An Open Letter to Myself

Recently, I was asked to speak as a panelist at the Delta Zeta's Powerhouse Career Panel.  I was truly honored to be there beside some very amazing women with such prestigious professions as doctors, deans, lawyers, and more.  We were asked a series of questions regarding our work, being women in our fields of profession, and about what advice we'd give to the women there who were just beginning their journeys toward professional careers of their own.

One question that truly stood out to me, was a questions regarding what I would tell my twenty-year-old self if I were able to travel through time and speak with her.  It was really a hard question to answer.  There is so much I'd tell myself about the business side of things that sweet, naive twenty-year-old me hadn't a clue about.  I have built my business from the ground up, learning as I go.  It has been a hard journey at times, but immeasurably worth it.  I would have told myself to take more classes, to intern, to soak up every piece of knowledge I could about marketing, accounting, and all the office work I handle on a daily basis.  All of which, are important aspects of business that I began my journey being fairly clueless about.

The concept of talking to future/past me has made me think about what I would say to a future me.  I'm sure forty-year-old me is far wiser than I am at the moment, but what I would tell her has nothing to do with accounting or marketing or office work.  All of those things are important to business, yes, but they are not the key to success.  I would talk to her about the fire and passion.  I have made it this far, learning as I go about the office aspects of my business, carrying with me an absolute, unwavering passion for what I do.  I would say I love my job, but it doesn't fully describe how I feel about it.  This is my everything: my heart, my soul, my life.  I am so thankful to be able to follow my dreams and do something that is so dear to my heart.  I hope I never lose this passion.  I hope forty-year-old me reads this and still feels the same passion and fire within her.  If she doesn't, I hope this rekindles her fire and leads her to more than I can even imagine.