In my thirties, three things happened that brought writing into my life as a caretaker and guide. I became a mom. My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I got divorced.
By my 39th birthday, the pieces of my life lay scattered at my feet, and I felt consumed by the need to discover how I could regain my voice and put the pieces together in a new way. Writing, and prayer, provided the path.
I began writing in grade-school, by dictation. My fourth-grade teacher gave us lengthy creative-writing assignments, and to help, my mom offered to transcribe my first drafts. We sat together on the living room couch, my mom with a pad and pencil, and I with my imagination. After my mom filled several pages with my spoken stories, I then sat at my writing desk in my room and created my final drafts.
Through this process, I discovered a love of capturing my thoughts on paper, and turning something imagined into something real. In response, my teacher delivered smiley-face and Good Job!-stickers. I was hooked.
Much later, I worked as a script- and online article-writer for two TV-news stations. It felt good when I heard my words expressed on TV and to know that what I wrote impacted and informed the public. Despite my enjoyment, I left journalism in my early-twenties and moved to other jobs in industries as varied as banking and hospital education. I enjoyed small successes in publishing short-fiction in my early thirties, but before long, writing took a back seat as other drivers again took the wheel. Thankfully, my writing, while in the backseat, never stopped taking notes.
Now, I have questions. First, how did I get here? How did I go from stressed-out, uncaring, and disengaged at work, to grateful, invested, and compassionate? What lessons have I learned across my varied career in a dozen different industries, that others may find helpful? How can I be of service, as I support my art?
Lessons From a Quirky Career Path — A Better Mind for the Daily Grind, is my effort to join my love of writing with what I feel will help anyone who feels dissatisfied with or unsure about work. If you are filled with dread on Sunday evening, ahead of your next week at work, then this is for you. If you’re just starting out in your career, and you’re not sure what the big deal is about soft skills, this is for you. I’ve been there, and I’m here to say: you don’t have to go through what I’ve been through, a complete breakdown and reformation of a life, to feel good about what you do for a living and your future at work.
Join my mailing list to gain access to exclusive content, which includes the best of the resources and methods I’ve gathered from mentors and authors. The average American will spend 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime, and so I think you’ll agree — we need to sort out our work-mindset or we risk spending a third of our lives waiting for the weekend.
I would be honored to help you. Thank you for reading.
Alisa