Lillian is independent. She believes in what she believes in. Once she has set her mind on something, she stands by that decision. She is a strong idealist. She is brave; sometimes a little too brave. Lillian has unique way of being both wildly creative and extremely logical at the same time. Lillian is generous, loyal, and compassionate. She is a very hard worker.
About Lillian:
I am passionate about world travel, international humanitarian work, inner peace, and personal freedom. I help lead people to achieving greater levels of geographical, emotional, financial, and spiritual freedom. I write about this at The Freedom Co-op.
I am also a business and engineering consultant. My specialties include data visualization, business intelligence, analytics, reporting, big data, data-driven product development, prototyping, technical training, social networking, agile data analysis / product development, and multi-media storyboarding. My tech website is called Big Data Gal and I contribute articles to The Smart Data Collective.
If you parents / teacher / god / whoever holds your sense of personal propriety in check was GONE (poof!) and there was no one to upset, offend or disappoint…..who would you become?
Well, funny you ask because you are describing my life as it already is. I would become more authentically me. I would honor myself and take care of myself. I would not abandon myself for the world. I would know myself better, nurture myself more, and I would yield to my big dreams. Above all, I would strengthen my relationship with God and I would yield my life to the mission that falls out of that relationship. I would find ways to help heal the suffering of people who are living in dire need of help.
Describe what you do to earn money.
I am an environmental engineer, but I have moved into data analytics engineering. I work for local government. I also earn money from the travel book that I wrote, called Renegade World Travel. It is a quick-guide that teaches people how to transform their lives into a world-tour adventure.
What is the best business and / or life advice you have ever learnt?
The best advice I ever got was from my mother during the last time I would see her. She held my hand on a hilltop overlooking the hill county of Texas and she said these words. Two months later, I set out on my first-ever international solo adventure (in Honduras). While I was gone, she was involved in a freak accident that ended her life. I live my life by these words.
“Lillian, what will happen is that the next time you realize it, you will open your eyes and you will see that your whole life has passed. You will just wake up and you will be my age; in the blinking of an eye it will happen. Whatever it is that you want to do with your life, you HAVE TO DO IT NOW because if you don’t, when you next realize it, then it will be too late. Your time will have passed and you didn’t do what you were dreaming of doing. Never not do something because you are afraid you can’t or that something bad will happen if you do. You have God on your side and He will take care of you. He will not let you down. You have nothing to fear. Whatever situations arise, you will be able to handle them. You are my Lillian and you are very strong. Don’t listen to anyone that tells you otherwise because they are wrong. So go out there and do it girl. It’s a wonderful world for you to explore and I am SO proud of you.” – Nan Rawson
What’s your biggest fear? How do you overcome it?
I am afraid of being deceived by someone that I have trusted. I work on overcoming this fear by practicing self-care and by being careful to only give my trust to trustworthy people.
Relaxation is….
Hot yoga, a massage, a latte and a good book, dropping off the grid in some remote end of the Earth; Ultimately, relaxation is an attitude of acceptance that is a lot easier to maintain in some places as opposed to others.
What are you freakishly good at?
I am sharp with noticing details and remembering them in the distant future; especially if it is a detail about something of which I am particularly interested.
What do you geek out about?
I totally geek out about data and data analytics. I love uncovering patterns in huge sets of data and I love discovering what those pattern means by creating visualizations from them.
Creativity in your life is….
Creativity, to me, is turning engineering into art through data science and visualization. These days I am expressing my creativity through digital media. My writing is another form of creative digital expression.
What do you want to be known for?
I want to be known for doing humanitarian work in the developing world. I want to be known for taking my technical, engineering, and mentoring skills to some remote part of the world and using those skills to radically improve the lives of people there. I have not lived this dream yet, but I want to do this more than anything in the world. I know that if I were to die without having done this, then I would die with a regret. I believe that the work that I am doing now is preparing me for that experience.
What do you value in your partner?
Honesty
Tell me something that will shock me…
Are you shocked to know that nearly 20 million children die each year because of water quality and supply problems?
Describe your relationship with money…
I am a master budgeter and I am not inclined to over-spend. I am great at figuring out how to get the very most for my money, when I so choose. Money is synonymous with freedom, in my mind. I would rather make the very most of what I have and be happy with that, then have more than I need and continually feel like it is not enough. I am a minimalist.
If you had a year to yourself with a ridiculous amount of money, how would you spend
it? The time? And the money?
I would travel to three small communities in different regions of the world, I would assess the business and environmental characteristics of those communities, and I would devise ways to improve them through technological or engineering services. I would make sure that the solutions I chose would be something that the people in the community could perform themselves. Then, I would mentor people there so that they could perform those services and turn them into micro-businesses for themselves and their community. I would set-up a little mini-HQ in each of the communities and then I would travel between them, assisting in the development of the chosen communities over time. This is my dream.
Describe the last time you remember feeling happy…
I felt happy this morning when I had to go through the process of getting my work badge replaced. I had to go visit 4 different offices to get the replacement arranged and then I had to move my vehicle. The people who were helping me were somewhat slow and normally the process would have frustrated me. But instead of feeling frustrated and being short, I was able to be patient and kind. I was able to smile and be appreciative for the help of others. Lately I have been practicing being gentle with myself, and what I realized today is that is a lot easier to be gentle with others when I am gentle with myself. Choosing to be gentle makes me feel happy.
What is your BIG DREAM? (Don’t be afraid to dream a little bigger darling!)
I described it above, but if I were to add just a little more to that vision, I would include my spiritual centers. At the mini-HQs, I would like to have areas set aside for practice and learning in yoga and other spiritual disciplines. Those areas would serve local people and westerners alike. That is my BIG big dream.
What is your greatest regret?
I regret that I have not done humanitarian work to help people in the developing world.
What’s the one thing you’d change about the world?
This is not a fair question, but if I had to choose one it would be women’s rights. Women everywhere would be treated equal to men. In particular, they would not be forced into sex slavery, but would be given education and freedom to create positive business opportunities for themselves and their families.
What is your primary spiritual practice?
I can’t name it but I can describe what I do on a daily basis. I pray when I wake in the morning and I try to read a spiritual message to get my mind in the right place to start the day. I pray throughout the day when I feel like it. I pray spontaneously when I am happy, because I am very grateful for my life. I spend at least 30min a day doing something that is good for my body, mind, or soul. I practice mindfulness when I practice yoga. I meditate 5min per day. I read spiritual books and search the situations of my life for places that I can grow spiritually. At the end of day, I pray, I review my day, I look for things that I did well or upon which I could have improved, and I thank God for taking care of me.