professional networks.

Dufu also served as president of The White House Project, a non-profit organization that worked to increase female representation in American institutions, businesses and government. 

What matters most...to YOU?

鈥淭here are a lot of challenges we have in the world,鈥� Dufu said. 鈥淲e need many working on many different needs.

鈥淢any of us often feel overwhelmed with all of life鈥檚 expectations...especially if you鈥檙e a leader,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very helpful for you to have clarity about who you are to be enabled to help other people.鈥�

 Dufu shared admiration for her parents, who escaped tough conditions in the Watts area of Los Angeles to establish a better life for themselves and their family. An Army life led them to Fort Lewis, Washington, where Dufu was born.

鈥淢y parents had broken a very vicious cycle of poverty and addiction, in one single generation,鈥� she said, pointing out the courage it took for them to make a dramatic change.

鈥淚f you want something that you鈥檝e never had before, you鈥檙e going to have to do something you鈥檝e never done before. You鈥檙e going to have to take risks,鈥� Dufu said.

The influence of her parents helped Dufu realize that she, not someone else, should set her own goals and expectations for herself, and Dufu encouraged those in the audience to do the same.

Still, she struggled to fully accept that realization, constantly afraid she would let down her family, her gender and her race more so than herself.

鈥淭here was not an HR rep in our family...to watch over me, and...I was always afraid I would drop the ball,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 felt if I ever dropped the ball, I would disappoint the entire black race鈥� I literally felt that kind of pressure.鈥�

Life-changing events are one way to realize the need for change, she said, and hers was 鈥渢he birth of my first child.鈥�

鈥淭here are so many things that could cause you to drop the ball,鈥� she said, but 鈥渋t鈥檚 about what really matters most to you. Not to your parents, or grandparents...But that you really get clear about your highest investments in what matters to you.鈥�

 

Drop the ball!

Dufu highlighted the 鈥渢op three balls I had to figure out how to drop,鈥� of which she shares much more detail and discussion in her book.

Ball drop No. 1: Who was I supposed to be?

We all try to fill numerous roles, she said. 鈥淭here are all these individual job descriptions鈥� Rewrite your drop description to take control of your life.鈥�

She used the 鈥渇uneral visualization鈥� as one example in considering priorities. 鈥淲hat would others say about you at the end of your journey?鈥�

If you were organized and productive, would you want them to remember you for your productivity? she asked. 鈥淣o, you don鈥檛 want people standing there saying, 鈥榳ell, she got a lot of things done!鈥�

鈥淲hat kind of impact do you really want to make?鈥�

Ball drop No. 2: What was I supposed to do?

鈥淚t鈥檚 so challenging to feel confident鈥�when everything we imagine we need to be doing in a day,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat I encourage every one of us to do鈥�is figure out our own strategy.

鈥淎sk, 鈥業s it really connected to what matters most to me?鈥�

鈥淎sk, 鈥業s this something that only I can do?鈥� Is it something I can delegate?鈥�

Ball drop No. 3: The fear of asking for help.

鈥淚 used to find it very difficult to ask for help,鈥� she said, and too often felt 鈥渢he G word: guilt.鈥�

Don鈥檛 feel guilty in asking for help, she said. 鈥淔iguring out how to get help from people is a practice. When people ask you, 鈥榟ow can I help you? How can I support you?鈥� Have an answer to that question.鈥�

She talked about the importance of sharing encouragement, accepting it, and having those in your life who will support what you do.

Regarding her 鈥渃rew,鈥� she said 鈥渨e hold each other accountable for our ambitions. I highly encourage you as early as possible, as in right now, to curate your own crew,鈥� Dufu said, 鈥渟o you don鈥檛 have to feel you鈥檙e entering your journey alone.

鈥淲ho is going to help us do that?鈥�

鈥楨vents like this help鈥�

Tufu鈥檚 comments seemed well received by her audience, of which the large majority was women who sat in the Lowder 125 auditorium.

鈥淚 thought Tiffany was very inspiring and beneficial for all women to hear,鈥� said MBA student Abigail Pitts, an officer with Women in Business who helped organize the event. 鈥淪he spoke about how overwhelming it can be to try to balance and fit the mold of what society says a good parent, employee, or student consists of, which is why it is so important to determine what is most important in our lives and to prioritize our day accordingly.

鈥淚t is necessary to know our goals and purpose in life in order to balance a meaningful life and career.鈥�

Danielle Corrigan, advisor for the Women in Business student organization, agreed.

鈥淏ringing influential and successful women like Tiffany Dufu to campus is extremely important because it inspires young women to raise the bar for their own professional careers,鈥� Corrigan said. 鈥淔emale students gain confidence from attending events like this one because it helps them better understand who they are and how they want to define success, while recognizing that success can happen even if you 鈥榙rop the ball.鈥欌��