Every day you wake up, you may ask yourself: “How will I get through another day of work?” Does the thought of work give you a headache? Well, that was me. I dreaded each day I had to get up, shower, and get ready for work only to hit the road and get stuck in traffic. Where was my life headed? Was I to be the woman who never achieved her dreams? I knew I had to make a change but didn’t know how. Then the unexpected happened. The world was introduced to COVID.
Let’s say it was a good and bad thing when I got furloughed and eventually laid off. I was with the company for 13 years. Did they not appreciate all the time, sweat, and tears I had put in? I realized at that point that I was a number in the corporate world. I shed one tear and then decided to move on with my life. The old me was gone and the new me was about to emerge.
Pexels: Photo by Daniel Reche
I was confined to the ‘rules’ of what I call the ‘daily life of sales’. It was cutthroat and my only goal was to bring in revenue for the company. Now I was free to be creative. I knew I loved to write and this was my chance to start.
I decided to start with painting. I went to the dollar store and purchased acrylic paint and canvases. I needed to end my frustration by using vivid colors in my art. My partner at the time thought I had lost my mind. But it worked. I felt free and I was able to unlock my creative side.
Next, I decided to start writing blogs. I had so much information in my head that needed to come out. I needed to connect with people who were going through the same thing as me. So I started by writing my first blog: “Changing Industries…Fear of The Unknown”.
I knew people could relate because millions had lost their jobs. I knew they were all feeling like I was. Or were they? Were they sad to have lost their jobs and not sure how to move into a new industry? Yes, I was scared too. But my newfound freedom had clouded the fact that I was unemployed and had to find a new job.
What I found though was that I was able to unlock what was hiding inside of me for years. Now I work for a company where I am able to use my newfound skills. I could combine my old skills with new ones to create a superwoman. Yes, that’s right, I had been in sales and customer-facing roles and now I had the ability to connect with them in my own way by using my words.
There is a lesson here. Never underestimate the power we have inside of us. It’s there and waiting to come out. Let it shine and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
What has been your new-found freedom?
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 