I have been thinking a lot about my career recently - from
my roller coaster journey last year to the opening of my newest chapter last
month. I’ve spent a while reflecting on my working life and what it means to
have a successful career. In my commute home one day, I stumbled across a
feature in LOOK magazine that I found
interesting and so thought I would share it with you. It was an article about
someone who had found success, unlike the way I had, in a very unconventional
way.
The feature was about Sophie Amoruso, a woman who shoplifted
to survive, but now is the Founder and CEO of her own fashion company Nasty Gal. In the article she offers up some insight
into her far from ordinary journey from dropout to Ebay success, making the
point that not all successes are bred from the traditional career path. She
explains, “I’ve been told the path to success was paved with a series of boxes
you checked off, starting with a degree and a job”. I hadn’t looked at it that
way before, simply a degree and a job does seem to be a common route to getting
there, but by no means does it guarantee success. I know there’s more to it
than just a checklist. However, her unique story is definitely inspiring; she
states, “I’m telling my story to remind you that the straight and narrow is not
the only path to success”. Her comments interested me because it seems like
such a stark contrast to how I found success, in her words, through the
‘straight and narrow’.
What I loved most about the article was that it gave some
inspiring words of wisdom. Tips like, “it takes a special kind of stubbornness
to succeed”, “be your own idol” and that “none of this (her journey) has been
by accident”. This last line particularly stood out to me, because although
there is an element of luck in everything, opportunities don’t just fall into
people’s laps nor are they ‘just lucky’. There’s something to be said about
making your own luck. This is where I find commonality between Amoruso and
myself, as despite our differing journeys, there’s an overwhelming sense that
nothing is by accident, and that everything is deliberate. For me, this
commonality highlights that the route to success is far greater than a simple
checklist. It’s other crucial ingredients like determination and inspiration.
These crucial ingredients led to what I found most poignant
in the article - Amoruso’s view on role models. She reveals, “I’m still not
sure how to feel because most of my life I didn’t believe in the concept of
role models, I was a dropout… ”. Reading this made me feel lucky that
throughout my life so far, I have managed to surround myself by those I
consider to be inspiring figures. For me, inspiration has been key to my
success so far and it started early on when I was still in education, by my
ultimate role model - my Dad. Without him, I know I wouldn’t have got to where
I am today. I believe everyone can only benefit from having such a role model in
his or her life. Whether it’s someone close to home or not so close, as long as
it’s someone who can inspire you to believe in something greater. My advice is
grasp it and keep hold of it. As Oprah Winfrey once said, “surround yourself with people who are only going to lift you higher”. For
me, the only way is up.
