Progress over perfection

A lesson learned in San Diego.

In August of 2019, my husband and I moved our family from Geneva, Illinois to a beach town near San Diego, California. I thought our move to this seaside town was my big life change. Little did I know that my personal sea change was still coming. Six months later COVID hit.  Our schools closed. My husband stopped traveling and started working from home. All of a sudden, I was a full-time elementary school teacher, counselor, chef, housekeeper, dog walker, and mom…all while trying to hang onto my marriage, my career, and my mental health. To top it all off, I missed my family back home so much.

So many of us went through this. Our lives changed forever. We all adapted.

Around this time, I was selected to take part in a leadership program offered by my previous employer, in partnership with Harvard Business School.  The timing was nothing short of Divine intervention, allowing me to learn and grow in my leadership and self-awareness.  

Then, in January of 2021 I learned that our corporate university was being transformed and my career went into a tailspin.  As  part of the  transformation, the organization shifted away from producing custom learning experiences in-house. The work our team was doing - and doing well - was outsourced. To say this almost put me over the edge, is an understatement. At that time  my self-worth was tied to my career and the news was shocking.

While I managed to keep a positive attitude at work, I could not  at home. My kids and husband saw the worst in me. I was filled with self-doubt, fear, anxiety and anger. How could this have happened? Why didn’t I see this coming?  What did I do wrong? 

My coach Selam walked with me through this very difficult time, and I’m so grateful for that relationship. She helped me stay grounded in my purpose and discover who I was. Selam encouraged me to truly get to know myself. To be my own best friend. She encouraged me to practice gratitude, self-compassion, self-care, meditation, kindness and prayer. I realized that I am not - and have never been - simply my job title. I have so much more to offer the world.

As I look back on the last couple of years, I’m proud of myself. I see progress. I see bravery. I see courage. I stepped back  from trying to move up the corporate ladder and instead became focused on how I can make a positive difference for others. I learned how to set daily goals. I’m closer to God. I’m closer to my husband. I’m closer to my kids. I have new friends. I continue to focus on my purpose, both personally and professionally. I hope the launch of Sea Change Collective allows me to bring my purpose to more people and impact the world positively.