brittany nicole

So I graduated in 2013 and definitely though I’d be somewhere different professionally.

I had goals. realistic goals at that. I only had a desire to work in the fashion industry. I spent all of that time working in retail because I was thinking about the bigger picture. I never even changed my major in college.

So why didn’t my career goals happen?

Because there’s this thing called purpose.

My purpose in life was never going to give me a future in the fashion industry. N-E-V-E-R

I think that in life our purpose is definitely something that we can run from but it somehow always catches back up to us.

For every job that I’ve ever had, my goals have shifted. It’s crazy because I’ve found myself on a career path where I’ve just been winging it. Mainly because higher ed kind of took me in 5 years ago. Introduced me to a completely different world. I still can’t believe that I’ve been blessed to have spring break since 2009.

Life is funny like that. so I stopped setting career goals for myself because in my lane of work, it’s not a real thing.

I set out each day to pursue a mission. a mission that grants me with the opportunity to serve others daily. Each week I’m faced with new challenges and new agendas but the mission remains the same. I’m here to serve. That’s my mission. That’s my why.

Serve others with respect. serve others with love. serve others with encouragement. serve others with accountability. serve others with respect. serve others with truth. serve others with purpose. serve others with boldness. serve others with joy. serve others with inspiration. serve others with pure motives. serve others with grace.

career goals work for so many people. career goals may even have worked for you in the past. I would just challenge you to remember your why.

when I’ve been looked over in the past for opportunities, I had to remind myself of my why. when I’ve been promised something that was never given, I had to remind myself of my why. when I overheard conversations about me being “natural”, I had to remind myself of my why. when I was docked on a performance review for being passionate about my work and wanting others to be held accountable for not doing their job, I had to remind myself of my why. when I was lied to about promotional opportunities/raises, I had to remind myself of my why. when I was witnessed that my workload expectations was double than that of others, I had to remind myself of my why.

And when I discovered the power of me remembering my why, I became unstoppable.

Now I just told you that career goals are not a real thing…

but me being a black woman on a mission [in a field that sometimes doesn’t know if they appreciate my uniqueness or simply wish that I didn’t know what I bring to the table] screams G-O-A-L-S!

Hope you continue pushing forward as a professional! Your voice does make a difference. Your presence is needed. Your mission changes the game.

It changes the game for you and for those individuals who try to make it harder for you to be successful. Do you know how confused an individual becomes when they recognize that they don’t have power over me? Or that regardless of what they do or say, I keep showing up serving up kindness.

Never work to please man. You’ll leave disappointed that people don’t acknowledge your efforts.

And I believe that because I’m on a mission to serve, God continues to place me in environments where I can shine light on the fact that my career-goal-less self is here on purpose for a purpose much bigger than me and you.

This method has been opening doors for me since the beginning and what will continue to open doors for me in the future.

BNspired2day