Today, I’m lucky enough to make a career out of my passion. But it hasn’t always been that way.
As a person with a big heart and endless energy, with the gifts of compassion, empathy, and intuition it naturally made sense to jump into the world of service. Despite my mother’s encouragement to go into a field working with color and space, I attended school for social work and later received my Masters in Community Counseling and Rehabilitation Counseling.
I went on to work in the role of Executive Director for a successful nonprofit, which did wonders for boosting my self-image and sense of purpose. But eventually, I confided in a group of friends that I struggled with self-confidence, and that set off a string of events that ultimately lead me to realize I wasn’t living out my dream.
In retrospect, I was beginning to realize that my mother was right. So much of my time spent growing up was centered around color and space. As a child, I loved to organize, clean, and rearrange my room. I enjoyed playing dolls and Barbies, but more so for the setting up of the space, not the actual playing.
Dreaming of Color
In short, I realized that I dreamt of working with color, of creating.
I would daydream of design, of spaces, of color combinations. I would spend hours looking at and rummaging through websites, magazines, and watching show after show. Yet I would never allow myself to explore that dream.
I would gain energy with every project I did around the house and I was losing energy at work. I felt like I was constantly silencing my voice, my values, just so I could give people what I perceived they wanted to see.
It was only after beginning to explore these feelings that I allowed myself to acknowledge that a career doing what I was passionate about was possible.
Today, I am lucky enough to help women with similar feelings acknowledge their discomfort so they can move through them more rapidly.
I utilize my tools and resources so they can make it to the other side. To the place where their energy increases and the reflection in the mirror returns the smile they thought was lost. The place where they can imagine new possibilities.
Today, I’m here to tell you that it’s OK to want more. And not only is it OK, but it’s also absolutely possible.
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