Success Defining Moments; 11 ways I’ve trusted my gut and fought "the system".

I never thought my story was special, unique or all that interesting. Just the average bear here. Then someone suggested I write my story. Once I got over the shock of that suggestion, I decided challenge myself, to not only write it but publish it as well.

I am not a writer.  I love bullet points; short, concise and to the point. Staying true to my style, here’s how I’ve decided to tell my story

Step 1: Identify a memorable moment/event/situation.

Step 2: Describe the environment around you at the time; what others were saying/thinking/advising.

Step 3: Give insight into my own thoughts and feelings at the time.

Step 4: A “look at me now” statement; how, in hindsight, that moment defined me years later.

So here goes…..

Moment 1: Failed my first semester of engineering

• Environment: Dear, maybe engineering just isn’t for you.
• My thoughts: No clue, none whatsoever of what else I want to do, I better hanker down, get serious and get this done.
• And now: I wear the engineering ring, not for what it represents, but as a reminder I can do anything I put my mind to. 

Moment 2: Did not get accepted into the co-op program

• Environment: “Our policy only accepts a limited number of students, your grades are not good enough.”
• My thoughts: I don’t need you! I’ll find my own placement. As I find myself at the ends of nowhere, in a quarry shoveling and measuring rocks all day for an entire summer. 
• And now: I don’t stop at the first no. Find out what is behind the no…what fears, objectives, issues they have that brings on the no. I got into the co-op program. Turns out the first placement is the hardest. Since I found my own, it served their purposes to accept me into the program to increase their placement numbers.

Moment 3: Quit my first real job after 8 months

• Environment: My boss actually told me, “You will never work as an engineer again!”.   My Dad said, “A good job with benefits and paid pension is hard to find. Julie, what are you doing!??!”
• My thoughts: Dazed, confused and heavily sobbing....I charged on; I just knew I had to leave and follow that inkling I had.
• And now: Best thing I’ve done. “Authority” doesn’t always know what’s best for you.

Moment 4: Jump completely out of my comfort zone and move to South Korea to teach English to kindergarten children.

• Environment: WHAT? You hate kids, don't you?!?!! You are a terrible teacher! What about your engineering degree???
• My thoughts: Meh….let’s see how this goes. I need to explore the world a little.
• And now: Years later, I got hired, as an engineer, BECAUSE I left to go teach. 

Moment 5: Aligning myself with a professor that inspired me.

• Environment: “Sorry, as part of your master’s thesis project, our program does not allow a substitute professor to sponsor it.”
• My thoughts: Fight the system of this dumb rule. (sense a theme here?). Isn’t a solid advisor for my project what is best for me?
• And now: That professor, has been my mentor, my friend, for 20+ years and I attribute much of my career success to him. 

Moment 6: HELL, absolute hell in my new job.

• Environment: Sorry, we knew the job was challenging, so we hired someone of strong character.
• My thoughts: WTF!
• And now: I got promoted 6 months into the job; they had hired me to “fix” hell.  Sometimes, there are master plans in play for you that you are simply not aware of.

Moment 7: The, too many to count, situations in my career where my thoughts and opinions were dismissed.

• Environment: That’ll never work. Why are you so demanding? You just don’t understand. On and on and on....
• My thoughts: Cry myself to sleep at night, wondering what’s wrong with me and how I can change to “get it”; to be part of the group and go with the flow of the “system” better.
• And now: It’s not me, it’s THEM!  People, especially men and women, have different perspectives, approaches, communication styles, ways they see the world and what to do about it. Sure, I’ve evolved over time, but at the core, I’m the same. My thoughts and opinions are good, I was in the wrong environment for them to be heard.

Moment 8: Hey Boss, think we can spend some time together and give me some feedback?

• Environment: Why are you so demanding? Do you know how busy I am? You know your job, get on with it.
• My thoughts: This is wrong, wrong, wrong; I’m going to keep pushing my point "Feedback is management 101”.  (I was almost fired on the spot.)
• And now: That Boss evolved to be an amazing coach and years later thanked me for showing them what the next generation needed in a manager.

Moment 9: I quit. I am moving to England to follow the boy I just met 2 months ago

• Environment:  Is Julie crazy? She has never been so irresponsible.  She has a great job, a home, family & friends…..
• My thoughts: What’s the worst that can happen? I come back to Canada, cry & sleep on my parent’s couch …. then pick myself up and move on with life.
• And now: That “boy” is the most supportive, amazing husband.

Moment 10: I am unhappy in my job and have NO CLUE what I want next.

• Environment: You have a great job, paid well, senior position, a great environment, you are good at it. What is wrong with you to not appreciate those things?
• My thoughts: I need to figure out what I want, not what the company wants of me. I work so many long hours, I have no time to think!  Is escaping to another country again an option? Damn, no it is not.  So, I woke up early, very early, to have time and energy for soul searching.
• And now: Kept and refined my morning routine, and till this day it’s the BEST part of my day. It’s not only what got me through that hump, it’s a big contributor of my success.

Moment 11: Why yes, I will accept that job which looks like a demotion and is a 180-degree career shift.

• Environment: Are you crazy? You have no degree or any training in that field!
• My thoughts: My early morning soul searching tells me I should go in this direction. If I put my head to it, I will succeed. (tap, tap the engineering ring as a reminder)
• And now: My career (and happiness) has leapfrogged because I was finally, truly connected with the work.

You get the theme…follow your path despite what the environment around you is saying. It requires you to know what is right, know yourself, have the right values and have them in sight to follow.     Develop and trust your gut. Look back, pick up on the themes of success and the strength within yourself; it really helps for all the future challenges you face.

Well, that was my first article. All the advice I read said to just write it, it'll be terrible, get it out there, so you can start the improvement cycle. Here is to looking back at this moment as a defining step. Please. Leave me a note, tell me if and how this resonated with you (or how it bombed :) )