D riving home from work with big, wet, fluffy snowflakes striking my windshield, I remember thinking, “Never again, NEVER AGAIN!”
I had just been laid off from my job; my third layoff in four years. And I had had it. I felt angry, hurt, disappointed—but most importantly—determined. Determined to never be at the mercy of another corporation for my livelihood ever again.
Luckily for me, I had already started a part-time business with the intention of quitting my full-time job once I had built my business to a certain level. However, the Universe had other plans for me. And I suddenly found myself catapulted into a career change and the world of self-employment way before I was ready.
Was I scared? Sure. But I felt deep down in my heart that I could make it.
From my early years, I knew that I was a born teacher. I even got a degree in Physical Education. But at the time I graduated from college, there was a glut of teachers. And rather than follow my heart, I convinced myself that the business world was the way to go and went to work for an insurance company.
Ever since my first job as a claims adjuster, I knew I was a corporate misfit. I never felt like I fit in. Yet I stayed right where I was enjoying the promotions, money, and benefits that came my way.
For 20 years…from management to sales to marketing…I kept trying to find a “home.” But it always eluded me. It seemed my quest in life was to find my life’s work. Actually, my quest became my “career.”
T here had been clues along the way. People always came to me for advice in solving their problems with work, relationships, or life. And I LOVED to dance.
After teaching aerobic dance part-time for nine years, I took ballroom dance lessons. For 10 years, I was a social and competitive ballroom dancer (amateur) and had a blast. I used to tell people that I was Ginger Rogers II. Yet I never felt I could support myself teaching dance.
Finally, I hired a career coach to help me make a career change.
She asked me to write about my dream jobs. I had two: writing self-help and motivational books (ever since the sixth grade, my dream had been to write a book) and being a dancer in Broadway musicals.
Keeping those in the back of my mind, I decided to become a corporate trainer instead. Because of my natural teaching ability and my corporate work experience, training and development seemed like a natural career path for me. It certainly wasn’t anywhere near as exciting as my dream jobs, but I felt I could make a good living as a corporate trainer, and the thought of training and development really interested me.
S o I networked with other trainers, got some job leads, and started to interview. However, I ran into a huge obstacle. No one wanted to hire me because I had no experience as a trainer in the business world.
I explored getting a Masters Degree in psychology, counseling, and adult education. Although bits and pieces of each attracted me, they didn’t interest me enough to pursue them and go back to school.
Then, at a meditation retreat, someone told me about a new field—personal and professional coaching—and I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for.
I quickly enrolled in a coach training program, started a part-time coaching business, and three months later was laid off for the third and last time.
That’s when I embarked on my exciting adventure into self-employment –coaching people on the very life and work-career situations that others had once sought my advice on—and getting paid to boot!
But that’s not the end of the story…
Little did I know my dream of becoming a published author was about to come true. My own personal coach suggested I start writing a weekly e-newsletter to market my coaching business. I decided to write an article once a week for my e-newsletter and then compile all those articles into a book.
Four years later, in May 2002 to be exact, my book, 52 Ways to Live Success…From the Inside Out! Bite-Size Coaching for Success-Minded People (2002 DC Press), became a reality.
And there’s more…
At one time, no company wanted to hire me as their corporate trainer. Now, organizations were hiring me as a consultant trainer (and paying me much more than if I had been their employee) to facilitate goal-setting and planning programs for their leadership teams and career workshops for their laid-off personnel.
But wait, there’s even more…
My “inner Ginger Rogers” began nudging me to do more with ballroom dance. Social dancing no longer cut it. So I decided to become a ballroom dance instructor (for years, the studio where I danced wanted me to teach for them). What a great decision. Teaching dance didn’t feel like work. It
It’s funny how things work out…
For years I thought I had to first figure out exactly what I was meant to do and then go out and find it. But that kept me stuck. I finally learned that all I had to do was determine the next step towards my life’s work…a step that harmonized with my interests, skills, and talents.
O nce I took that “stepping stone” approach as a way to make a livelihood, other opportunities opened up for me…opportunities I couldn’t have “figured out” or “planned for” if I had tried. All I had to do was have the courage to take that first step, and trust that my life’s work would evolve from there. And it did.
Nineteen years ago I made a life-changing decision, on a snowy ride home after my third and last layoff, to say
Four years later, I became a published author. And now I’m dancing sassy cha-chas and elegant waltzes with my students…and mentoring crazy-busy professionals to unleash their passion-driven potential to create the work and lives that make their hearts sing.
I ’m on top of the world, doing what I want when I want, “working” my dream jobs, inspiring people and changing lives, and loving every minute of it.
What an amazing journey it’s been…from corporate misfit to dancing queen…to
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