We are so fortunate to have long-time client and friend Beth Wolfe step in to fill the shoes of Jayne Ircha, who recently went on Mat Leave to welcome baby Hugo (yay!) into the world. Below, Beth shares some insights on career and managing change.
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Change is good. We all give it lip service, some believe it more than others, but it is true and you’ll never know the benefits unless you make it happen. We humans can get in a bit of a rut, justifying that what we’re doing is the right thing for so many reasons, when it might be time for a change. I’m a risk-averse Gen-Xer who was in the same career for a long time. Foreign I’m sure to millenials who like or need to move around frequently, but that was my reality. And it was an amazing career – great company, fantastic leadership and colleagues, awesome clients, exciting work, and the flexibility worked well for my family. I have fond memories of that time in my life and I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish. But sometimes you just need a change.
So now I sell swag, or, in the correct term, I am a promotional products distributor. I get to find cool stuff and provide great service for more awesome clients, some of whom were my awesome clients in my past life. I get to work for a great company with fantastic leadership and co-workers. I’m working hard but how and where I work has made that work/life balance a little easier. It was difficult when everything was new, but I’m getting the hang of it and it’s fun! I’m happy, psyched to be learning new things, and I’m proud of myself for taking a bit of a risk at my advanced age ☺.
So take the time to really evaluate if what you’re doing is the right thing for you, not just because it’s easier than making a change, or it’ll be tough on your family, or it might be challenging financially, or one of the 100 other reasons you can come up with. Be brave and just do it. It might be scary and hard in the beginning, but it will be amazing, and it will make a positive difference in how you see yourself and the rest of the world. – Beth Wolfe