As a child, I often heard the elders say that the only constant in life is change. Well, in my best Arkansas accent, honey they ain’t never lied!! I do believe how we react to the change determines how long it takes us to grow through it.
For the longest, I complained about my job. While my performance was outstanding (most of the time – let’s be real), I didn’t feel fulfilled. I would write audit reports that could be upwards of 50 pages long, knowing nobody or their mama would really be reading them. Fast forward to the birth of Bold Butterfly…this is when I knew that job was no longer feeding my soul. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t just quit. Was it fear? Maybe, change can be scary. Or was it the fact that I grew up in a single parent household where quitting without another job lined up was not how I was taught to operate. I also had my children to consider. Not to mention, the retirement account looks much better when someone else is matching it.
Eventually, I started applying for other jobs, some I thought were way out of my league. But hey, why not? Finally I landed an interview for an Accountant position. It had literally 4 bullets of duties and sounded like a cool breeze in comparison to what I had been doing for twelve years. I studied my butt off for that interview and they asked me the most simple questions. And you know what?! I got the job!
On my first day, I sent my boss the picture below so she’d know what I looked like when I showed up (so extra right?!
If you have an iPhone, you may be familiar with the Live Photo feature. I love them because it’s like a mini video and always seems to let me go back and find a portion where my eyes weren’t closed! Well guess what – I didn’t think to play the picture to ensure it was work appropriate! If I had, I would have realized the LOUD Megan the Stallion playing in the background 🤦🏽♀️! Yep, I’d already sent it. And yep she had an iPhone. I still don’t know if she played it; she never mentioned it and neither did I.
What’s the point? Some things help mold us into beautiful creatures and we shouldn’t change those positive aspects of ourselves. I like to listen to music that makes me feel like I HAVE to move when I’m trying to motivate myself and pump myself up. I need to focus on the beat to distract me from my nerves. So for me, this will probably never change. The song or genre of music, I’m sure will evolve. But my car concerts and impromptu songs will stay forever!
Needless to say the first 60 days on the job have been filled with continuous learning and change. The best thing about this experience is the ability to say, “I’m new” which is considered a valid reason for not knowing the answers to various questions. I’m learning so many different things, and of course situations can change on a daily. Maintaining a positive attitude and being flexible really makes all the difference. Oh, it also helps that the job is low stress, virtual, and comes with automatic promotion within a year without being any-crazy-body’s supervisor!
I challenge you to take a leap of faith and try that thing you’ve been putting off. Remember the butterfly didn’t start out that way.
• Apply for that job! Let them tell you no and stop telling yourself!
• Slide in those DMs! They may be just as shy as you, and let’s face it, the world is virtual now.
• Speak to that stranger, and while you’re at it, give them a compliment! It just might make their day.
• Don’t be afraid to leave people to pursue a better quality of life for you. You never know if those same people are planning to leave you.
• Be open to trying new things, even if only once. There is so much to see and do and we are only here for a limited time.
What better way to embrace change than to start trying to be the change you would like to see…
• One kind gesture at a time.
• One smile at a time.
• One positive thought at a time.
• One try, one step, and one day at time.
You can do anything you put your mind and soul towards doing. The only person stopping you from being the best you that you can be, is you! Get ready for change – it’s inevitable!
🦋 Be bold. Be fly. And always, be YOU! 🦋
Bold Butterfly 