Have you ever thought about doing something other than what you’re doing, both on a professional and personal level? And it got stuck at the ‘thought’ level? I went back to school for my Master’s and Doctorate degrees and changed careers mid life and never looked back–except for those occasional voices in my head! I’d love to share my journey with you and hope it moves you to take action–where you’ve maybe been stuck–and then keep going and don’t stop before the Miracle!
What do I mean by ‘don’t stop before the miracle?’ If we were all walking a tightrope or on a zip line, of course we wouldn’t stop ¾ of the way across or down, am I right? Don’t stop before the miracle simply means keep going for what you want and don’t let anything stop you. Be tenacious. Stay focused, stay on point.
When and how did my change of careers come about? I had been working for a company for 10 years successfully producing trade shows all over the world. You were as good as your last production and while I loved it, the burnout rate was very high. I had moved up the corporate ladder as far as I could go. I was a Vice President and the only person I reported to was the president. That was all well and good, but the time came when I felt like I was a human ‘doing’ not a human ‘being.’ There was no work life balance in those days.
As a matter of fact, in those days computers had just come into being; there were no cell phones, pagers, Blackberries, etc.—all devices that blurred the lines of demarcation between work life and personal life.
My actual change came about very unsuspectingly. Very simply, I stopped smoking through a program at the local hospital where I then lived in Danbury CT. After 33 years of smoking, I stopped and never gained an ounce of weight and never started up again. So I contacted the hospital and asked if they needed instructors. I worked for them for 1 year as an independent contractor presenting community smoking cessation programs, and then got licensed on my own so I could provide programs to corporations since I had always worked in the corporate world.
Subsequently I got licensed as a stress management consultant, and ultimately went back to school for my Master’s and PhD in business administration with a specialty in conflict resolution.
My then husband was my #1 positive influencer in my life both professionally and personally. He was my cheer leader, my listener, my believer in me when I didn’t think I believed in myself, and I wouldn’t be where I am without him.
Yes there were risks and rewards that kept me going. The risks are obvious, could I make enough money to support myself, would there be cash flow, am I good enough, how will I make it happen, make it work, not only in the short run but in the long term, etc. I could scare myself into immobility which I think is pretty common.
The rewards, on the other hand, are open and endless. Of course, the money was and is wonderful, but as important is the sense of contribution I feel I make to whomever I am in contact with. If I can motivate or inspire someone to go for the gold, or have them get in touch with their ‘humanness’ and bring that to the world. I’m delighted.
What or who tried or actually stopped me? It’s more a what than a who. The voices in my head were the worst offenders. If you don’t know what I mean, sit quietly for a moment and listen. These are what we call limited belief systems. This reminds me of the story of the man who as a boy was told ‘don’t talk to strangers,’ maybe as all of us were told when we were very young. Fast forward to this grown man who is driving somewhere he has never been before and he is lost. He doesn’t pull off to a gas station or a convenience store to ask for directions. He doesn’t even have the thought to do so. Maybe you’ve had this experience with a man or you are a man and you have first hand knowledge of it. Why won’t he stop and ask for help, for directions? Because as a child he was told ‘don’t talk to strangers’ and he is still carry that around with him. It certainly served for safety as a child but in today’s world, as an adult, it’s OK to ask for help. Most of our limited belief systems are unconscious until, of course, brought to awareness which then allows us to put in a correction, or new data to live our lives by.
I’ve written 15 books and yes, that does help me. How you might ask? First off, the truth is I can’t quit my day job. However, my books, articles, and blog create credibility and authority for me as an expert in my field, but as important, it goes in the column of my self esteem, my self worth. So in a sense, they are large business cards so to speak which allow me to ultimately raise my fees.
I’d like to leave you with 5 of my best tips:
- Don’t stop before the miracle. In the movie, We Bought a Zoo, there’s a great quote. “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”
- The 10 most powerful 2 letter words are IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME.
- Ask yourself this question: If not now when; and if not me, who?
- Remember you rip yourself and me off by not doing what you want which is a contribution to the universe
- Be committed to finding out what feeds your soul