Lady Whistledown: How a Netflix show inspired me to blog about my career

A step of faith in the right direction can lead to exponential growth

You may be wondering why a caption like this appears on a professional article — is there an entertainment column on LinkedIn? One will ponder. Before you look past this article I will beckon that you take a few minutes of your busy schedule to digest the value that a seemingly abnormal post header can bring.

Background Story of the Netflix Show title

With a 9-to-5 job schedule, a family with kids, and a side certificate course you take now and then to bolster your professional game, you’ll agree with me that it’s difficult if not impossible to binge on a TV show. Well, guess what? I did the impossible — finished season one in two sittings — after being bombarded by reviews and recommendations from colleagues at work, friends, and family prompting me to watch.

It’s not the purpose of this article to delve into the nitty-gritty of the show but to explain how a character in the show inspired me to blog about my career. Lady Whistledown, a witty anonymous gossip columnist who reigned in a 19th-century small British town with just ink and paper by bringing to light the little secrets of the upper-class in society with her audacious pursuit to unravel the hidden truths and level the playground. Why was this character so appealing to me? Firstly, I admired the bravery of this anonymous writer who put austere members of society on their toes with her letters. Secondly, I applauded the way she used her platform for good, some may disagree with me but this is how I see it. Lastly, I came to realize the identity of the real person behind those letters to be quite different from what you could’ve possibly imagined — shy and introversive.

Why does all of this matter? — About Me

I am an entry-level career “professional” as I would like to call myself. Professional in the sense that I’ve undergone formal education in business administration and graduated with a promising degree in Marketing. I thought it would be all bed and roses after graduating and making my grand entry into the job market with an honors degree and brightly colored academic achievement. How naive was I to have thought I’d land my dream job fresh out of college. I started out interning at a small research company in my hometown, where I learned valuable foundational research skills that have served me a great deal.

Without going too deep into the details of my career history as you can easily look it up on my profile, I want to highlight here some unconventional details in my story — outliers if I may put it that way. Like any other aspiring professional who completes formal education in any discipline and embarks on a career, I was vicious and positive about the future outlook of my career but at some point down the line, I lost my drive. After applying to dozens of jobs and getting rejection letters along the lines of “We regret to inform you…”, “We appreciate your time…”, “We selected a candidate with more experience…” I began to question my worth and my years of studies and ambitions were squashed to nothing.

Like the debutantes in the Netflix show cited who have been groomed all their lives for this moment — introduction to the open market of eligible suitors as perfect and unadulterated — come to find that there’s some beauty in rejection which could lead to a promising new opportunity of finding true love in someone else or in the case of our Lady Whistledown, a publishing company which eventually settles her for life and gives her purpose.

Personally, I’ve learned about perseverance: when you hear the word ‘No,’ and when you hear rejection, that it’s not always final. And that timing is everything, and you have to stay the course and just keep working hard and know that, when your time comes, that it will be sweet and that it will be the perfect time.

-Angela Robinson

2021: Year of Personal Development

My takeaway lesson of 2020 is: invest in yourself and in the people that matter to you. We saw many things that we held in high esteem like money, careers, and other valuable possessions lose value in a split second meanwhile the subtle but profound things like family, friends, health, faith, hope, and love kept us going. 

You cannot overestimate the unimportance of practically everyting.

-John C. Maxwell

I made a couple of goals last year which I regret to say here that I have come short of achieving, but it doesn’t stop me from starting all over. It is different this time because I have valuable data on my shortcomings which will inform my decisions this year. I’ve also committed not to go alone, I need all the support I can get which is one of my motivations for blogging about my career. Here is a snapshot of my “Miracle Morning Ritual” according to Hal Elron’s book — Miracle Morning — with the goals section highlighted in red.

My goals have not changed much for 2021 but the execution has changed. My top priorities for this year are faith, family, and career pivoting. With regards to my career, I’m taking a significant leap which I’ll be talking more about soon. Stay tuned!

Future Outlook

I’m excited about what this year holds, and I know for a fact that every dawn brings with it challenges and opportunities but I choose to focus and expand on the opportunities rather than the challenges. I invite all my LinkedIn connections and to be connections to join me on this quest as I pivot in my career. A lesson we’ve all learned just like the debutantes in our TV show is that it’s not all going to be a bed of roses but what is the beauty in a bed of roses without the laborious yet rewarding process of obtaining it?