It’s been a little over a month since I started my new job. Let me be the first to say I absolutely did not think I would end up in a corporate job through retail. I didn't think it would happen. Why would it?

Retail is one of those industries that you're in for a short time, or you're stuck in forever. It's also one that people seem to look down upon and assume less of your intelligence. Hopefully you’re not one of those people, there’s dignity in work. There are people doing jobs you may not want to, like being a janitor... Or maybe taking drive-thru orders all day because you hate talking to strangers.

Anyway, I've reflected over my career and what's driven a lot of my decisions. It's not a formula to success by any means, but these played a large part in shaping my path.

Know yourself

Each time I've made a choice for myself or my career, I've asked if it would make me happy. Does it align with what I want for myself? I know that everyone doesn't have the luxury of doing that. What everyone can do is prioritizing what’s important to them. What do you want for yourself? Family? Work-life balance? Money? Opportunity? Growth?

Everyone has drivers, and you need to know what yours are. You also need to decide what you’re willing to be flexible on, and how much work you’re willing to put in. Be honest with yourself. Either you’re doing the work, or you need to start making better decisions about your time.

Knowing yourself means defining what success looks like to you.

Get uncomfortable

Each time I learned or tried something new, I was uncomfortable. It’s been almost 6 years since I’ve graduated college, and I haven’t stop learning. Because of different needs my work and friends have had, I’ve learned about so many things that I wouldn’t have otherwise.

You’ll learn what you’re good at and what you'r limitations are. It helps you see value in your time, your work, and the value of other people’s work. In trying different things, you might find a new interest or something you absolutely hate doing. I know I have. I learned a lot through picking up a blog and testing things like SEO in it. I forced myself to talk to new people. I stayed uncomfortable and found myself growing as a result.

Some people might call that bravery. The braver you are in little things, the stronger you’ll be in big things.

Learn to discern

Your journey to isn’t going to be easy. There will be people who don’t think you can do it, think you’re taking the wrong path, and tell you that you need to reassess your life. I’ve had many people tell that about my college choice, job choice, and aspirations.

They’re not wrong. There’s value in the criticism, as long as you can filter it out from people being deliberately mean. Achieving your goals isn’t smooth sailing, and it’s easy to fail if you listen to all the naysayers and believe everything they’re saying. There will also be people who give you good advice, and it’s up to you to figure out its timeliness.

You’ll find supporters and enemies all around. Any of them will have their sets of challenges and provide you chances to learn. Being around both kinds of people are a good test of your resolve in achieving your goals. Sometimes the people you love are the people who tell you you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes the people who challenge know you’re doing something right, even if they can’t admit it.

The obstacles people throw at you aren’t what shape you, it’s how you choose to respond that does.

My journey

This was my way of achieving my goals and it isn’t the only way to do it. My path is unconventional, but I chose to stick through it despite the obstacles I faced. I learned and challenged myself during the process, and took breaks when I needed to. I took time to reflect and reevaluate my goals. I looked for opportunities, or made them for myself. There’s a lot in my journey to be proud about, but I just consider them stops in my ongoing journey.

The real pride I feel is in knowing I did it my way, and no one can take credit for that.