Read This When You’re Frustrated By Your Career Progression
Sometimes you need to take a step back and reflect.
Did you know that Oprah used to babysit for fifty cents an hour?
Yes, Oprah Winfrey.
I was listening to an episode of the Super Soul Conversations podcast and discovered this while listening to the conversation that Oprah had with environmental activist, actress, and author, Suzy Amis Cameron.
They were deep in discussion when they both discovered that, earlier in their lives, they had babysat for work, and Oprah said that she had babysat for fifty cents an hour.
Fifty. Cents. An. Hour.
My heart did a little leap when I heard that. And I laughed a bit, too. Cause it was a week when money and finances had me a bit stressed out. I was wondering if there would ever be a time when I wouldn’t have to worry about money, and then there was Oprah, talking about how she once babysat for fifty cents an hour.
As of 2019, Oprah Winfrey has a net worth of 2.7 billion USD. And not to sound like a broken record here, but she once worked as a babysitter, making fifty cents an hour.
Why does this matter to you?
Well, maybe you’re struggling with your finances at the moment. Perhaps you’re trying to find a financial rhythm of budgeting. Maybe you’re saving, but you’re getting tired of saving your money, and you’re thinking about going on a shopping spree or a vacation. Maybe you’re taking on more and more work, and yet, you somehow can’t seem to keep your head above water.
Maybe you’re not speaking up for your value and your worth — and you’re accepting job offers for less than what you deserve.
Maybe.
Or maybe your stress isn’t about money — but it’s more about progress. Perhaps you’ve been working at your career for years, and yet you feel like you still haven’t gotten anywhere — it’s as if the work you’re doing has been pouring out of you, but you still feel like you’ve been standing still.
Maybe you’re waiting for that big break.
And maybe you’re getting impatient waiting. Perhaps you’re thinking that because your success doesn’t look like you want it to yet, that this is somehow a sign from the universe, and you should stop what you’re doing and abandon your path and start over. Maybe you think that you’ve been waiting long enough, and whatever you were hoping for and dreaming for and waiting for should’ve happened by now.
And while there is no shame in changing your course, and while there is nothing wrong with switching your dreams — maybe you need to stop for a minute, and hear this: Oprah once babysat for fifty cents an hour, and now she’s one of the most powerful women on the planet.
You don’t always have to change your dreams.
You don’t always have to abandon the path that you’re on.
Sometimes you need to take a step back and reflect. Reflect on what your life looked like, two, three, four, five years ago. Think about the size of the paycheck that you had when you first embarked on whatever path it is you’re on. Think about what moved your heart and your head. Remember what your life looked like back then.
And then look at what your life looks like now.
Pay attention to how things have changed, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem.
There is no such thing as an overnight success. There is no timeline for wishes, either.
There is so much that you’ve done by this point — and you will have done more tomorrow.
Don’t let your frustration overshadow your accomplishments — revel in them. Celebrate them. Remember them as you journey onward.
