A Lifetime of Career Guidance

Have you ever stopped to look back on your life and wonder how in the world you got to where you are? And then you start reliving some of the decisions you’ve made to really understand the journey you’ve taken? For the first 20+ years of my working life I spent much of my time trying to make my way up that “corporate ladder” only to see more rungs added each time I reached a certain milestone. In the back of my mind there was always a little voice telling me there was something else out there…but what??

For years I’ve known I wanted to be a business owner, but I never thought I would be running a website. I’ve always known I wanted to help inspire and empower other women, but I never realized it would be through stories of my experiences. I’ve always felt challenged and invigorated by taking on a new risk or engaging in some kind of change, but I’ve learned I can adapt to it better if it’s on my terms and not someone else’s idea.  I have known for a long time that with a vision you don’t necessarily need to know  ‘how’ to make it happen as that will come through with persistence and perseverance.

So how did I get here? I can tell you this didn’t come to me as a vision all put together but rather bits and pieces that started taking shape over a number of years.  I can recall several moments in my past that led me down this path.  My first memory is from the early 1990s.  I was living in Southern California, and as the story goes, it was a beautiful day.  This happened to be one of those perfect beautiful days where the sky is bluer, the temperature is “just” right, and all seems right with the world. Well, I was walking back in to work after lunch and something just came over me. I thought to myself this life is just too short to be sitting in an office all day. That is when the first part of the picture started forming…I want to own my own business.

This decision had nothing to do with my current job because I loved my job and I especially loved the company I worked for. I had even told a friend of mine when I first started in the 80s that I would never quit. More on that in later posts…

I don’t have a specific memory of the next part, I just remember I knew I wanted to have a positive impact on other’s lives just as others had positively impacted my life.

I didn’t have the opportunity to go to college right after high school and needed to work full time. When I was 20 I still had a strong desire to go to college but really didn’t know how that was going to happen while working entry level jobs.

That is when my first and most memorable ‘career guidance angel’ came into my life. I was working one of those entry level jobs and she was my supervisor. I don’t remember what she told me, but I know her words helped me find my way in to college. It took me a little longer to finish, but nonetheless, I did finish!! I will always be grateful for her inspiration and her belief in me (I am once again inspired to find her and tell her this myself).

So fast forward to 2008 and I have done quite well in my career. But that little voice was still there and by this point was much louder. I still enjoyed my job, but I felt like I was going through the motions everyday. That was when I decided to follow the next piece of the story and take a big risk.  I quit my job to go out on my own…I just didn’t know what that was at the time.  Now I certainly don’t advocate doing this on a whim; I’m a planner and I planned and saved for this event over a long period of time.

I will say the vision of my new business is still taking shape, but I’m excited for what it can and will become. It has taken me a little time to get here and I have no regrets. I’ve been on a really cool journey and I can’t wait to share it all with you!