Nov. 18, 2015: Gina Rivera

Today I want to discuss with you enjoying the seasons of your career.

Every part of your career is significant and things learned along the way will serve a purpose later. It’s very important that proper time is taken in all the seasons of our careers to develop properly in order to fulfill our potential. The seasons of a career can be wonderful if time is taken to truly experience them rather than racing through them.

Like a new born baby, a career has its infancy season. There are times you are so excited to get up and run with a new plan or idea, but you haven’t learned to crawl yet. So, it’s important to take the time to learn how to improve before moving on to implementing a plan. It goes with that old saying that you must walk before you run.

If everyone started at ground zero, yes, some of us might excel faster than others. Sometimes this can be discouraging. However, it’s crucial to remember that individual circumstances differ. For example, some people may have the advantage of growing up in a business their whole life, like I did. These people may have started in the learning process long before you, so remember, your season is your own and is there to be enjoyed.

I have been around the hair and beauty industry my whole life. I grew up in the salon. For me, it was interesting when I finished beauty school because I thought I was ahead of the game. I thought that I knew it “all” because my Dad had been teaching me for years. WRONG!! I was not my Dad. I had not experienced his seasons, so there was no way that I could have obtained all of his knowledge.

During your season as a child, you must plan. I talk about this topic in my “Colour Your Life” show. Like a house, you have to build your foundation. This means you have to develop a plan with goals and timelines. Life is forever changing. And, while I realize planning in stone doesn’t’ always work, I believe you must have a vision of where you want to end up. With planning, this season and your seasons in general will naturally take form.

As you progress, there is what I refer to as the teenage season. You start feeling the growing pains of building a business. I don’t care who you are or how successful you have been, everyone at some point or another deals with adversity. It happens a lot in the world of business and this is the season where it happens the most. It’s important to appreciate the challenges in this season because learning during these hard times and growing from them contributes to becoming a stronger adult.

Most important is the season of adulthood where you are comfortable in life. Your career and everything surrounding it seems to be smooth sailing. However, beware! This can be a very dangerous time. It’s easy to get comfortable and complacent. Take note, this is the time to do just the opposite. Be open minded and continue to learn new things. Be open to new ideas, techniques and products. Embrace information because with the experience you’ve gained, you can truly utilize it.

So, embrace each season in your career. Relish in it rather than race through it. Remind yourself, just as in life, each season will serve to make you a more well-rounded, complete and successful professional as well as person!