Looking back, I realize I’ve always been ambitious and a high achiever. But I started at the bottom. At the young age of 21, I found myself working in my small hometown on an assembly line at an automotive manufacturing company that supplied safety belts to the “Big 3” Automakers. I had just dropped out of college to go make money to be independent, not my best decision at the time.

I was eager to learn and pushed myself to learn every job my supervisor would allow me to do. I applied for Quality Inspector positions multiple times. Then, it finally happened. I got the position. This led me to a Quality Engineer role at another automotive supplier where I was promoted to Quality Manager within just a few months. I held three additional Quality Manager positions at other companies. I was not allowing my lack of a college degree to hold me back.

Fast forward to 2002, I remember when the global Fortune 500 company where I currently work decided to build a new automotive manufacturing plant near my hometown in Mississippi. I drove past the brand-new massive facility so many times and would always say to myself “I’m going to work there one day”. Well, I just celebrated my 20-year work anniversary at this company.

The Winding Road of Success

The roadmap of my career has not been straight up. It had lots of peaks, curves and valleys. In 2018, I began feeling like I was missing something but I didn’t know what. I just knew there had to be more for my life than just my career. I had a full life with a great marriage, two loving adult sons, a magnificent granddaughter, and a successful career. Life should have been great. But it did not feel that way to me.
I went down a slippery slope into burnout triggered by living an unbalanced life. I was still trying to climb higher up the corporate ladder. It’s who I became, and I didn’t know how to be anything else. I put my heart and soul into my job. It’s what made me feel worthy. I became a full-fledged workaholic. I was totally exhausted and burned out.

It was then I made one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. No, I didn’t quit my job. Instead, I started investing in my own personal development. I hired a coach who helped me get crystal clear on what really matters to me. I attended a three-day personal development summit my coach hosted and had a huge breakthrough on the last day of the event. I broke down, I sobbed, I prayed, and got really honest with myself about my current way of living. I promised myself I would design a better life, one that I can enjoy without my job being at the center of it.

I started gathering all the resources I could find. I studied work-life balance, the triggers of burnout and how to break free from it. What I discovered is I am my best self when I apply a few simple things.

Setting Boundaries is an act of self-love and NO is a complete sentence. Maintaining healthy boundaries is imperative to mental health. It helps others understand what we expect of them and how they should behave towards us.

Learn to say No, without explaining yourself. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a hard time saying “no”, especially to people I am close to. Here are a few different ways to say no that work for me.

• Unfortunately, I have something else going on.
• I’m honored you asked me, but I simply can’t. Have you thought about asking               , she’s great at                .
• Thanks for thinking of me, However, I’m not able to.
• No, thank you, but it sounds lovely.

Manage your Time Well. I remember having 5 different calendars I was using to manage multiple projects. I was missing appointments all the time. I got rid of all but one and I use it for everything. I use color codes to keep everything organized visually. Here are some other tips that have helped me to manage my time better.

• Take an inventory of how you are spending your time. I call this “Understanding the Current State”.
• Stick to a daily schedule. Use realistic timelines and avoid distractions. Self-discipline is your best friend.
• Prioritize by these categories: do Immediately, schedule for later, delegate, and delete.
• Tackle the most difficult thing on your list first. I highly recommend reading a book by Brian Tracy titled Eat the Frog.
• Avoid multitasking. According to the American Psychological Association, mental juggling involves “switching costs” that kill productivity.
• Keep things organized. This includes your workspace, your computer files and your calendar.

Practice self-care to reduce or eliminate anxiety, reduce stress, improve concentration, minimize frustration, increase happiness, improve energy and more. There are 4 main types of self-care skills we all need to thrive in our lives. These are physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental. Here are a few examples to trigger your own ideas to lovingly take care of yourself. Notice how simplistic they are.

• Go for a walk outside in nature.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Sit in the sunlight.
• Take a shower or bath.
• Listen to self-guided meditation.

Are you ready to have more control over your life? Do you want clarity for what that means to you?

Ask me how you can start your 6 months, 1:1 Personal Empowerment coaching program. It will have you maximizing your life over our bi-weekly coaching calls. Learn the tools to really enjoy life and not just live through it. Save your spot by booking your Strategy Call now.

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