I fell into the corporate world fresh out of college, I was interviewing for a temporary position with Robert Half as a stepping stone out of the US and on my way to Australia, where I had studied briefly during undergrad. They ended up making me an offer to work for them as a Staffing Manager/Account Executive out in Springfield, MA. Needless to say this way NOT the dream... but being fresh out of college with $100,000 of student loans in the heart of recession, you really felt the pressure to take anything you could get. Turning down a "real" job would have been less than responsible and so I accepted. I would say about 3 months in, I realized I didn't feel any passion for this positions and yet after 6 months I was in great standing with the company, moving up quickly and so I decided I was going to ask for a transfer to California. I continued to work for Robert Half for roughly 3.5 AFTER deciding I didn't want to be doing what I was doing. I told myself that I would start looking for something I was passionate about, I would not be working in another sales job again. So naturally, I started working at Salesforce in their Enterprise Sales division shortly after. I was working under some of the more brilliant technical and business minds, working on Fortune 500+ Tech Companies in Silicon Valley, and partying like I was in college on the company dime. This continued until I met the director over at Bluewolf, an implementation partner. I told myself that this would be my opportunity to work on more exciting projects, to be more involved in the strategic impact etc. but the reality is they were offering me more money than I had ever made before, and so I took the job. This began the string of "lay-offs" that I experience over the next two years with 3 different companies. I found myself banging my head against the wall trying to find something that I loved, in a company where I felt valued and each time that failed, I felt resentful and bitter. I had about a 6 month - a year timeframe before I would start to feel that frustration and would carry that into the workplace.
I often felt like something was wrong with me, I couldn't seem to find my "forever home" in the workplace though I was successful in the jobs that I held. I made great money with great benefits and I still found myself looking for the next challenge or diving too deep into things that "didn't matter" to my siloed job responsibilities. Much like a child who is bored in class I often felt like the trouble maker. I wanted to be involved in strategic thinking and driving change, and yet I ended up in high-paying sales positions time and time again. So I decided, I'm going to be a Freelancer, I am going to call myself a Project Manager, and build my brand to support that. I started bringing on new clients almost immediately and was feeling good. After closing my first contract, I took a step back and I realized I was so focused on what I want to do and yet I had no idea WHY? I struggled to sell my story because I didn't have any personal connection to it. I began looking for the answer to why I do what I do everyday, that was when everything changed for me. I was speaking with a coach/good friend of mine who helped me to realize that what I have to offer, that no one else can ever offer in my place, is who I AM. I started paying attention my personal interactions, I always knew I was a good listener and noticed people often came to me to problem solve emotional experiences in their lives. I knew I felt deeply connected to overcoming negative thought patterns and building up people in my life. So I began asking people close to me how they benefited from my advise, what led them to come to me, why they found my approach helpful etc. It was through these conversations that I realized why I feel a calling to grow this community and support the journey of other entrepreneurs.
Traditional hiring methods are outdated, we are moving towards a professional world of freedom and choice that has never existed before now. Just because I had always been an Account Executive did not have to mean I was doomed to the world of dashboards and sales summits for the rest of my life. We have the power to create a business around our passions. No longer do you have to fit yourself into a box, in fact, I find that genuine authenticity is the ONLY way to create true alignment with your professional brand. This was, and still is, something I struggle with. I was always taught to operate with duality. I had two different versions of myself, the professional Bridget who was often tough, no-nonsense, critical, and rooted in my masculine energy. The Bridget I identified with is none of those things, she is kind, understanding, receptive and supportive and yet I believed I couldn't operate that way in a space in which I spent 75% of my time. Naturally, I began to lose myself in my personal life. I found myself being a manager rather than a friend, being an enforcer rather than a leader, being a critic rather than a lover. I'm here to tell you, the happiest and most successful people you will meet in this world remain authentically and unapologetically themselves. They do not sacrifice who they are or lose themselves in anything they do.
It was only once I began exploring this world of entrepreneurs, freelancers and digital nomads, that I realized the world of opportunity. I continue to be amazed by the people I meet in this community each day. If you feel this same nagging in your stomach telling you, you should be doing something bigger, lean into it. Don't waste another day feeling undervalued, overworked or just plain lost in your career. There are people, like myself, here to support this journey so take a chance, schedule some time and start living your life, your way, TODAY.
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