Am I Successful? And Other Burning Career Questions

SUCCESS. This is something I’ve been struggling with here lately. What does it look like for me? Is it different for everyone? How do I define it? All these questions and more have been running through my mind because I’ve come to a point in my life where I have to ask myself, “am I happy?” The truth is, I don’t know! I suspect other women in their mid-20s are asking themselves the same thing. So let’s deep dive into “success” not only from a career stand-point, but also from a mental health perspective!

Quarter-Life Crisis

What am I doing with my life? Is it meaningful? Do I enjoy it? These are all questions I’ve asked myself recently. To be clear, I’m not questioning getting married or if I have enough friends or the right ones; I’m questioning my career choices. I work in the marketing industry as a Marketing Manager. I like what I do. I think. But it isn’t what I thought I’d be doing.

Full transparency here: At 17 years old I wanted to work in politics and change the world. By the time I turned 21, I said “to heck with that” and decided to pursue other interests. I’m glad I did that. However, I’m honestly not sure how I got to where I am now. I didn’t purposely choose marketing, it chose me. And thus begins my quarter-life crisis, if you want to call it that.

Finding the Right Job

I feel like in your early twenties, your choices of jobs are little less curated and a little more take what you can get. But towards the end of your twenties, when you have some experience under your belt, you get to be a little more picky. And that’s where I am right now. What do I do next and who do I want to work for? I’d like to stay within the marketing industry, as I feel I’m pretty darn good at what I do. But working for the right people makes a huge difference! Having worked for several companies now, I know what I like and what I don’t.

• I like companies that trust their employees and don’t micromanage.
• I like companies that value charity and helping the community.
• I like companies that are flexible with working from home from time to time and put an emphasis on work-life balance.
• I do not like companies that think you aren’t able to work unless you’re sitting in a cubicle.
• I don’t like companies that have stringent vacation time policies and only give a day off at Christmas and Thanksgiving.
• I don’t like companies that don’t value new ideas and planning for the future.

There are a lot of good and bad places to work. So as I look to my next move in my career, I’ll be a little more picky. I want to go somewhere that I can be successful and VALUED.

Am I successful?

I’ve also been asking myself for awhile now, “am I as successful as I should be?” This is a hard question to answer because success is different to everyone. For the sake of this blog post, I”m defining success as “the ability to make executive decisions in your role and being paid in correlation to the difficulty of those decisions.”

My role has totally changed since I was first hired. A lot. I’ve taken on more responsibility and started leading and making directional decisions. I honestly love that! So in terms of leading and finding new opportunities within my role, I’m successful. But, as many young women (and sometimes men) find, I’m not being rewarded for the risks and responsibilities.

Talking to other young professionals about their job roles, salary, benefits, and work environment has shown me that often times, we undercut ourselves! You can be young and successful, but you have to see the value in yourself before anyone else will. With that in mind, I can affirm that I’ve only been successful in terms of the responsibility I have in my role. Not much else.

What About Mental Health?

Ahhhh… mental health in the workplace. It’s so important and I think employers are finally understanding that. But I think there’s more to mental health than not crying at your desk every day. For me, my mental health tends to take a hit when I’m being overloaded with work or when I don’t feel like I’m being heard or respected. It’s demoralizing and exhausting.

Working somewhere that understands the amount of time and effort that goes into a single task or project is so important to being successful within that company. Working for people with experience and know-how can make or break your mental health.

I think we can all agree that no company is going to be absolutely perfect and some days you’ll feel more drained than others. But when every day becomes an energy drain and you feel defeated, that isn’t healthy.

Ok, Now What?

This is so hard for me to answer for myself, let alone you! I will tell you that if any of this resonated with you, then maybe it’s time to go somewhere new or try something new! As I was writing this, I couldn’t tell if I was writing it for myself or for my readers. I think it’s a little of both because we’ve all been here!

Personally, I’m going to pray about it and then make some decisions. The world is my oyster as my mom says!

 

Here’s to the New Bloggers

I have some really exciting news to share with you guys! Since I started my blogging journey, the whole experience has been a series of ups and downs and wondering when success will start knocking on my door. I read countless articles from other bloggers talking about what led to their success and what I needed to do differently. Years later, I’ve come to figure out that each blogger has their own journey, including you.

Being a Dallas fashion blogger means I have more competition than I could ever dream of and very little space to fit in. My little corner of the Internet is my favorite place to be and something that still inspires me everyday! However, I understand what it’s like when you feel frustrated and no one is giving you answers or any help whatsoever. With the moderate success I’ve seen, I’d like to share my knowledge with new bloggers who are stuck, need advice, or simply would like someone to look over their content and social media profiles. In an effort to help other bloggers like myself, I’m offering up my expertise with some free consulting for new bloggers! That’s right- free!

