Where There is a Will, There is a Way

A couple of you have probably heard this saying and some of probably not. This saying is a definition of what my life is and where it is going right now. Flash back to January, February and specifically March when I started applying to jobs, I had no concrete Idea of what I wanted to do, but I knew that I didn’t want to work in front of a computer all day, I wanted to work with people for majority of my time.

This was really hard in the space that I was in because most people in my program sort a data analyst, data scientist or some technical role. There were times when I felt like I wasn’t going to succeed or find a job because I wasn’t with the masses. Employers didn’t make this easier either because when they heard Health Informatics, their minds went straight to, “We would love to have her on our technical team”. I applied to everything but mostly roles where there was a good balance.

Additionally, another set back that I had was I felt like I wasn’t completely ready to be in the professional space. I went straight from Undergrad to Grad school and because paying bills was more important than networking and professional development, my professional side was like 40% when I started Grad school, because I was pretty much working majority of the time when I was in school to survive. Shout out to Julia’s Flavors and Ingredients because there was a time when I was taking 17.5 credits and had like 3 jobs but my friends always came through for me!!!. Anyways, with this in mind I sort jobs which would force me to step out of my comfort zone, grow professionally and network. (You would be surprised but most Jobs don’t cater to these aspects.) It is very easy for people to look at the things which they lack and let it limit them.

Whatever you do, PLEASE DON”T. Instead ask yourself, where am I now, what do I already have, where do I want to be, what is missing and what do I need to do to fill out what’s missing and get to where I want to be. These are the 5 principles by which I live my life at the moment. It is very important to focus on your achievements/ what you already have, because if you only focus on what’s missing your thoughts would be overthrown by negativity and you may not see anything positive in yourself.

I always say that I am God’s favorite child because there are things which I don’t deserve but every time when I have asked he always came through for me. I haven’t said this before but I work for United Health Group specifically Optum. It’s still hard to process that I work for a fortune 5 company. So how did I find out about this role? One word: Networking. I was part of a Healthcare Strategy Class in the business school and a couple of executives from a company I was interested in wanted to have lunch with us. I almost didn’t go to this lunch because I sometimes get anxious when interacting with people I’ve never met, because I don’t know what to say/ don’t want to embarrass myself. I ended going to the lunch late. I was the last one to arrive to make things worst. One of the executives background really stood out to me, but I couldn’t talk to him because he was talking to someone else, so instead I interrupted them, for 10 secs to ask for his card. (It could be hard to know when/when not to interrupt a conversation, so my advice is go with your heart at that moment).

I emailed him and for the most part asked for 10 mins of his time to pick his brains/learn about his background. He responded after about a month and honestly I had forgotten that I reached out to him. I learned so much about his path and I was like DAMN!!! hard work and putting yourself out there really pays off. That’s how I found out about the program which I am currently a part of. Remember when I said I knew I wanted a job where I would grow professionally, network and step out of my comfort zone??? That’s exactly where I am right now. Tell me there isn’t a God and I’m not his favorite child. God has done his part, now it’s time for me to work hard, prove myself and do mine.

This is kind of a testimonial post but I’ve learned that the best post are the ones which inspire. A couple of months ago there was a Forbes CMO conference at the Ross Business school and I almost talked myself out of going because I was like what has Marketing got to do with Healthcare? Notice that I talk myself out of doing a lot of things? Don’t be like me. So I ended up going and it was amazing. Again, someone stood out to me, there was a lady who had worked from Nascar to Dallas wings and now she started a company. In my mind I was like what kind of black woman powers do you have? please teach me your ways!!!!. Again I couldn’t talk to her because the line was too long, so I interrupted again for 10 seconds to ask for her card.  I message her on Linkedin and when she called me about a week later, it was one of the most empowering conversations I have ever had. Ever had those times when you are too overwhelmed and almost hitting rock bottom then someone just says something or does something which lifts you right up? That is exactly what happened when I spoke to her. She gave me her personal phone number and asked me to call her if I needed anything or if I was ever in Texas.

So what have I learned: I’m not the type to put myself out there, I like being in my comfort zone (who doesn’t ), change sometimes scares me but I’ve learned that people in general no matter how important they are, are usually willing to help you but you have to put yourself out there. one of the best things someone has told me is ” I am always willing to talk to people because I won’t be where I am today if someone didn’t give me 10 mins of their time”.  When you start doing something new, It’s scary at first, you sometimes don’t get the response or support from people that you need but believe in yourself, bet on yourself and you would realize that “Where There is a Will, There is Way”.

Subscribe for more gems like this