The Flash of a Decade- Bartender to Executive Family Provider

If you would have told me 10 years ago that I would be making a living as a sales and marketing rep, I would have laughed right in your face... And then poured you a drink because I LOVED my job as a bartender. Also, like any other 23 year old out there, I'm pretty sure I thought I was a complete expert at my craft because I was always one of the hardest working employees, the most company devoted, and assumed leadership over others. HA! Lets all pause to laugh at ourselves and for you to remember yourself at 23.

It's been a wild ride when I look back over the last 10 years, how about you? A quick story I remember from a year later when I moved to Boston; I was interviewing for a fine dining French Bistro and they asked me of my wine knowledge on a scale of 1-10. I said 7-8. (At this point I had primarily worked at low-end family restaurants and sports bars.) I could name about 5 different types of wines, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, Cabernet, and Merlot. Pause for laughter again. But I was confident as hell and thankfully the manager saw my potential because I got the job.

I try to take this lesson with me as I progress in my career. From multiple prospectives. To keep passionately striving for the unknown and to believe that out of the 20% of knowledge that you've been exposed to, you can be an expert. And to have patience when you're more experienced and you're in the position to guild a foolish expert that needs you. It takes blind courage and the repetitious ability to acknowledge your faults and shortcomings that allow growth and experience.

Fast forward back to Florida - I only lasted 6 months in Boston. I'm not sure if you know this, but it snows there. Never again.

Finished school, kept bartending, had a couple of kids, landed my first real sales gig with Cellular Sales that I am forever grateful for. Then I got offered a management position at a restaurant I had worked at previously. It was seemingly everything I had worked so hard for and the natural direction of all my skills and experience. Nope. My Work/Life balance was awful, my one-year-old daughter had to live with my parents 3 hours away. I soon quit and lived off my savings for as long as I could to enjoy my small children. Did I mention I was a single Mom at this point? Life was lonely, without direction, and a complete mess. Who was I anymore and whom was I supposed to become with all these... obstacles.

This is pretty close to where anyone who has followed me on Linked In since the beginning would know the rest of my story. This is where I found a much lower income (that I had been accustomed to) job and where I started over. Sometimes you have to give up everything you have ever known to become what you never dreamed you could. I found an entry-level admin position that quickly advanced to a sales and marketing position where I started Linked In. - I grew up a super-shy little girl in the mountains of West Virginia. I'm a coal miner's daughter that never saw herself as outgoing or social.

Within 3 years I have doubled my income. It's been a lot of mistakes, a lot of overtime, and a lot of trial and error. But monetary value is far from the most important win in this story. I recently became engaged, have a stellar relationship with my parents and future in-laws, and have the most loving kids I could ever dream of. These are the times to celebrate and appreciate because sadly they never last. AND THAT'S OK.

The next 10 years are going to be a rollercoaster of their own. But I'm open to the idea that the opportunity is endless, especially with the company I work for now, Rapid Response Team. The limitations I tried to put on myself 10 years ago were a learning experience that I hope others reading can be encouraged by, to at least jumpstart their own barrier destruction. My goals are to become a cornerstone in the company and advance our reach and continue to help others by extending our reach and make RRT available. I still have many obstacles to tackle this next decade: TENS of THOUSANDS of dollars in consumer and school DEBT, teenage children, and still finding my direction in my career path and expanding to a significant not-for-profit involvement.

I am a mathematician. I am a writer. I am a speaker. I am a leader. I am a team player. I am a powerful woman. I am a caregiver. I am a motivator. I am a partner. I am a Mother. I am a friend. I am a mentor. I am an athlete. I am a saleswoman. I am a hard worker. I am a proud daughter. I am an amazing chef. I am a pokemon master. lol. I am a woman who wants to use her own fears to encourage others to overcome their own. What are you?

Happy New Year Everyone! Let's go kick some ass and make the 20s our decade!