Change is inevitable. It is a blessing in disguise. Change is where you learn more about yourself, learn to appreciate your experiences or losses, and provide you with fresh new adventures to keep life meaningful or purposeful.
So as I am approaching change in my life at many different levels personally and professionally, there is a barrier that comes up for me-FEAR. Fear of the unknown and fear of failure. In my last coaching circle call I was able to begin to see that the fear of the unknown is such a gift; a blessing in life. It allows you to be creative, live in the present moment, and to experience the wonder that life has to offer. I was also able to acknowledge my paralyzing thoughts on fear of failure and I learned that it is OK to make mistakes because this is where your biggest life lessons are learned. To be able to learn from your mistakes, patterns or tendencies and teach to others makes it worthwhile to take that leap of faith. Rewarding.
So one step towards conquering my fear of the unknown and failure is to write about my accomplishments in life. Since I was a little girl, I was always the sensitive one out of all six siblings and to this day I still wear my heart on my sleeve. One characteristic that I see as a strength as it has allowed me to open myself up to others, make myself vulnerable, learn and at the same time teach to others, and be empathetic towards others which is so important in building relationships with others.
As I grew older into middle school, I was always the smart one when it came to choosing my friends. I have always surrounded myself with positive people. My Mom used to and still to this day has told me that I always have the sweetest of friends. Connection is something that has always been an important value to me and continues to be something that allowed me to surround myself with people that only lift me higher.
When I entered into High School, I was always the conscientious one when it came to completing my education. I worked and studied hard in school and then continued to graduate from high school and got accepted into the University of Kansas in Lawrence. I was never a straight A student, but to graduate from college was a big accomplishment for me. I graduated with a Bachelors in Human Development and Family Life specializing in Early Childhood.
It was after I graduated college that entered into retail. I worked at Ann Taylor Loft and when I started I was reserved, shy, and not very outgoing. Working retail has taught me many things and the biggest gift I got out of my work experience was something so simple, yet something so profound-to become more social and initiate conversations with complete strangers. Coming from a little girl who would not talk when I was taken to a speech therapist, that is huge!
I continued in retail for years until I moved to Denver, Colorado. It was in Denver that my career in the non profit world opened up. I was the Director of School Age Programs and Day Camp Programs at the YMCA of Metropolitan Denver. I supervised after school and day camp programs for children in elementary school, as well as large numbers of staff for many years. This work experience provided me with the skills, tools and resources to be able to move to the next level in my career when I moved to Arizona.
I worked as a Director of a Child Care Center for six months when I moved to AZ. Something in my gut was telling me it was not right for me. I trusted my gut and as a result found a job that suited me better at Maricopa County Human Services-Head Start Zero Five Program where I currently still reside. I have been working with the County for almost six years. I started out as the Operations Supervisor for the program which included developing systems, policies and procedures and supervising a group of staff. As time progressed, I ended up supervising an additional staff member, the volunteer coordinator. The Operations Manager positions become vacant twice and I was asked to be in the acting role until the position was filled. What an honor to be trusted to be competent enough to take over this position. I did not apply for the position because I did not feel like this was the direction I wanted to move. I continue to stay in my role as Operation Supervisor and can happily say last program year I got the employee of the year award.
So, I know that this is not the most exciting life, but one common theme throughout is helping others. I am branching out and beginning to volunteer for an organization called Girls for a Change. After writing out my accomplishments, it has helped me to see that every experience in my life, every person I come into contact with has brought me to where I am today which is my interest in keeping the connection and helping others.
