Attention young/all professionals!!!

Trust me, you are going to want to read this…

Most everyone strives for greatness, which is a definition customized to each individual. We all want to be the best version of our selves and work hard to build an amazing career that helps us create one FABULOUS life. That is the definition of myself. My goals as a career driven woman were to be at the top, build my own little empire and live an experience filled life.

Growing up, I was raised in a single income family. My dad worked his full time job and had part time work to be able to provide for us. My mom was great at balancing our spending by giving us some of the “luxuries” (silver jeans, A&F shirts etc) that we could afford, but by no means was I a spoiled child. Once I was able to get a job, I worked multiple jobs in the summer to save for a car, pay for gas and save for college. I was a girl with Tiffany silver plated spoon taste on a wooden spoon budget.

I started working as a stylist 4 days after I graduated Aveda Institute. I built a clientele very quickly and was drawn into the competition of being at the top and hitting all of my goals. In my mind, that meant acceptance. The more hours you work, the more people you can accommodate. I was obsessed with making $$$ and earning bonuses. To be able to achieve both of those things, I needed to make myself available. So I skipped out on quite a few events. It didn’t allow it bother me at the time since I had conditioned myself to think this was all worth it. A few years down the road and understanding life values and myself, I am upset that I missed most of it.

I will be  honest with you, I climbed the ladder of success and hit every goal I wanted but I missed out on A LOT of life’s little joys. I missed out on weekends with my family, evenings with my husband, friends bridal showers, weddings and time to focus on my needs. But on the flip side, I had an amazing clientele, made some $$$ and was able to use my earnings for experiences. I made my choices but would like to pass along this advice.

Honestly, I would change how I did things. Trust me, I don’t have regrets by any means. I don’t believe in regrets. I look at it as lessons and growth. I worked my way out of friendships, bonding with my husband and celebrations. You can’t buy those back or have do overs. Sometimes you are given second chances but most events that come our way are once in a lifetime. We have our whole lives to work hard, make money and become our best selves. I have learned that the BEST version of me is compilation of my hard work, relationships with friends, happy memories and adventures. BALANCE. Balance means a state of equilibrium and finding emotional stability and mental steadiness.

I would advise young professionals to find balance. At the beginning of your career you do need to put in the hours and work hard. You have to earn flexibility, seniority and find your place. I encourage you to speak with your manager about their expectations of you. Be honest with them about the importance of friends events, family get togethers and how important working smarter, not harder is to you. Explain how you have goals to meet and will can meet both sets of needs. Find a mentor who you trust and who can direct you to meet all qualifications. You need to be your own advocate for you life. Management  and companies also need to realize that happy, balanced employees create a successful business plan, rewarding results and a strong environment. 

Best wishes on your career. Stay driven, balanced and cheers to success!