Blogging involves collaboration, partnership, and often enough- mentorship. If you’re new to the whole fashion or lifestyle blogging scene, then I’d love to help you. You can drop me a line on my new consulting page (here.) I look forward to chatting and helping you grow!

What I Wore: Wednesday

Outfit of the Day Details

Pleated Skirt (Similar) // White Blazer (Similar) // Nude Kitten Heels (Here) // Watch (Similar) // Hand Bag (Here)

Since having moved to Dallas from the Washington, DC area, I’ve noticed an obvious lack of professional style amongst my peers. Don’t get me wrong, there are some snazzy dressers in this city! And frankly, I don’t always look like a stunner either. However, a professional wardrobe is so important to a young professional’s career. Dallas fashion is much more laid back than that of the DC area, and frankly, I really like that. But I’m never giving up my chic, professional wardrobe.

Personally, my ideal office style is pretty much every outfit worn in the The Devil Wears Prada. I think my “outfit of the day” I’m sharing with you definitely channels the styles featured in the movie. To be honest though, if I had to pick a style to stick with for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t be corporate chic. I’d much rather live out my life in the classic Jackie Kennedy style. Not only was she the First Lady, but she’s just as iconic as her husband was. I’d like to be remembered not only for my style but for the subtle power I had as a lady. And for me, style is power.

*This post contains affiliate links

Creating a New Classic Wear-to-Work Outfit

Happy hump day, friends! This week has just been long and tiring and we’re barely half way through it. One of the hardest things about going to work in the morning is trying to figure out what I’m going to wear, especially if I haven’t done laundry in awhile. I’m a big fan of simple and easy to wear no matter what day it is though! For my outfit of the day, I took two basics and made a new classic to share with you!

Everyone has a classic white blouse somewhere in their closet and I’m hoping that a few of you have an accordion-style pleated skirt too! This classic skirt will never go out of style because it looks so crisp and clean. I’ve even seen my style icon the Duchess of Cambridge sporting one on royal outings. If Kate Middleton’s wearing them, then so am I! This particular skirt I bought a few years ago at New York & Co. but I’ve also found quite a few on Poshmark and eBay. Having basic items like these makes dressing so much easier for my tired self every morning.

To finish off the look, I’m wearing my favorite nude kitten heels from Nine West. I keep these stored under my desk to wear when I get to work because they go with literally everything I wear. Shocking, another classic piece of fashion, right? Nothing in my wardrobe will probably ever surprise you but I’ll always look good in whatever I’m wearing because I choose things that coordinate well together!

The key take away here is that staple items become your best friends when you haven’t had coffee yet! Classic style is easy and professional for the career girl in all of us.

Office Chic for the Girl Boss

Girl Boss Desk Supplies

Happy Friday gals! Since starting my new job, which by the way I love, I’m coming to notice that your office is your home away from home. You need to love it! My “office” is more of a desk in a big room with a few other coworkers, but nonetheless it’s still my own little space. Decorating an office space is probably the most exciting part of a new job. It’s certainly my favorite part! My office building in Downtown Dallas is actually an old warehouse converted into office space. How neat is that? Here are a few things I’m adding to my desk!

Kate Spade Pens and Pencils

Kate Spade is my go-to for everything! Sometimes I can even get a good deal on desk supplies. However, if her prices aren’t in your price range, the Target dollar spot is a good place to find chic office supplies for cheap! Some of my favorite things come from Target. Target also has a great selection of Kate Spade inspired planners and notebooks. This year, I’m definitely investing in the super pretty gold polka-dot planner for work. You wouldn’t believe my to-do list!

Stationary and Calendars from the Rifle Paper Co.

Ever since I walked into Anthropologie and began browsing the little desk supplies and home decor area, I fell in love with the Rifle Paper Company’s pretty calendars. Knowing that my job requires so much organization, I’ll not only need my Google calendar to stay on task, but also a pretty wall calendar. You can’t be too organized! Plus, I just love the 2017 Bon Voyage theme! Next year when I’m finished with the calendar, I’ll repurpose it and frame all the illustrations for my wall!

Travel Mugs and Swell Water Bottles

I’m a big fan of keeping your own coffee mugs and water bottles at the office. Why? Because mine are cuter and way more fun than the ones in the office kitchen. I love the ‘But First Coffee’ travel mug from Ban.do! Gold and white is my favorite color scheme. Swell water bottles are also becoming popular and are on my wish list. They aren’t what you might consider affordable, but there are other alternatives if you’d prefer to save some money! Having both of these items at my desk also adds a little personality to my space!

I’m so excited to start this new journey in my life! Moving to Dallas was a little scary but it’s really worth it when you find a place you love and a job you enjoy. Never be afraid of the unknown, girls! There’s so much out there to do!

-Liz