Management is not easy. It’s inevitable. There are moments of pure reward and other moments of total despair and defeat. Management comes with a ton of responsibility and a need of humility, but most of all, a desire to provide others with the necessary tools to succeed. My motto has evolved to “If you succeed, I succeed.” I’ve mentioned before that success is not only defined by what happens in your professional life, so what I mention here is only a small portion of what I consider accomplishment. We all have our own swimlanes (project management term) of varies areas within our lives that we work toward improving to fully say that we’ve succeeded. So, as I was saying…

We all reach this point in our professional lives when we’re faced with the decision to become a manager of others. I’ve honestly always seen myself as a manager, a woman who leads others while working on a passion. I never knew what setting or environment and when these two would marry until now. First thing, work within a passion. Check. Second, lead others. Check. I love what I do and the industry that I’m in. How many people can say that?

It’s strange to see this as a reality now because I’m that woman within a corporation who others look up to. I’m that woman who others ask business-impacting questions. I’m that woman who I look up to. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment to reach this point in my career since I have always had an appetite to lead and influence others in becoming better individuals. But, as many of you know, it’s not always filled with glory and fulfilling moments.

With all the hype of “moving on up,” there are days when I questioned why I chose this path. They say “nothing worth having comes easy” and I could not agree more. I have had those challenging days where I contemplated leaving management in the dust. I have had those days where rather than working on deadlines, I have had to do administrative tasks due to undesirable circumstances. Those are the tough days. There are times when I feel like I jump through more hoops than those fluffy, well-trained pooches in national championships do. It’s just the nature of the game and to be honest, that’s exactly what I need to go through to be a better version of myself, to be a better leader. I’ve learned that if you start with tougher situations, everything else moving forward will be a breeze. That sure is true.

I would like to think that this is only the beginning of something great. We never know what the future holds, but the future is looking brighter and brighter.

Believing in myself and pushing myself has been such a militant process, but I love the woman that I have become and the woman that I am becoming!

There have been many opportunities where I could have said “no” or “I’m not ready.” There have always been easier routes to take, but there is something about a challenge that fuels my fire and pushes me forward!

I’m a firm believer in “what comes natural to you, roll with it!” I have had my fair share of wandering or pushing against the grain. Once I took my hands off the wheel, I have had a much easier, assuring life. When an opportunity arises, I follow that intuition and that intuition (especially as a female) should never be ignored.

As I type these words, I find myself in such clarity and appreciation of where my intuition has led me in this life. Sometimes I have to remind myself that this is reality and that by being myself, I have grown into the woman I wanted to be. I never knew what I wanted to do, but I always knew what kind of woman I wanted to be. And, I am her. Just to say it again, I had to learn to take my desire to control the future out of the picture for me to flourish into who I was meant to be. That’s been the biggest lesson of all – not to force things that were not meant to be. I was destined to be right where I’m sitting today, leading the team that I have, typing on this keyboard for you to read, and I’m not done. I have a lot of continued growth in my horizon, a lot of knowledge awaiting me, people to influence, lessons to be learned and so much more. It’s all lined up and I will continue this journey with open arms.

Where has your journey taken you? Think about all the jobs you have had over the last 5-10 years. Think about how each small decision (or big decision) shaped your life. How impactful were those decisions. It’s crazy to think how different your life would have been if you had taken even the smallest chance in a different direction. Give thanks for the route you’ve chosen. If you aren’t happy with the path you’ve chosen, then choose another. It’s your life filled with your chooses.

Onward and upward.