We were lucky to catch up with Tracy DeJarnett recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Tracy, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I love this question.
At an early age I sensed there was more than what we could see, feel or touch. On many occasions I felt compelled to do something, like there was a force greater than me guiding my steps.
That was definitely the case with music. In 2017 I felt compelled to start a music festival and my intention, or purpose, was to bring people together at a time when the world seemed to be divided and crumbling. I wanted to provide a safe space for people to come and enjoy themselves, smile, connect and heal. My success barometer was whether people were smiling or not. And they were. My purpose was to bring connection and healing. That continues today.
I’ve come to realize that awareness of purpose or at least the clarity about purpose generally does not come about through strictly easy times. Sometimes it takes a challenge or series of challenges which cause us to step back and reflect on our lives and our direction. These challenges often make us create enough space to clearly see the purpose and let it in.
In a noisy always connected world it’s difficult to hear our inner guidance system whispering our purpose, but it’s there. Although purpose is sensed not in the mind, but at a level more at our core – call it “the gut.” Ever had an idea that hit you so hard that you literally lit up with an “aha!” From that moment forward you couldn’t think of anything else but figuring out that idea, that aha. That’s like purpose. Once you gain clarity on it…it’s hard to think about much else. It’s a drive, a passion, a compelling push toward whatever IT is for you. You feel it in your gut, call it instinct.
As Simon Sinek asks in his book and his “Start with why” TED Talk with currently over 11,000,000 views, what is your Why? He singularly brought about great clarity to our purpose simply by saying “Start with why.” Ask yourself: What is your why? What is your purpose?
I think about this question often as in marketing I represent companies and people to help them grow their reach and revenue. I could sell the things they make or I could sell the ideas. Everything started with an idea or more precisely – an intent. It’s typically an intent to solve a problem. Our purpose is our intent to solve something, to make something better, to improve, add, embellish… Our purpose is additive. Imagine if all of us were truly connected to our purpose to improve our world. Why aren’t we?
There are ways we get blocked from our purpose and our rightful access to love and joy (and purpose). Sometimes we are blocked because of outside forces against us. Sometimes it’s an inside job and we block ourselves from our own purpose. Anger and fear are two emotions that are guaranteed to block you from unlocking your purpose. My wish is that everyone will at one point see what gifts await them when they slow down, listen to their inner guidance, find that peace and knowing – and ultimately find their purpose.
For me, I help people see there is always a way around, over or through any challenge. Anything is possible. At the core of this is the Belief that anything is possible. So, I help people raise up their belief in themselves and their Why to achieve and align with their purpose.
I like to live this purpose so that when I talk about it I have stories to point to, to show the way – proof points or touchstones in my life so it’s more than “just talk”. Ask me sometime about my walk to healing because I believed I would.
That’s my purpose.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I wear a few hats. The first is that I am blessed to be part of an incredible team, and Chief Marketing Officer, helping Hobas Pipe help the world of water and wastewater infrastructure solve big problems (like aging US infrastructure). My second hat is to discover, support and promote music and musicians from Texas (and sometimes beyond). The hat(s) I’m most proud of are wife, daughter, friend and of course dog mom!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
In a word: belief. This is a very undervalued word. I believe it’s core to every successful person and effort. It all starts with the belief that it is possible. Imagine what would happen if we believed in what we were doing. Imagine if someone else believed in what we were doing. What if we believed that we could get that big job, that promotion, that good doctors report? A friend helped me shift my thinking with a simple start to a question, “Wouldn’t it be nice if…(fill in the blank?” like “Wouldn’t it be nice if I healed?” or “Wouldn’t it be nice if I won that trip to Greece?”
It doesn’t matter if you want to believe that you will be able to get ready in time for the movies, or bring about world peace, it all starts with a belief that it’s possible.
Once you believe, then the second. and third qualities are the steps we need to take to make it happen, because a belief alone doesn’t get it done. Actions do. And “Don’t ever give up.”
Sometimes timetables don’t always line up with our expectations. Sometimes the winners are the ones who just didn’t give up. When I think about those that quit just before they got to the finish line I think about the story about the man climbing up the mountain. He was growing weary and weak. The climb seemed never ending. He was about to turn back when someone came down the mountain and said, don’t worry, you’ll make it – just a few more steps!
I’m here to tell you that whatever it is you are going for, it’s just a few more steps! (and worth it)
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I would like to find strategic thinkers who know how to navigate the world of media – both earned and purchased. If this is you please reach out.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/TracyDeJarnett
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracy_dejarnettcmo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracydejarnett/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/user/i02nu454pa63fjjis5s7ip1px?si=98eedd820b1e4d9e
Image Credits
City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for the Advisory Board Member pictures.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
