The word “Evolving” implies change, and that’s kind of the beauty of things. When something grows, rises up from the ground to become something that can make an impact outside of its normal boundaries it often takes a force of nature or a decision to break the mold and do the extraordinary.
Many professionals today find themselves in a familiar spot, they have reached the proverbial glass ceiling, at the top of their game, not being able to find a place where they fit in, a place where their creativity is appreciated, and where their vision can grow. I’ve hit that glass ceiling more times than I care to admit, I’ve bounced beyond that as well. When COVID hit, most customer-facing jobs were decimated, we were told we could work from home, but, overall unless a person can do live interactions it just really isn’t the same. Protocols we put in place, but it is hard to manage a team when your said team is put together through zoom meetings and boring presentations. The corporate world just no longer holds the same appeal as it once did, at least not for me. I didn’t want to be stuck with the potential of getting laid off at any minute or having our whole company simply fold because we weren’t getting as many clients as we once did. Many businesses have had to close, or cut back on staff or had to scramble to do curbside pickups, and while we are slowly getting back to normal, whatever normal is, I felt stuck and was longing for something new that didn’t have boundaries, something that I could pour myself into, work from whatever location I wanted and would give me a lot more freedom as to how far I wanted to go on my career path. In other words, I wanted to be in control.
I’m one of those lucky people that have another skill on the side that I managed to turn into a career. I’ve always loved writing, for fun, but I decided to take it one step further and branch out doing odd little jobs on the side. I began writing for two publications, and having loved putting my work out there, I started making a name for myself in the self-publishing world and became an author. It wasn’t easy. My first book flopped, big time, but along the way, I learned. I developed a particular style and just like an actor, who finds a role that is a perfect fit, I found a fit too, and it felt good, I knew that this is where I belonged. I took the giant leap, hung up my headset for good, and never looked back. I felt a sense of fulfillment in knowing that I might not touch everyone’s heart, but I can at least touch one, make someone think, ask questions, feel, smile, and maybe just change one life, and that, is enough to keep me going, enough to continue writing more, doing more, and speaking to more people.
What changed? I grew, I focused on giving; rather than selling a product, I was selling myself and showing others their value in this world. I finally had a platform that I could choose to do something good with. I could never have that working for someone else. Instead of sitting with four walls around me, I’m breaking down barriers with words. I gave myself permission to not only dip a toe in the writing world pond, I said it was okay to dive headfirst. It was a fresh start to be the person I was truly meant to be and not a corporate-owned entity.
What’s my advice to move forward? I say if you believe in something strong enough, spring! There’s no better time to change your future and embrace a whole different side of yourself.
#WEEKLYPROMPT, #MOTIVATION, #INSPIRATION, #BALANCEDLIFE, #CHANGE, #SUCCESS