Why "Making It Happen" is not as hard as you think
When I think about how I got to where I am today, I am confident it was not by accident or by luck. My parents have often told me stories about being very strong willed and determined as a young child, but I have my own memories from high school and college that defintely shaped my future. Both of my parents were "go-getters" and I can recall always planning to be successful in life. No one could tell me "NO". The word was simply not in my vocabulary. As I was going through college I did not really know what I wanted to do, but all of my career tests seemed to point to being an entrepreneur. I didn't have a clue how I was going to make that happen because I didnt have any bright ideas for products or businesses at the time and that is the only way I really defined the word. When I think about the process for becoming a successful leader in the pharmaceutical industry, getting to travel the world, be a part of selling the business multiple times, and ultimately retire from that world at the age of 47, so many things happened to get me here. However, if I want to scale it down to key three things that were the main drivers, it is simple.
1. I had quiet confidence along the entire process. I knew I was destined for greatness, but I never behaved in a way that eluded to my skillset being any better than anyone else. As I climed the coporate ladder I was never fixated on titles and making it known that I was a manager, then a director, next a senior director, and finally a VP. I was Beth, I was a leader in every one of those roles, and I got results.
2. I always had a mentor at every stage of my career. I was evolving of course from when I started by career at 22, and I needed different things at different times. I was always very blessed to be surrounded by people that impacted my career in different ways. I can strongly remember the woman who helped me get my first sales job, another woman who hired me for my first sales job, a woman who rescued me from my second sales job for my third sales job, and yet another woman who saw something in my at my last sales job and taught me everything she knew. I could write so much on this topic. Another time...
3. I always had an end goal. This doesn't mean I have achieved all of my goals, but I did achieve each goal during each stage of my life. I have new goals now! I put alot of thought in to what I wanted at each stage. I always dug deep to discover why I wanted that, and I made it happen. When I was still in college I worked at a veterinary clinic, a drug rep who seemed so old at the time came to give us a presentation on heartworm medication. I remember her saying this was the last time we wuld see her because she was 40 and she was able to retire. I remember saying to myself that I was going to do the same thing and work my butt off so I could Make it Happen for myself. Definitely lots more to tell on this topic, but GOALS!