Start Today

When I was 10 years old, while on a family camping vacation in New England, my dad said we were stopping at a local attraction. Hooray, I thought, it must be an amusement park with thrilling rides, games of chance, and, of course, cotton candy and carnival swirl lollipops.

To my dismay, we pulled up to a large renovated barn in the town of Bennington, Vermont. My father announced we were stopping at a museum to see the paintings of Grandma Moses.

Ugh! I silently groaned..what 10 year old kid in the middle of summer wants to roam around an old barn and look at some grandmother's paintings?… I could barely stand it.

Being the dutiful I-will-put-on-an-obedient-face daughter, along with a gentle reminder to set an example for my five younger siblings, I calmly entered this large, light-filled space. Many brightly colored works were framed and hung on the whitewashed walls. Deciding to give this museum visit a chance, I walked around to closely examine the paintings. I was surprised by the playful scenes, with meadows and mountains and sky along with horses and people roaming about these landscapes. I thought, this looks like a young kid's painting, as it had a fun and joyful quality.

As my intrigue grew, I approached a brass engraved plaque and learned the painter, Anna Mary Robertson, later nicknamed, Grandma Moses, was born in 1860. She began painting near her 80th birthday.

I was stunned.

All of my 10 year old being absorbed this fact as I stood amidst this joyful space of creative work. All of this is here because an 80 year old woman decided to start to paint.

  If I hadn't started painting, I would have raised chickens ~ Grandma Moses

That day - and this quote - gave me my own mental engraved brass plaque, that became my guidepost, that you are never too old to start something new.

Fast forward from my 10 year old revelation to early 2009, I found myself walking down Madison Avenue in New York City to my post-financial collapse project management job. This came after my soaring career at a global bank running enterprise technology and business reengineer projects came to an abrupt halt with the 2008 financial crisis.

As that moment, I thought why am I still doing this and why can't I do something new? 

But what? I had no idea where to start or what to do. After working out loud, I decided to quit my job and start my own business. As I pondered entering the unknown world of entrepreneurship, I thought Is it too late for me to start something new?

Then I would remember Anna Mary Robertson, and think, I’m a youngster! If she can start painting at 80, I can do something new too.

After starting my own business, my travels took me from consulting roles to a social media software enterprise leadership role. That has been my path over the past eight years as I became open to what came my way while trying to remember to do the next right thing.

That journey led me to my current role where I now work with amazing talented professionals who have also found, due to circumstances beyond their control, that their jobs have been eliminated.

Many of them have spent decades in the same role or company. They wonder is it too late for me to start again?

I counsel them that as long as they are vibrant and curious and willing to take what they know and see where their talents may lead them, they absolutely have a future and it is up to them to have a hand in creating it.

Life is what we make it, always has been, always will be ~ Grandma Moses

So how do you start again?

Face the Facts: The job elimination happened; you got caught up in the downsizing wave. Go ahead. Feel sad. Feel angry. Yell at the moon. Then get to work. Make a promise to yourself that Life is what you make it. Pick yourself up. Make a plan. Get going. Start today.

Assess Your Strengths: What is between your ears is what matters. What you know you take with you forever. Do an inventory of your skills and strengths. What is that lights you up? What would you do for free because of how you feel when engaged in those activities? Make a list of everything - not just what you think you’ll get paid to do. Until you list everything you enjoy, you won’t have the right list of what may be possible for you to leverage in a new role and career.

Your Trusted Contacts:  Draw 3 circles; One outside the others. The inner circle is for your innermost trusted contacts. These are the people who have your back, who will tell you the truth even if you don’t want to hear it. You trust them and they trust you. Circle 2 is for trusted colleagues and friends; Circle 3 is for acquaintances and those you know through others.

Ask This Question: > What do you think I'm really good at? < I want you to ask your most trusted circle of friends this question. It may align with what you know and think OR, it may come as a surprise. Those who do this exercise tell me they were shocked to hear things they take for granted are the very things their inner circle recognizes as their greatest strengths.

Positive People: Seek out those who will give you assurances that your path is one to trust. Be around those who will champion your journey and your search. Yes, it is important to make a living and it is important to be fulfilled with your life choices. Be around those who believe in you and what may be possible.

My Secret Sauce: Given relentless digital media outlets, the scarcest resource is human attention. Want to get the attention of a company’s leadership? Pay attention to what matters to them and let them know it. Do they write for the company blog? Read the blog and add a thoughtful comment. Did they speak at a recent conference that was recorded? Watch the recording and send a LinkedIn note with a quote from their talk that resonated with you. Of course, all of this hinges on your being genuine and honest.

Shipping Time: When you’re ready to begin, show up and ship! Reach out to someone with your pitch. Take feedback and learn from it. Make the call. Show up. For those of you who may have career transition services from your employer, embrace it fully by attending group work team meetings, take your assignments seriously and help your fellow job seekers through networking.

Be Generous: In the world we’re in today, with the touch of a smartphone, messages can be transported in a second around the world to everyone with an internet connection. You are the one who has decided to be in charge to share what you know. You too can be generous and share others' messages. Everyone wants to know they matter and that someone is listening.

It's time for you to do what you have always wanted to do.

Or, you could raise chickens.

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Thanks for coming along on the journey.

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