:: Take a deep breath ::
The more you speak negativity into your life, the higher you build a wall between you and your destiny. Words have enormous power and if you don’t start filtering your language and talking to yourself with respect, you’ll keep walking in circles. You have a j-o-b. Be grateful for that. In this unstable economic climate, you’re lucky to have a job to go to while other people are still searching endlessly. Does that mean you have to settle?! F*ck no. But if you want success, there are levels to this. Take a page from all the women we look up to. The common thread they share is positive thinking. It’s their mindset that has always been at the forefront of each of their success stories. It starts with how you carry yourself.
So when you get into the office tomorrow give your best effort. It’s really silly to ask for future blessings when you haven’t mastered what’s already on your plate today. I don’t care where you work….
- flippin’ burgers at McDonald’s
- washing dishes at Burger King
- sorting mail at the Post Office
- in the marketing department of a corporate retailer
- operating coat check at the club
- customer service at the bank
- a partner at a law firm
Maybe it’s not your ideal situation; doesn’t matter. Be the best at what you do and put your sauce on it. You don’t know who’s watching and what power they hold. I left my corporate career in February. I was a side hustler for almost a decade. But I’ve always compared my 9-5 to business school; it was a learning opportunity for me to observe how a major corporation actually runs. Consider this practice for the big win. At every stage and every age, you need to be productive. Master this season so you can take the lesson and move on.
Girl, just take the lesson so you can move on.
It will open the door to the next level of your life. I would never be where I am today if I didn’t do the same thing. I remember one of my first jobs out of college I worked at an interior design firm; a very prestigious, multi-million dollar company. My boss was a mature Italian man who yelled at me daily. He was loud and proud and it triggered my anxiety and scared me to death. I had just started navigating the working world and could barely stand on my own two feet. Sometimes you could even find me in the bathroom crying on the floor. I despised him. I wanted to quit many times but was even too scared to do that … until one day I did. I told him I found a new position and I was leaving. I was proud of myself at that moment. In his deep, raspy voice he pointed to the chair adjacent to him and told me to sit down. “You’re not going anywhere.” He said and then asked me my price. I replied, “if you can match my new job, I will think about staying but the real reason I’m leaving is that I don’t think I can handle this environment.” He looked at me, puzzled, but quickly understood what I meant and for the first time we had a heart-to-heart. I was young enough to be his granddaughter. He looked me in the eyes and said he’s hard on me because he could tell I am built for challenge. His only intention was to build my character and that if I ever wanted to be as successful as him I needed to have tougher skin.
There it was. The lesson.
Yours will unfold differently. It may not be as obvious or maybe it will be, I don’t know. But keep your ears, eyes, and heart open to receiving it. Every. Single. Office. I have worked at, I had to make an adjustment. I had to be agile and get out of my own way so I didn’t stunt my growth. As a female founder and mentor, I’ve had this conversation many times with my peers and mentees. Allow your circumstances to push you not close you. Everything in life is temporary, even your 9-5 (if you want it to be). Create an exit strategy (more on that later) and soak up as much as you can before you quit.