I’m coming up on my one year anniversary of being a business owner and I’ve been reflecting on how I’ve personally changed over the past year and what’s led me to this place.
Before being laid off last February I worked for six years in the International Sales and Marketing department of a poultry genetics company headquartered in West Des Moines. I arrived there by way of a short stint with the Greater Des Moines Partnership after living for two years in Germany.
My time living by myself in Germany taught me what I needed to survive on many levels – financially, socially, personally. It also taught me that I can do anything – I found myself in many uncomfortable situations – close to being deported on several occasions, language barrier at times, no family there for support. But I got through it. (A little back story…During the first year, I was part of an exchange program between the US and German governments for Young Professionals who had graduated college. I studied for 2 months at a language institute, one semester at University and then interned at Bayer. A small sub-group from Bayer offered me a job when they decided to start their own business. I accepted. I moved back to the States for 2 months after the exchange program ended and returned when I was told the start-up would be in business…well, they weren’t. I was stranded with only my 3-month American tourist visa which I had to keep getting renewed with the start-up’s intent to hire me. They ended up rescinding on their verbal offer of employment after I had lived there for one year. I had two weeks to leave the country before my visa expired and I was to have been deported.)
When I moved back to the States in 2001, taking a job was EASY compared to what I had just gone through. Get up, go to work, come home…I felt safe. That feeling of comfort and ease carried through to February 2009. I had been comfortable for 8 years and I realized that my skills were stagnant and I hadn’t been challenged in a long time…Unemployment was definitely my new challenge.
While networking to find a job, I felt completely out of my element and uncomfortable all the time in the beginning. I realized that the only way to improve yourself is to be uncomfortable sometimes; challenge yourself. My biggest hurdle is public speaking, so what do I do? Accept every opportunity to speak in front of networking groups. Organize a series of workshops on social media for small businesses.
This past year has helped me become comfortable being uncomfortable again. Though my time in Germany was challenging, I grew as a person and I learned a lot about myself through the process. I don’t fight being uncomfortable anymore, or try to get out of situations I know will make me feel uncomfortable. I now accept it as part of the process of self-improvement…
When do you feel the most uncomfortable? What is it that you are most afraid of doing?
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You are so right dear Suzanne, the jobs are comfortable and easy way out, and that explains why most employees stagnate in many ways. Economy will get better and this challenging time is grooming us to become very successful entrepreneurs.