Know Yourself and Don’t Be Afraid to Change
by Ronda P. Dorchester
President, Sadler & Dorchester Marketing and Advertising
Of course Know Yourself is the foundation of WICT’s Touchstones of Leadership. Knowing yourself is the very cornerstone from which you’ll build your career, your community and most importantly, your life. But sometimes contemplating who we are and what we really want to do with our lives is a rarely visited space. It’s so easy going through each day enjoying wherever life takes us. But, what if we really contemplated how we want to shape our life.
It might all start with a little time for introspection. We find time for work, for friends and for family. To really get to know yourself, spend some time alone with no distractions—just thinking; searching for the truths within. Some of us do this best in a quiet room, out in the woods or on a long walk. Whatever works; just do this for yourself.
While you’re there, think about who you really are, what you love to do each day. If money were of no concern, how would you like to spend your time? What are you passionate about? Can you use your passion in your career? Can you direct your career toward your passion? It’s quite possible to build a career in an area you’re good at but perhaps just not passionate about. With a focus on directing your own career you’ll be much more likely to achieve your goals and to enjoy your days. You will be the one shaping your life.
When I graduated from college, I worked in TV production. I loved it, that was my degree choice, but I quickly noticed the marketing group and loved the strategy behind the plan. I focused my efforts on making a change and have built my career around marketing. Life was great. But then life changed. I married, had three children and needed balance. I enjoyed an exciting career, worked for a great company and with many wonderful people. But still, I needed more time and flexibility for my family and myself. So, once again, I chose to make a change, a big change—I started my own company. This month S&D Marketing and Advertising celebrated its 14th birthday. There have been great days and some pretty hard days, a lot of work and a lot of fun. And at the end of the day, I’m so glad I made the change.
It took a lot of introspection, asking a lot of hard questions and, even worse, facing real answers. It took the willingness to take a very big risk and a lot of planning and hard work to make it a calculated risk. I had the good fortune to choose a great partner (that would be the Sadler half) and the luck to have a strong community of friends. In fact, I had the amazing opportunity to grow up with the cable telecommunications industry and for that I am eternally grateful.
Every now and then, just take a little time and enjoy getting to know yourself again.
Last Updated on Friday, 26 August 2011 16:15