 Writing was and is therapeutic… it was an outlet for me, when I was younger, to get help without even knowing.
Now my hope is that my voice and experience can be that written word to move others out of their comfort zones and serve as a source of encouragement. My book ‘Life in its Rawest Form’ details my life story. I grew up in an environment with drug and alcohol addicted parents, was homeless, suffered sexual trauma, and was a mom at 15. I had dreamed of better life, but extenuating circumstances weren’t making that a reality… I’m happy to be on the other side. With my book, supporting workbook, and blogs, I can help guide readers through adversity and into a place of peace and purpose.
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 There was a career fair that I attended my senior year of high school. If you didn’t read the previous blog, check it out. One of the guest speakers was an IT Professional. They spoke about their career and later I went on an informational interview to get a better idea of a day-in-the-life of an IT professional – programming to be precise.
I became very interested and did more research on it and learned how competitive it was, and about the endless opportunities within this field. Mind you, being an 18-year-old with a three-year-old carried its own challenges, but I could not let that deter me for making a better life for us. You have to move and not feel like you’re stuck in your circumstances. I pursued IT in college, earned an undergraduate degree in Computer Science/Information Technology, and looked for a job within a company that had an IT department. I started at the bottom as a Customer Service Rep, then later moved into IT. I learned various programming languages and about the infrastructure of various technologies. Today I am proud to be a Senior IT Manager. Just as that IT professional came and spoke at my school, I am now in the position to do the same and speak to the youth about my story, and how they too can achieve their dreams no matter where they started from. Check out the Speaking page if you are interested in learning more and allow me to encourage growth moves for your audience.  Being a mom at 15, I had to grow up quickly… Life as I previously knew it to be was no longer. My choices and priorities had to change. I was no longer making decisions pertaining just to me. There was another life that I was obligated to care for and protect, and it wasn’t just physical protection I had to provide. I had to protect him from any negligent behavior on my behalf. This meant I had to do my best to avoid making poor choices, wrong decisions, and passing up on opportunities for a brighter future. It was difficult, and I failed at times. However, I had to constantly strive at getting better.
Being an adolescent parent was by far one of the toughest things I would have to face in my life. I had very little room for mistakes, so I took advantage of every opportunity that came my way. Education was my #2 priority. It was the only resource that would afford my son and I a brighter future. There was very little financial stability that I could provide for him at 15 years old, so I had to do my very best with the opportunities I had. The very first opportunity I took advantage of, which actually turned out to be life changing for me, was attending the career fair at school. It gave me insight into professional careers, post-high school and college. I took this opportunity seriously and looked further into the career choices that most interested me. A year prior, I would have overlooked the potential this career fair offered, but becoming a mother made me think differently. Little did I know, this would change the trajectory of my life (more on this in the next blog). How can you grow in this moment? Choose one thing that you can do immediately and act on it with intention, and purpose. Now go and grow!  Move defined: To go in a specified direction or manner; change position.
When facing unimaginable hardships or struggles in life, the mind is where the transition begins. You have to revamp your way of thinking, and no longer make the same choices – “we cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them” -Albert Einstein Consider your options and make small mental shifts where you can. One mental move at a time… Here are 5 small conscious thoughts that can help you through your day.
Hardships and challenges are inevitable. Keep moving and make sure the mental path you tread is leading you in the right direction. |