blogging4jobs
|  |
|
Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:29 AM PDT
 Do you ever look at your past and wonder, “How did I ever make it through that phase?” or “What was I thinking?” I do often and while I could choose to live with regret, instead I choose to view my past as life lessons and class is always in session. Every choice we make selects the path we choose to trod. The road less taken may not always be the right one and the well-worn path might not either. So how do we really know?Sometimes, you just have to follow your gut and hope that it serves your well. Your gut isn’t just a lucky guess or an eerie feeling / suspicion. It is usually years in the making and comes to be reliable because years of experience and built-upon knowledge have joined together in space and time to serve you and present itself as wisdom. Wisdom is gained from correct choices, just as much as it is gained from poor ones. Today, I often fall back on my gut – for that is what I call it. And truth be told, for the last several years, it has served me very well. As a matter of fact, I have learned to re-place trust in me (something I thought completely lost) because I have simply trusted my gut (aka wisdom). Slowly over the course of the next year, I will be breaking down mistakes made and once again revealing a bit of what has made up who I have become. Why? Because never have I learned more about myself nor about my life, than when I have been brutally honest, when I have scoured the dirt from under my fingernails and spit in the faces of those who have misplaced judgment – myself included. And if writing Bonus Track has taught me anything, it has taught me that I am not alone. Not alone in my joys and certainly not alone in my sorrows and regrets. When I was young, 18 or 19 years old, a new couple moved into the area – they were new to my church family and we welcomed them – well…, others did. They had 7 or 8 children and the family, in general, was exceedingly intelligent, but I held back full fellowship because they didn’t value cleanliness and wrinkle-free clothing as I did. I placed “Godly” value on appearances, instead of on the heart. They were highly educated, but very poor. Very poor, indeed. Even in their poorness, I saw more family love and outward compassion than I had ever seen before – but still I withheld. I had sentenced them to misery because they failed to iron their Sunday clothing. I knew nothing of them. I cared nothing for them. Who had more compassion and “light”? Not I, nor the countless others who felt the same as I. I am ashamed when I think back on those days, when I truly see who I was – what I was. I took the well-worn path. I didn’t know the real story, I didn’t want to know it. I didn’t think it was worthy of my time. I do now, because now I know that behind every crisply ironed shirt, prideful deceit potentially curdles and beyond every crumpled, dirty pair of jeans lies a breaking heart – countless stories buried. What will you think of yourself and your flawed judgment twenty years from now? Let’s hope it will be wisdom gained.  Rayanne Thorn, @ray_anne is the Marketing Director for the online recruiting software company, Broadbean Technology. She is also a proud mother of four residing in Laguna Beach, California, and a contributor for Blogging4Jobs. Connect with her on LinkedIn. |
|
Posted: 07 Sep 2011 04:17 AM PDT
 Nearly 2 years ago this October I walked out the door of my previous employer. Resigned and called it quits. I made a hasty and life-changing decision after my boss made an impromptu visit from Chicago to my office door. My boss called me as he boarded his flight and told me that he’d be at my office in under 2 hours. He expected that I be there too. He didn’t care that I had just visited the doctor with my daughter who was running a fever early that morning. He didn’t care that I didn’t have any daycare arrangements as I had planned on working from home that day or that I hadn’t even showered or was dressed for work. He didn’t care and why should I? My personal and family obligations were not as important as the last minute meeting I had been summoned to attend. And so I did my best. A member of my staff entertained my daughter as I sat through my meeting. I compromised my staff’s health by subjecting them to my sick daughter to discuss an Excel spreadsheet and a quarterly report. ”This wasn’t something that could be handled over the phone,” he said. It was purely and simply a control tactic and game which I was no longer willing to play. The powers that be at the organization in which I worked were terrified of social media, but more importantly they were terrified of me. In 2009, social media was a new phenomenon to many, but something I had been using for nearly 8 years as part of my recruiting and sourcing strategy. Nearly 30% of my hires from 2007-2009 came from social media. There would be no way for me to continue using social media in the same manner at the organization where I worked. Before the meeting could conclude I resigned from my position. I wouldn’t allow my employer to treat me, my family or my staff in such a way. I worked to live. I didn’t live to work, and this new and relaxed way of thinking, conflicted with my boss’s point of view. Just as my opinion and use of social media. And with a simple blog post, nearly two years ago, I announced my entry into full time consultancy. Titled simply, “A New Chapter,” I was scared, unsure, and unprepared for what lay before me. No more forced conference calls or impromptu visits. I made the rules. And I survived. More importantly I thrived. So this morning (Tuesday) as I walked into my new office, I proudly turned the key to unlock my office door. Thinking about those first few months making calls, writing blogs, and promoting my book from my cluttered kitchen table. My path in business is unique and all my own. I’ve taken baby steps in business and focused on parenting my daughter (who’s nearly 3) with no set business strategy, playbook or answers but my own. I’ve done what’s best for my family, my husband, and my daughter. And today I’m reminded by that risk nearly two years ago and how it has transformed my world and life for the better. By taking baby steps, I’ve opened myself up to endless possibilities for my family as well as my business. Thanks to everyone for your continued to support of me, this blog, and my entrepreneurial journey. It’s because of you and your support that I began a new chapter in my business by renting my own office space. Pictures and video to follow as my furniture is being delivered to my new office later this week.  |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Blogging4Jobs To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment