What's Your Story?

Everybody has a story. This is the lesson I learned at a recent conference, in which I attended a session with that very statement as its title. The session, led by the Emmy Award-winning and acclaimed CBS photojournalist Les Rose, was fascinating in that it outlined the process that he and his partner Steve Hartman worked through as they developed their stories. To me, it was heartfelt and inspiring.

In fact, the session got me thinking (and yes, it’s a dangerous thing most times, but what the heck): We all have a story about the CMP.

Whether it was our initial decision to achieve the designation, our individual path in the pursuit of the certification, or perhaps what we’ve done with our certification and the opportunities it has presented to us – each and every one of us has a story. And behind each of those stories in one underlying narrative: Why we did it and what has changed for us since that time.

We are all at various stages of our careers. The various segments of our industries, as well as having had various experiences, good bad or indifferent, have all brought us to where we are today. However, we are all united in our belief in lifelong learning and a commitment to excellence in our industry.

My goal this year is to tell my story and hopefully help to expand our CMP community. There are so many ways we can do this. It can be as simple as a conversation with a colleague at a networking event or perhaps speaking or participating on a panel at an industry conference. Or it can be sharing with someone you’ve known for years or whom you just met.

When you believe in what we do, it’s easy. We are a passionate group, loaded with anecdotes and wisdom. We’ve all received accolades and setbacks during our journey, but no matter what we seem to keep on coming back for more. We’re either nuts or we must really love what we do. My guess is that it’s a little of both.

It’s time to tell your story.

On the official front, the Governance Commission’s Call for Nominations will go out June 1 with a deadline of June 30. Please consider nominating yourself or a colleague. I can’t think of a better way to continue the success of the CMP – and to tell your story.

Yours in service,

Matt DiSalvo, CMP