Roadmap to your Destiny

Life coaches, parents and various psychologists all over the country have been telling us that the experiences in our life define who we are. Why, then, do employers fail to realize our potential?

There was once an episode of Sex and the City where Carrie met a man who "looked good on paper": handsome, well educated, great job (owning a house in the Hamptons had nothing to do with it, of course). What tends to happen in many cases is that employers refuse to give everyone a chance (which admittedly can be difficult), and that many important periods in our life do not factor into being hired.

My friend Ren and I were recently discussing this, wherein her work with Silver Wings, a national organization, did not count as professional experience because she wasn't being paid by a specific company or private individual registered with the US government. It's easy to discount life experiences because they are not recognized by the US of A, but it does not diminish the lessons we've learned.

For example, as a typist I learned how to be patient and to listen well. I was paid by the great state of Illinois but I did not work for a corporation. In various interviews this has been a bit hindering because working one on one with an individual seems foreign.

In this day and age, the best way to get where you want to go in life (if you even know what direction it lies in) is to map it out as soon as you hit high school. My Rt 66 is a bit dated and the twists and turns surprise me at times; I find myself getting lost in the middle of nowhere without an idea of where to go. I've found the best places are the ones you find by accident, so take those experiences and bend them to your will!

Nannying never looked so professional.