Thinking back to my childhood, I was always passionate about looking for jobs. I remember being in the 2nd grade and sitting next to my dad while he read the newspaper. I’d sit there for hours looking at the ‘Help Wanted’ ads because they were easy to read, and I wanted to go to work like my parents. I wanted to make money so I could buy all the toys I dreamed of having without needing to put the burden on my parents. The search was the most fun part for me as I was determined to find a company that would hire a 7-year old. I never found one, but that’s only where my passion for career searching began.

As I got older, that passion only got stronger. I started working my first part time job in the 7th grade as an Office Assistant at my school’s Church Rectory. By the time I got to High School I left the rectory position, and tried on a few other jobs in search of a position that I would truly enjoy. I worked as a telemarketer trying to sell cell phones to random people whose names the company would literally pull from a phone book… Super shady, now that I think of it! I next took another telemarketing gig where I had to convince people to refinance their mortgages. I have to laugh at that position, because I had no idea what I was trying to convince people to do, but I did quite well at it. The idea of being stuck at a phone all day, dialing off a call sheet, didn’t really appeal to me though, so I didn’t keep that position very long. Next up, I worked for Jersey City in their Neighborhood Improvement Division. The position paid me well, but the job entailed walking around the city wearing a bright vest, with a garbage bag and broom in hand, cleaning the streets. Don’t get me wrong, I worked with some cool people, but I couldn’t help feeling like I should be doing more. It was time for me to find a new gig. I accepted a position with Kids R’ Us next and that would be the last job I’d have while in High School. I really liked that job because I worked in the Shoe Department, and would often laugh about the fact that I could relate to Al Bundy from “Married With Children”.

By the time I got to college, I had a ton of work experience and had pretty much embraced being a ‘job-hopper’. I didn’t understand the concept of “having a career” yet. I thoroughly enjoyed being interviewed for open positions and most of all receiving offers of employment. The idea that I was being selected for a job over hundreds of other applicants was always something that made me feel great, and would often lead me to search for the next great position. It’s funny, because I had no worries at that age, so receiving a rejection letter/email after an interview didn’t phase me the way it might affect me today. The stakes weren’t as high, and I didn’t have nearly the same types of bills. My focus was to take jobs that offered to help pay my tuition. I started with Bank of America and worked there long enough to get the maximum dollar amount they were willing to pay me in tuition reimbursement in a calendar year. I couldn’t picture myself with a career in banking, so once I got the reimbursement checks, I didn’t have much of an incentive to stay beyond that. One of my regular Bank of America customers would often tell me that I had a lot of potential and offered to pass my resume on to his former employer: State Farm Insurance Company. I agreed to take him up on that offer, and it turned out to be a great decision.

State Farm would eventually help me define my passion further. I was contacted for an interview as a Claims Manager (or something along those lines), but when I got to the interview, I was informed that it was a Full Time position. I explained to the woman interviewing me that I was only looking for a part-time position, and as luck would have it, they had an opening for a Part Time Human Resources Assistant in their office. I remember interviewing with a few different people that day, and less than a week later I was offered the job. As the HR Assistant, I worked 3 days a week, would scan resumes and contact applicants to schedule preliminary interviews. I would also schedule new hires for their New Hire Orientation. I really loved that position! This was when my passion really begun to take shape: I loved playing a role in helping others find employment. Though I loved the position, I was often late for work and my performance suffered because I chose to pledge a fraternity the semester after I started working there. A few of the people I worked with knew I was pledging and were sympathetic, but I got the sense that one of them, my boss, wasn’t very happy. In addition, I think she suspected me of sharing copies of the pre-employment quizzes with members of the frat I was pledging. Let me take this opportunity to say without any hesitation or concern, that I never did that. What I did do, was schedule interviews for my frat brothers when their resumes were included in my daily batch, to ensure they had an opportunity to earn the position and sell themselves. Some of my frat brothers took full advantage of the opportunity and showed why they were amazing candidates, and others bombed the interviews and awarded me the luxury of sending them rejection letters. Nevertheless, my constant lateness, and my suspicion that my boss thought I was giving away test answers led me to resign from State Farm and focus on getting my school grades up. I had people at the company that would give me a great reference and I was still technically a “carefree” college student, so I didn’t have any second thoughts about moving on. Overall the experience was amazing!

I realized after leaving the State Farm position, that I didn’t particularly care for being a broke college student and I took a position with Citibank shortly thereafter. I figured I might as well capitalize on the opportunity to get another tuition reimbursement check from a bank, so I worked there long enough to get the $2500 towards my education and once that was acquired, I left Citi and concentrated on finishing my Bachelors Degree.

After graduating from College, I begun working full time as a Management Trainee with Enterprise Rent-A-Car (ERAC). At the time, Enterprise had an awesome Employee Referral program that rewarded employees with cash every time someone they referred to the company accepted a Full Time employment offer. The way the referral program was structured, employees would get $1500 for the first referral hire, $2000 for the second referral hire, and it capped at $2500 for the third referral hire. I saw this as an opportunity to give myself a $6000 raise if I simply did what I loved doing: helping people secure employment. I referred a ton of people, but didn’t spend as much time as I should have prepping them for their interviews. As a result, only one of my friends got hired, and I was awarded my $1500 prize. This was another time in my life where my passion began to reveal itself to me. I loved playing an instrumental role in helping others take a step forward in their career. My friend was able to leave her job at Circuit City, and officially start in the Management Trainee program at Enterprise. Some of you may think that working for ERAC isn’t much of an improvement, but almost anyone whose had the privilege of working for Enterprise will be able to talk about the wealth of knowledge and structured training you benefit from as an employee. This newly developed passion of mine led me to get promoted to a Recruiting Administrator, and a little over a year later, I received another promotion to become a Regional Recruiting Supervisor.

