My "Jerry Maguire" Moment
At my wit's end, I threw my engineering notebook at him that Friday afternoon.
I had spent the month chasing electrical design changes at this Manhattan MEP (Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing) Consulting firm, making sure that I had everything nailed down right before I headed out of town to see my mother and ailing father in Phoenix, AZ. Dad wasn’t well. I knew every trip across the country would take me one step closer to the inevitable. I was excited, I had finished my work and it was time to hop on the plane.
But, as per the usual protocol, the client delivered changes that fateful Friday afternoon. Changes that would affect everything. So, I assembled everything into a neat pile and walked to my team leader’s desk. I told him exactly what I had been working on… the work he’d been checking all week long and given me the thumbs up. He carefully looked over the material and then in a violent rage - raised his voice above the entire open air office.
What happened next was such a blur or emotion, injustice, stress - all I can tell you is that no one was happy. It scared everyone. And it became my “Jerry MaGuire” moment. I understood how stressed my team leader was already - he chewed his cuticles and they were constantly bleeding. But, I hadn’t quite anticipated this escalated reaction. I left the office humiliated, with most of my belongings in my arms and an old sweater trailing behind me dragging on the floor.
It didn’t help that it had been a wonderful year for me. I had gotten married to the love of my life and my father was able to walk me down the aisle. Two weeks of vacation a year doesn’t seem to be enough to get married, visit your dying father across the country, have a few sick days here and there, and heck - even a few well days. At the time, I didn’t have children. I was able to stay at work on command as long as was needed most nights of the week (except Wednesdays… that’s a topic for another post).
In my life, I never pulled an all-nighter in college. I have always been a planner. I was not the type to flutter from cubicle to cubicle all day, spreading gossip. I always kept my head down to my desk and worked to finish all of my work in queue because work/life balance has always been extremely important to me. Are there things that you block out time for and protect during the week (children’s events, meetings, clubs, networking)? Maybe you wish you could protect your time like that?
This is WHY I do what I do. This is WHY I threw my notebook. This is why I began my company. Because WE deserve better! I wanted to freedom to excel, the freedom to visit my family at will, the freedom to work hard when it’s needed - and play hard when I wanted to - without the judgement of an absent CEO who did not care about my “work/life balance” or a spineless project manager that could not push back on big Friday afternoon changes.
Hard working people deserve understanding, respect, family time, compensation, time for personal development, time to enjoy life, encouragement and appreciation. I empower busy people like you to reclaim their precious time and begin moving more quickly towards the burning desires of your heart through visualization and vision boards. Once we've identified your dream goals with crystal clarity, I help empower you to pursue them through heartfelt accountability coaching.
The day that I threw my notebook, I knew two things: 1) I had no plan forward and 2) I could never go back. However, betting on MYSELF that day, I knew I could find a way to build the life of my dreams on MY terms. I could build a company that empowers and encourages people to live their dreams and enjoy life, like…. YESTERDAY.
Within a month of that fateful day, my body released the tension, trauma and trepidation and I became pregnant with my first child at 41 years young. I am convinced to this day that it was my MINDSET and allowing myself to continue pursuing a life that was NOT right for me, that delayed my motherhood and my entrepreneurship.
I am grateful for the courage that my very strong angels gave me that day. I kept praying “Please, give me a sign. Please, give me a sign.” Because deadlines were becoming tighter, expectations higher, support lower, patience thinner - the morale in the company was slipping and I could see the writing on the wall. I am grateful that I have given myself permission to take action and encourage thousands of people of all ages to pursue the life of their dreams.
Are you fed up with your 9-to-5? Are you wondering if there is a better way? Are you frustrated because you gave your life to your career and now your career won’t support your desired life? Is your heart crushed because have to choose between spending time with your family and providing for them? Did your kid come home one day and call someone else "mom" or "dad"? Are you sick of watching faithful employees get laid off or humiliated or fired through no real fault of their own? You are definitely NOT alone.
What is your “notebook”? Get clear on exactly what you DO want out of your life and use the mindset tools that are out there to begin ATTRACTING it!
As a gift, please click HERE for my FREE Empower Me! Meditation Audio. It will help put you in the right MINDSET to go after your biggest goals and dreams.
#perspective #accountability #urgency #clarity #motivation #empowerment
** image of woman throwing book from https://www.lisasell.co.uk/2017/01/offensive-writing-places-may-fear-tread/