4. Experience. Get you some

We've "picked" a passion right? Now what?  We have to cultivate our skills and acquire knowledge that pertains to that passion. I switched career paths and have been working in marketing for about a year now. One important step I was missing in the equation was getting experience. I left an industry, started applying for mid to senior level marketing positions. My first position was as a Marketing Exec. for a food and beverage company...Um Yea that's right. I should really write a book titled "How to have the Perfect Interview, Land a Job you are Under Qualified for and Negotiate a Higher Salary." I actually successfully  did this a few times. I was so concerned about having a certain title and not taking a cut in my salary from switching industries, I wasn't taking the right job for me.

Talk about fake it to you make it. I spent more time on the job training myself how to do the job as opposed to actually working. The work I did was fine, but I had no leadership and that's what I needed. Needless to say things did not work out with that company in the long run. I have gone through the school of hard knocks. I am now at the stage of  getting experience. I am working for a great company right now. I am not over or under qualified in my position. I have great leadership to learn from, I bring great value to the company and am I challenged in the work that I do. Furthermore, yesterday I was accepted into a mentorship program with a phenomenal marketing association. So excited!

Experience. Get you some! I'm getting mine. I am actively acquiring knowledge. I read, I study, I found a mentor. I am now finding patience. It takes time to hone a skill and become an expert.

My mother told me I tried to run before I could even crawl. It seems I'm the same way as an adult. You don't want to jump the gun in life. You may be disqualified. In 2011, the defending world and Olympic champion, Usain Bolt, was disqualified for jumping the gun at the world championship. It doesn't mean he wasn't good, or wasn't a competitor. It means he started too fast and needed to stay in the blocks just a little longer. I realize I've been jumping the gun. I have to remind myself to crawl crawl before I run, but in  no time at all I'll be sprinting.

Let me invite everyone to join me on this journey. Share my journey and travel your own. I truly believe everyone has greatness within them. Some know what it is, others don't. You may feel you are too old or too young. Perhaps you feel you are too novice or too far into your career to try something new or aggressively go after what you truly love. Whichever the case maybe, everyone can make steps to be a greater person and do what they love. They say when you do what you love you never work. Well I'm working to have that be my truth.