Like most kids in high school, I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I grew up. I researched colleges and picked the ones I wanted to go to and made a plan on how to get there. After I was accepted by my first choice, my next step was to figure out how to join a sorority. Before I even graduated high school, I had already researched Purdue’s Greek life. I knew when recruitment started, what I had to do to prepare myself and sign up, what the academic requirements were to stay active in a house and which houses might be a good fit for me. Side bar: Joining Gamma Phi Beta was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I still have a core group of close friends from the house that I talk to almost daily.
Halfway through college, my career plans started to change. By the time I graduated college, I was over taking classes and I wanted to be an adult in the real world with a job (if only I knew…). I started my career as a social worker for nonprofits and then as a youth counselor for incarcerated juveniles. In both roles, I helped at-risk families and children develop plans and stay on task to meet their personal goals as well as the goals that the court had set for them.
If you have ever worked in a nonprofit or for the state, you know that the jobs don’t pay that much, especially when you live in one of the highest taxed states in the country. After a few years, I was ready to go back to school for my masters and to make more money. Unfortunately, there was no way that I could afford more student loans with my current salary. My husband worked in the corporate world for a large company and convinced me to apply for a job in his office. To say that I was hesitant was an understatement. I LOVED my clients. I LOVED seeing them succeed and providing them with guidance that they weren’t getting from those around them. I didn’t want to sell my soul to the corporate devil because I knew that once I went to the dark side, it would be nearly impossible to go back.
I was right. Within a few short years I had more than tripled my social worker salary. I will admit, I have acquired a lot of great skills from my corporate job. I have worked in roles that I NEVER saw myself in and am an expert in areas that I never knew I had talent in. Fortunately, I didn’t let all of that success stop me from staying on task and furthering my education by going to graduate school for a Masters degree in Organizational Leadership and obtaining my Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma.
I know you’re probably asking, “WHAT does any of this have to do with how you can help me?”
I’m glad you asked! After the birth of baby #2, I started noticing this nagging feeling that something wasn’t right. I felt so unsettled but I didn’t know why until I realized that it was the social worker in me wanting to use those skills again. I tried avoiding it for awhile but eventually the feeling was too overwhelming to ignore. Finally, the feeling of not being fulfilled lead to feeling unmotivated and to be honest, I felt like a failure.
Instead of dwelling on what was going wrong, I fell back on my goal planning expertise that I had been using since I was in high school. It has always helped me, as well as my former clients reach goals that we didn’t think were possible. I quickly realized that I don’t have to settle for living the corporate grind until retirement.
This is brings me to where I am today. I have incorporated my personal, corporate and nonprofit experience, combined with my education, training and serious #goalgetter skills to perfect the detailed goal planning system that I have personally been using for over a decade and have used to successfully coach countless others.
It’s your turn. Are you ready to learn how to successfully prioritize and plan your goals? I can help. Through the use of the tools and products that I have designed, I can help you turn your dreams into reality and achieve your own version of success.
Listen, I KNOW life is busy. As a wife and mom of 4 kids ranging from elementary school to diapers, I often feel like I can’t handle anymore on my plate. What I have learned is that life will always be busy and it’s up to you to make time for the things you want. With a positive mindset, adequate planning and determination, IT IS POSSIBLE!
I am over here fulfilling my own purpose by helping people just like you succeed. I’m living proof that you CAN do it all and I want to teach you how to do the same!
Jamie Nichole, Success Coach - Learn how to achieve you own version of success 