I woke up one morning and decided to do it!
I came to Colorado five years ago to fulfill my dream...to have more balance in my life, find my passion and true calling in my career… and to find my soul mate.
Since embarking on this adventure, I have read countless articles on women in their 40s and 50’s, turning their lives upside down to find their dream. You know what I mean. It’s that nudge in the middle of the night, the feeling that is in our soul; the look in our eyes when we take that hard look in the mirror, the look that tell us - this is our time.
For me, it happened in October of 2003. I woke up in the middle of the night and made up my mind that moment to take the risk and make the move to another state. The company that I had been with for almost 4 years had been asking me to come back to corporate headquarters in Colorado and launch a new project. I resisted. I lived in the most beautiful place in the world, in the forest, surrounded by trees, not far from Lake Tahoe, California. All of my children, friends and family were in California. And so was my life.
Flying by the seat of my pants….
I would like to say I thought long and hard about this decision, making my lists of pros and cons, talking to all my family and friends before making a deductive decision. But that just didn’t happen. It was as I said, in a moment…a twinkling of an eye, I decided to take the risk.
Everyone I knew said “Go For It.” My 23 year old daughter said she would come with me. I called my boss, excited that I was ready to make the move. But to my surprise he said that I had changed my mind too quickly and that we would talk about it in a month. It was hard for me not to laugh. He obviously didn’t know me well or women very well. I had made up my mind…there was no turning back.
The month went by and we did talk about it again, and once more he told me we had to wait another month. This time I just smiled. I took the two months to do what any woman would do, I started cleaning out closets and the storage shed. Twenty years of accumulation!
By the time the second month had passed it was December. Getting the green light from my boss, I flew to Denver, Colorado to talk about the arrangements. In January, he flew me out to look at homes. I looked at 27 homes in a day and bought one. I went home, called the moving van and in a month the movers came in, packed me up and I walked away from my 20 year home, my safety, my security, ready for the new adventure.
I never looked back because I was too busy crying every night…
In the fictional world what I would say right here is I never looked back or that it wasn’t tough. But the reality was, I cried every night. After all I had gone through to get to Colorado, I just wanted to go home. I hated Colorado and my new job. I did the womanly thing and began beating myself up for not “thinking things through” and for being “irresponsible.” The process was transitional. Deep down I knew I was supposed to be in Colorado and that there was something wonderful just around the corner; but I still could not stop crying.
My belief was so strong that there was something here for me in Colorado, that I sold my house! The one I raised my kids in, just so I couldn’t go home! After another 6 months of crying, the clouds lifted. There was no trumpet sound, no loud round of applause, just quiet solid peace that came over me.
I finally realized I wasn’t the only one…
Having passion has never been hard for me, but finding MY passion for ME was different. I figured out I was standing in my own way. Today at 51, I have found balance. I have made new friends and I love Colorado and where I am in my life!
In the last 4 years I have searched and searched for my dream career. I have helped women in their careers for over 20 years and even worked for a national company for 5 years assisting people in finding jobs. Two years ago I started my own company that has helped people from varied and diverse professional backgrounds find positions and make changes in their careers.
This past fall, I woke up and decided that I really wanted was to help women, like myself, to get through career transitions just like I experienced. The proof that this was the right direction came as the right people came across my path effortlessly. The realization came in a flash…quietly and surely, and with inner peace. This became MY passion for ME. And so Make It Happen For WomenSM was born.
As tears roll down my cheeks as they are now, I realize that the decision I made back in October of 2003 was the start of a journey. A journey that not only brought me to Colorado, but allowed me to grow personally, which made it possible for me to finally be willing to take my dream and make it happen.
I now know that Make It Happen For Women – Career Tools for WomenSM
is that dream and I am delighted to share it with you.
Rooting for you every step of the way!
Vicki Brackett
Founder
Make It Happen For WomenSM
