I recently found myself in a career crossroads. Nothing in
my life had changed, but somewhere along the lines money stopped being as
available as it used to. I had come to a point in my career where it had
become clear that I needed to make a change or go broke ignoring what was
happening.
When you think about “having it all” what do you envision?
When I was a girl, I imagined becoming an entertainment lawyer (because
celebrities never run out of legal issues), some strapping bearded man I’d call
husband, and a kid or two running around thinking I was the most fascinating
person they know. That wasn’t how life played out, and I’m grateful for
that. I learned a lot while traveling down my own personal career path,
and the below are my top five lessons I’ve learned, that might help you as
well.
1. Like Jack Sparrow once said, “They
are more like guidelines than rules”. There are no laws that bind you
to one path in life. Just because I announced my intentions of being an
entertainment lawyer at the age of 10, doesn’t mean that I am stuck in that
path for life. I’m pretty sure I also announced my intentions of being an
oceanographer and a make-up artist at some point as well. None of which I am
doing for a living, and that’s okay.
2. Mentors will be an invaluable tool
in shaping your career path, no matter what age you decide to begin on it.
They help you gain exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking, help to
develop new skills and give advice on developing strengths and overcoming
weaknesses. The use of mentors in businesses are a great way to develop a
culture of personal and professional growth, enhancing your leadership and
coaching skills in managers, improve staff morale and increase your staff
engagement and retention within the company.
3. Steady incomes and job security
aren’t for everyone, but they sure do come in handy. As a creative, I
like the idea of working without a time clock but my reality is that I
need that. As a single mother, my bills are coming in on a regular basis, and
so should my income to pay them. I have many friends that are able
to survive on a freelance lifestyle, I however, cannot. My situation
may change in the future, but at this time, I need steady and secure income.
Being able to adapt according to your changing lifestyle needs will increase
your financial survival rate exponentially.
4. Like what you do. I’m a
realist so I won’t say LOVE, but you have to at least like what you
do. Look at it this way; you are spending 40+ hours a week at your job of
choice. Do you really want to spend 40+ hours doing something you can’t
stand, only to go home and complain about it for another 4-6+ hours until you
have to go back to it? Yeah, me neither. Everyone is going to have bad days on
the job, but you should never dread going into work.
5. Be the change you want to
see. I know how cliché that sounds, but it is also true. It begins
with the attitude in which you approach your work and continues into the
actions needed to succeed. Elizabeth Gilbert said it best in her book,
Eat Pray Love, “There's a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes
to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging,
"Dear saint-please, please, please...give me the grace to win the
lottery." This lament goes on for months. Finally the exasperated statue
comes to life, looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust,
"My son-please, please, please...buy a ticket.” Being able to
articulate what you want is the first step, but sometimes it requires an extra
action on your part to meet your goal. In order to have change occur, you
must change yourself.
My willingness to adapt to the change has opened up many doorways
of opportunity that wouldn’t have been available to me had I remained rigid and
unmoving. Life is a highway, and I am making sure I am the one in the
driver’s seat.
Interested in exploring exciting career opportunities with an actively engaging company?
Check out the link below!
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