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Finding Your "IT" Factor...

What do I want to be when I grow up? Is this my bliss? What is IT that I am really suppose to be doing with my life??

Those are the questions that have prompted a plethora of probing conversations. Some happen over non-fat, half-caff lattes with friends, others on the phone with life coaches and many, many others appear spontaneously, self-induced, typically on Sunday nights when we’re trying to find a reason to go to work on Monday morning to a job that undeniably feels like — work. So where is “IT” hiding and how do I get me some of that?

I’ve cried, struggled and searched while having many of the above conversations in my desperate attempts to uncover my own answers. I clearly remember the day I reached my tipping point. Being a production assistant on a not-so-memorable tv series was a back-breaking, mind-mushing and spirit sucking experience. We were well into our 14th hour for the day (OT gets paid at the 15 hour mark ...oh joy!) and I was ankle deep in rain, at least 2 miles away from any other crew member and bored out of the only tree in sight. My frustration maxed, I shook my head, looked to the (decidedly apropos) grey cloud hanging over me and thought to myself, seven years of post secondary education has led me to this uninspired waterlogged moment. “Is this IT?” I asked. Something inside told me it wasn’t (and something floating inside my boot confirmed it).

Someone once said that the quality of your life is equal to the quality of questions you ask yourself. And that was the question that has ultimately led, albeit 8 years later via a very scenic route, to creating glindagirls.com I knew I wasn’t in this boat alone. It’s a conversation that always has something to say, regardless of age, education level and number of career changes previously made. I've been bathrobe bound on the couch in Life Quest Mode enough to have seen some enterprising and moxified women on Oprah who had solved their own puzzle, had dared to put their dreams into action and were having some fun in the process. IT is possible!

At times nothing feels more challenging than trying to discover the “IT” factor for ourselves. We have to remind ourselves of those who have ‘been there and done that’. Some of the ‘glindas’ have had very organic journeys. Some have been fortunate to discover their passion early in life, while for others a specific situation has been the catalyst for revealing “IT”. Ironically, it doesn’t usually happen when we are scratching our brains, pulling out our hair and looking at the clock. It most often comes when we least expect it, when we've hit the wall, when we've laid down the gauntlet.

The light bulb certainly didn’t go off for me right away. The grey cloud still followed me for a while, but from time to time I was graced with a great job that allowed me to put the quest on hold. Every so often, though, I could still feel IT lurking. And IT is a process. If we can embrace it with a dash of curiosity and a dose of patience it can even be an enjoyable one.

The opportunity to glimpse into the lives, struggles and success stories of the ‘glindas' is like having one’s own personal cheering section. They’ve blazed the trails, overcome the odds and broken thru many a glass ceiling. Their stories are honest, their experiences are real and they don't gloss over the tough parts. Glinda Girl Susanne Lang’s insights still resonate with me ” Doing what you love is absolutely possible and know too that it will be harder than you think. But for every challenge there is always a solution and it's worth it.” Some ‘glindas’ even admit they are grateful for the failures they’ve experienced. More on that in a future issue!

They are an amazing group of women. Creators of Cool. Purveyors of Possibility. Everything you need you have inside of yourself.

So with that in mind...

You. Go. Girl!

**And just to note¦ in hindsight every drop of water, whether it fell from the sky or my leaky eyes has been worth IT!