“I always had the naive confidence that I’d be successful, so I just put one foot in front of the other, built my network, and made the best long-term decisions I could.” — Tim Draper, San Francisco Bay Area Venture Capitalist, founder of DFJ (formerly Draper Fisher Jurvetson) and founder of Draper University.

No Limits: Find Work You Love

As a child, no one told me I could be anything I wanted to be.

Sad, you say? Limiting? Demoralizing? Unkind?

Now, what if I told you I felt completely unfettered precisely because no one uttered those words to me? What if I told you I never felt limitations because no one ever raised this issue?

Change Your Perspective

Acknowledging limits, even how we overcome them, creates limits. Limits arise precisely because we focus on them.

We see difficulties. We fear roadblocks. And then our brain shuts down. We preempt possible difficulties without assessing their actual probability. We compare ourselves and loved ones to others, relating to those who tried and failed. And then we legitimize these rationalizations by highlighting the differences we have from those who actually succeed.

I was one of the lucky ones. As I began my career, I felt optimistic. Unfettered. I was on the rise, holding positions at some of the most prestigious industry leaders in the world. Had I stayed on this path, I expected to climb high.

After the birth of our second child, I chose to become a stay-at-home mom. Because I decided to leave the workforce during my prime earning years, I often reflect on that decision.

Full-time Parenting

During those full-time parenting years, I did what many moms and dads do:

• I educated my family. This strategic mission included hiring, negotiating, and paying schools, coaches, trainers, transportation, and finance providers, the way the purchasing department in a manufacturing plant optimizes vendors.
• I started afterschool programs. This included a math team, not only fine-tuning the skills of the mathematical elite, but also inspiring confidence and enjoyment for the field among those for whom the subject had seemed insurmountable — in effect, creating a unified team spirit.
• Coordinated large groups of volunteers to raise funds for schools, health initiatives, and education programs, harnessing disparate energy into tangible results.
• Balanced academic and extracurricular logistics of two students at different schools and one entrepreneurial spouse who traveled extensively, towards the goals of family dinners, vacations, and shared conversations, the way a band manager synchronizes a long-term, multi-stop tour.
• I assumed the role of general contractor to manage other contractors, architects, city planning departments, and a $1M budget to rebuild our home, the way a product manager decides among tradeoffs on a brand’s image, distribution, and packaging, coordinating with other project management systems.
• And most importantly, I give the world two kind, contributing members of society, who I believe will make the world a better place — my personal IPO.

When I decided to return to work – full-time paid employment, I faced surprising difficulty finding a conventional corporate job despite the skills I had maintained and sharpened while on earning hiatus. Hiring managers, HR personnel, and other decision makers seemed unable to see the valuable skills of an experienced, well-educated middle-aged woman who had always remained an active and contributing member of society — but had simply not been paid for her most recent contributions, which were extensive.

That is how I learned I was not alone.

Who set these rules anyway? Not me.

Since I never subscribed to these rules, I wasn’t about to start now.

From my upbringing, I knew that we do ourselves and loved ones a disservice when we live in reactive mode, evaluating our abilities and successes by what others do and say.

So it Began

So instead, I became proactive and started Connect•Work•Thrive, a company that empowers mid-career professionals to make positive career transformations including returning to the workforce after a career break.

At Connect•Work•Thrive, we work with career coaches, forward-thinking HR personnel, hiring managers, friends, classmates, and workmates to help job seekers find meaningful employment and be the valuable, contributing members of society that they want to be. Equally important, once these workers find jobs, the companies that hire them clamor for others exactly like them.

Because we’re changing the conversation.

Because we’re changing the rules.

Continue to change them with me at Connect•Work•Thrive’s next Return to Work You Love Conference. If you are headed back to work after an extended absence or want to make a positive transformation in your career, check out our conference:

• 12 interactive workshops,
• 2 inspiring keynotes,
• individualized career coaching sessions,
• professional headshots,
• lunch, and most importantly,
• the opportunity to network with people who can turn your career aspirations into reality.

Join us!

Are you ready to be empowered with the critical skills necessary to find your next wonderful opportunity? Click here to schedule time for a complimentary consultation!