Operation Dream Job
Sixty days ago, I was forced to take a career timeout. Unexpectedly, and without any notice, I was without a job. I vividly remember a tidal wave of emotions; fear, sadness, uncertainty and disappointment, all came crashing down upon me. At the same time, I also felt the hands of friends, colleagues, clients, neighbors and family, all reaching out to offer help, support and positive vibes.
And just like that, suddenly, I had time. Time to spend with my family, to travel with my only son before he graduates high school and ventures out to discover the world. Time to plan a wedding with my future husband, to be a role model to my soon-to-be- stepson. Time to spend with Dad mulching his yard! Time to finish my meditation teacher training. Time to sit back and do some soul searching. Time to discover what it is I didn’t want in my next career and equally important what I did want in my next chapter.
Time is an interesting thing. We never have enough of it. We often wish there was more time in the day and when we have a few spare moments, more often than not we waste it. While I did my fair share of relaxing, I was equally committed to carving out time to take action. Everyday, I created a schedule, a routine and my goal was do my best. After all, all you can do is your very best. I committed to putting it all out there everyday, to uncover every opportunity deserving of my attention, to not waste this time I had been given.
After a few days I shifted my perspective from despair to hope. I realized this unforeseen disruption to my career, was indeed a gift. I knew my gift would not last forever! Not wanting to waste my time, or my gifts, I set a goal to land my next role by May 1st. I’m a fan of targets - know what you want and give yourself a realistic timeframe to achieve it! Finding a new company, and a new role that excited me so much that I wanted to jump out of bed in the morning wouldn’t be easy. Writing this new chapter of my life was going to require introspection and intrepidness. I was determined to dig deep, take on heaps of hard work, and get to the next level.
Finding a job is a job in itself. Let me say that again…. Finding a job is hard. No one hands you your dream job in a text message, and there are many talented individuals all vying for the same roles! My approach, was to have a strategy. With anything in life, you need to plan on how to approach and attack every situation or obstacle! Operation Dream Job meant a lot of interviews and more zoom calls that I can count. I met with some really cool successful companies and inspiring leaders along the way and I kept a journal to document it all! It was a place where I stack ranked all the opportunities I was considering to determine which was #1. In the process of stacking them, I also knew that I needed to eliminate the offers that didn’t excite me. Often times we don’t have room in our life for what we want because we’re so busy holding on to what we don’t want. It was time to pursue without borders, to expand. I also committed that no matter what, I would not settle. It’s one of our family motto’s “do not settle.” Everyday give your best, do your best and be your best!
In my pursuit there were three qualities that were a non negotiable for me when looking at a company. First, company culture; culture is huge! It is what defines a company and their values. Companies with great culture attract, value and retain their employees. If you know anything about Les Mills you know they have one of the best company cultures in the world. Their values are centered around United, Be Brave, Change the World. They are leaders, not only in the fitness industry but emulated by other companies both US and Internationally.
Secondly, leadership and team. Not only do I want to inspire, I want to be inspired. I want to be motivated alongside aspirational leaders that I can learn from. In my interview process, I had the opportunity to meet the Executive Leaders of Les Mills and my now fellow colleagues and through my conversations I could see myself not only working alongside these talented individuals but having a lot of fun in the process. We spend a significant amount of time with our “work family” it’s imperative to have a great relationship with these individuals!
Finally, my third and final deal breaker was runway. Plans fly higher when they have a longer runway for takeoff! As much as I loved my previous role, there was a ceiling for my growth. It wasn’t until I stepped outside was I able to see that my career was limited. Don’t limit yourself by staying in a role, company or career with pre set limits. Our ambitions and actions are bigger than any confinements dictated to us by others. As my mentor and friend reminded me put yourself in a position where you can stretch and go big!
Life never goes as planned. Just when you’re comfortable, something or someone will push you towards the uncomfortable . Learn to embrace the shove and know that the universe has a bigger plan for you! There is magic in the messy as Brene Brown once said “In the middle is messy but it’s also where the magic sits!” Learn to trust the process and be committed to writing the chapter of your life that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning and get after it! Believe in that messy magic, and trust in the timing!
