Personal and Professional Development Advice Series

I am introducing a new series of posts which will be a combination of personal and professional development topics. I have held several interviews with professional women whom I respect and I want to share some of the practical wisdom that was shared with me. Anytime I can learn, without paying for the knowledge, or falling on my face to acquire it, I am in a better place than where I started.

About the series:

As I was contemplating my blog series, I wanted to find successful women that I could glean knowledge from...  and that was part of the goal, but not the full goal. While I did want to know their secrets of success, I also wanted to know if these women are happy. What makes them feel successful? Did they have a mentor? Did they have a straight or zig-zagged career path? What challenges did they face? How are they like me? How are they different?

I was privileged that some of my interview subjects shared not only their wisdom, but also some personal stories that shaped who they are. I learned that some of these women were lucky in that they had parents and/or mentors who shared wisdom- that they learned early on. Some women KNEW what they wanted to do with their life from the time they were little, but not all of them had a straight career path.

I’ve determined from my interviews that the earlier you discover what really makes you happy and develop confidence in yourself, the sooner will move closer to your dreams. After all, you can't make your dreams come true, if you don't know what you want to do! Also worth noting is that people who were taught with wisdom earlier, developed that confidence earlier and even if their career path wasn't a straight line, they struggled less in their decisions... and had smoother transitions.

One of the best pieces of advice that I heard, came from Shernita Rochelle Parker, an Employee Relations consultant at George Mason University, said the best advice she was ever given was to "not base decisions from a position of fear." I know I can think of several decisions throughout my 30's that were strictly based on fear. How different my life might have been if I had learned that lesson in my 20's or 30's!

Because we each have unique experiences, education and career paths, and different family dynamics... we acquire wisdom at different points. Some people are lucky or blessed to have had strong mentors (or other relationships) that taught them the best way to proceed from the beginning. The rest of us learn through trial and error or not at all.

I desperately wanted to be in the first group when I was younger. Maybe I can make it to the first group now... by learning and absorbing all that I can. All I know for certain is that I will not be in the last group!

Musical Revelations

Anyone who knows me well, knows how much I love music. It energizes me, cheers me, soothes me, de-stresses me and puts me to bed at night. I like most types of music... and have my favorites, even at church.

I was given a CD at church  about a while back and I like 2 of the songs really well. Over the past month, I found myself skimming through the CD just to get to these 2 songs specifically and wanting to share them with others. What's more interesting is that tonight, while driving home from work, I had an "Ah-Ha" moment.

I know exactly why they appeal to me... besides being good songs. It's my emotional connection to them.
It's NOT about the topic of the songs- though they are both sweet. They both reflect my thoughts and emotions about God.

"The Prodigal" is a musical version of the bible story, "The Prodigal Son." It is not one of my favorite stories. However, the message of the story is about "redemption" and "restoration." THOSE are the key emotional words that really triggered me to write this post.

We all sin. We all stray away from God. Being able to come back to God and be fully restored is a powerful thing. It's really an amazing thing, born of love and God's redeeming plan for each of us. My salvation was bought by Jesus and I can never be "good enough" to deserve it. If I dwell too deeply on that topic, I can come away feeling badly about myself- thinking of all the mistakes that I have made and the things I should have done better. The message of "The Prodigal," is not only a story of being ABLE to come back to God, but being WELCOMED back. It warms my heart in a way that only a moment of pure love can.

The other song that I like so much is called, "You Are My Child."  The song is about a father coming home after work to be met at the door with all the anxious and excited demands of little ones- "play with me, read me a book," etc. It makes me smile as I think of the Pastor and his brood of children. On one level, the song reflects the father's thoughts that he wants to enjoy his children while they are little. On the other level, it touches upon God's great love for us as his "children."

The lyrics say, "You are my child and I am really pleased with you."  It is an amazing thought that in spite of all that I know about myself, God could be pleased with me. That touches me in a place where soul is fragile. It's not my default position to know that God or others are pleased with me. Staying off the "naughty list" is more in keeping with my daily state of mind.

As a side note- I do hope that as a parent I remember to tell my children that I am pleased with them!

Thank you to Pastor Whitlow of Victory's Crossing Church for sharing his musical gift. A larger thanks to God for allowing me to feel the love through the music.