Never Stop Learning

Published Link

What do you do when you’re an achiever who isn’t achieving?

I am curious by nature. I love gaining knowledge, problem solving, and figuring things out for myself. During the pandemic, that’s even included some light plumbing and mechanical work … and baking the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. 

Like millions of other Americans, I spent this spring and early summer mired in a search for a full time position. As a communications consultant looking for an in-house role, I started doubting myself and questioning my abilities as the search dragged. My confidence was lagging and I needed a win.

I looked for relevant courses to improve my skillset and found them, but kept procrastinating on signing up. Maybe it was being stuck in the house all the time. Maybe I was disillusioned by the hyper-competitive job market. But I wanted something different. A friend who is a Salesforce employee and evangelist suggested I take a look at the Trailhead learning platform — I had never even seen a Salesforce org, but I was intrigued. I made an account: Trails! Challenges! Ranks! Adorable little characters! BADGES!? An hour in and I was hooked. 

Trailhead is gamification learning at its finest. You work in a real Salesforce org, facing scenarios and hands-on challenges that are difficult, but attainable. My achiever endorphins were buzzing, I was learning a real-world skill, and had a great sense of accomplishment. To date I’ve passed the Certified Administrator exam (not an easy feat) and earned over 100 badges — I’m a Ranger! And while Trailhead is a self-guided program, it opened the door to the infamous Salesforce Ohana culture — a tremendous community filled with people who want to help others.

As we enter the “Puzzles and Netflix 2.0” phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, it's the perfect time to learn something new. I encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone. You’ll be tested and I promise you will grow. Numbers person? Take a writing course. Creative? Learn Excel or SEO. Or go even further and start training on a new platform or learning a language.

Your new skill might open the door to a career you never expected or it may simply be a great addition to your resume. It will show breadth of knowledge, initiative, and gives you a great answer when an interviewer inevitably asks “what did you do during your period of unemployment?” Even if it isn’t directly related to your field, I can’t imagine anyone being unimpressed by taking initiative and a risk.

As for me, communications and writing are still my first love, but my experience with Salesforce sparked my enthusiasm for working in the tech space. And for my next challenge? quiero hablar español!

To Be Enthusiastic Every Day

This piece was published on a careers blog on Medium.com

Published Link

“How do you go from where you are, to where you want to be? I think you have to have an enthusiasm for life. You have to have a dream, a goal. You have to be willing to work for it.” - Jim Valvano, 3/4/93

To call these “tough times” would be an understatement. The world around us is scary, tumultuous, and filled with uncertainty. Personally, having worked since I was 13, unemployment has been a greater psychological and emotional struggle than I ever expected. 

Still, this search has reminded me that there’s so much more to life than how I earn a paycheck. It’s shown me just how blessed I remain, how fortunate I am to still enjoy many comforts, and how grateful I am for my supportive, patient partner.

This time has inspired me to be a more attentive partner, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, even if I can’t be physically close to the people I love. I’ve tried to be a source of light and comfort for others and I’m always smiling at people — behind my mask. 

“How do you go from where you are. to where you want to be?”

I’ve had time to learn new career skills, gotten shiny certifications, taken on new freelance projects … endlessly tweaked my resume. But I’ve also experimented in the kitchen, gone swimming with my nephew, taken hand-in-hand walks, exercised, made household repairs that normally would have involved calling an expert. I’ve striven to bring enthusiasm and curiosity to each day — I haven’t always succeeded. I’m thankful for the grace others have shown me.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers. People have reached out to make introductions, share their networks, review my resume, even interview me for their projects. Their selflessness inspires me to give to others. And I’m filled with gratitude for all those working tirelessly to keep the rest of us safe and comfortable. 

Most of all, it’s allowed me to do the things that Jim Valvano suggested to us back in 1993. I think of his words so often lately. There is still so much magic and beauty in this world and pure joy can be found in the smallest moments. So every day I laugh, I think, I feel my emotions and have enthusiasm for this life that is so precious. 

“To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh every day. Number two is think. You should spend some time in thought. Number three is, you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day.”

Of course my goal is to come out of this smarter, stronger, and with a career that fulfills and excites me. I’ll keep searching for the perfect job, but I won’t forget to live once I have it. I truly believe that as we emerge from this global struggle, our humanity, not our title, is what will come to define us.

I'll say that again: Our humanity is what defines us. If you are job-hunting, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you are smart, capable, and valuable. Think about your best qualities that stoke your inner fire and bring them to the table. If you're hiring, I implore you to learn a bit more about the human you are interviewing, not just the resume. 

As each new morning brings seemingly greater uncertainty, let's hold tight those things of which we are sure. Let laughter, thoughts, and emotions be your touchstones. When you do that, enthusiasm and hope will shine through on even the toughest of days. 

“I just got one last thing, I urge all of you, all of you, to enjoy your life, the precious moments you have. To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day.”

VIDEO: Coach Jim Valvano’s speech

Why I’m Knocking on Your Door

“Some women get erased a little at a time, some all at once. Some reappear. Every woman who appears wrestles with the forces that would have her disappear. She struggles with the forces that would tell her story for her, or write her out of the story, the genealogy, the rights of man, the rule of law. The ability to tell your own story, in words or images, is already a victory, already a revolt.”    —Rebecca Solnit, American writer

I was 36 years old the first time I knocked on a stranger’s door to ask her if she’d like to know more about the candidate I was supporting. It was 2018 and after years of being “interested” in politics, I realized that if I truly cared about the direction of my country, I had to do something more than vote. While I’m a bit loathe to admit how long it took me to become politically active, I’m also a firm believer that it’s never to late to try something new, change your views, become a better version of yourself.

I was grateful on that early fall day to have partnered up with a stranger, a brilliant woman older than me and from a different background, who was also doing this for the first time. We talked about race and gender in America as we knocked on doors in a politically and economically diverse neighborhood. Not all of our interactions were friendly, but most were civil and some were down right inspirational. On that day and others that followed, I learned that political activism wasn’t really about gaining votes for my candidate, but more about listening to people and seeking to understand their worries and frustrations, hopes and dreams. I connected with my fellow Americans and couldn’t believe how many of them just wanted a chance to be heard … to not feel abandoned by their government. 

Among my greatest motivations for canvassing that election cycle was that my candidate was a woman running for an open congressional against a man with a history of disregard for women’s rights. I had the chance to be represented in congress by a woman for the first time in my life and to help my district elect its first woman ever. Late in the evening on November 6, 2018, I watched her take the stage victorious (by a landslide) with her husband and four children by her side. I believed in that moment, two years after my heart and the hearts of millions of American girls and women were broken, a woman running for office — and winning — could and should be the new face of American politics. 

While a record number of women won elections that night, the efforts and courage of hundreds of others who did not see victory continue to inspire me to this day. In victory or defeat, women who run for office are not allowing themselves to be erased. I find that women are often motivated to run for office because of deeply personal reasons and firmly believe that our voices — from a variety of political viewpoints — are desperately needed in this country.

I’m knocking on your door, calling you, texting you, because I want you to vote for my candidate and I want to see more women elected to public office in America. But I also want you to feel heard and seen, to have that victory of telling your story. And as the daughter of a single mother who put cracks in the ceiling of corporate America, I owe it to her to continue the fight so that our daughters may grow up in a nation where they see themselves reflected in the people who lead our towns, cities, states, and country.