As a Recruiting Supervisor, I interviewed hundreds of college graduates and spent time participating in Career Services events at Pace University, Baruch College, St. Francis, and several other colleges in New York City. Once again, my passion developed further, and I felt like I was onto something. I couldn’t believe how many college graduates had such poor interviewing skills and it made me want to help them get better. It was frustrating to think that so many of them might miss out on amazing career opportunities because they didn’t know how to properly sell themselves. I was hooked!

After a few years at Enterprise, I decided to move on when I was offered a position as a Director of Career Services at a college in New York City. This was the opportunity I had dreamed of! I loved worked with college students and the position allowed me to have an impact on thousands of people. I spent a little over a year in that role, until I was offered another Career Services Director position at a larger college located in New Hampshire. The position gave me the chance to manage multiple campuses, thereby allowing me to have a greater impact on a larger number of people; I jumped on the opportunity and moved to Manchester, NH.

After 3 years in Manchester, I started to get the itch again. Though I had worked with thousands of college students, and led a team of employees who shared my passion of helping graduates get hired, I wanted more. I couldn’t help but think about the people that weren’t students at the colleges I worked for. Who was helping them get jobs? How were they developing the skills that could lead them to an offer of employment? I decided to move back to New York and accept a position with a non-profit called Fedcap that managed a vocational rehabilitation program for the City of New York. You might be thinking to yourself, “what’s Vocational Rehabilitation”? It’s basically a process that helps people overcome any barriers that might be standing in their way of becoming employed. In this role, I work with Public Assistance Recipients, all of whom have a limitation or disability, and my team works hard to help them get employed, and stay employed. This is my passion.. Helping individuals realize the amazing potential they have, and guiding them towards getting hired in a position that might change their lives and create newfound opportunities.

So why the blog???

Well, I want to continue to expand my reach… Every step in my career has shaped the next.. State Farm helped me realize that I love giving people the opportunity to become employed. Enterprise showed me that too, on a grander scale. Working in Higher Education made me aware of my ability to help others, and helped me recognize that I had a voice that others could benefit from. And working for Fedcap has given me the ability to share my knowledge with thousands of New Yorkers. I want to be able to help more people. I want to be able to show people how to learn from every employment opportunity that rejects them, and to fully understand the transferrable skills they gain from each company they work for. There are over 8 million people living in New York City… Over 300 million people in the United States… And over 7 billion people in the world today (2015). If this blog can help 1 more person to get hired, or 1% of either of the populations I’ve listed, it will be well worth my time.

My mission is to help people overcome the obstacles standing in the way of their becoming employed. I am driven to help them transform their effort into positive results. I encourage anyone who took the time to read this, to share their experience when searching for a career and talk about the obstacles that stood in your way. You may or may not be able to relate to my story, but I encourage you to share this blog with anyone who might benefit from it.

I am still faced with job and career seekers daily, and I still see and hear mistakes being made. This blog will allow me to address some of those mistakes and provide additional insight into why they are mistakes, and how they can be avoided. I look forward to sharing my thoughts with you!

Until next time….

-R

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If you like this blog and you’re looking for ways to overcome specific obstacles in your Career Search, I encourage you to consider purchasing my Udemy Course titled: “Getting Hired”. The course reviews the 5 stages of your Career Search, and attempts to help you navigate through pitfalls that tend to affect career growth. To date, over 500 users have taken advantage of the course.

Below is a link to a discount code strictly for those following my blog. The link will allow you to access the course for a significantly reduced price:

https://www.udemy.com/getting-hired/?couponCode=Racine+Blog

Check it out! There is also a 30-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the content. I look forward to you giving it a try, and I welcome any and all feedback.

Every time I see or hear this quote, it resonates with me. My mind has a tendency of creating a list of reasons why I shouldn’t even attempt to pursue a goal; it’s this quote that always encourages me to push forward.

There have been a number of times where instead of letting my mind talk me out of trying, I chose to press on. Looking back on all of those instances, I’m thankful for the little voice in my head that encouraged me to just give it a try. Although that voice isn’t always the loudest, it’s often the one making the most reasonable argument. (Did I just admit to hearing voices? Lol! You know what I meant!)

Too often, job seekers talk themselves out of even applying for positions because of job descriptions that seem almost too perfectly written. Just about anyone can relate to the feeling you get when looking at a job description and seeing one or two responsibilities listed that you technically aren’t familiar with or haven’t done before. Your confidence is immediately impacted and you tend to question whether you should apply. It’s definitely happened to me, and I can think of a number of career seekers that can relate. I’m positive that there are even some employees that would get intimidated by reading their current job description. The key to dealing with this dilemma is to focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t.

When faced with this predicament, my advice is to apply anyway! You may need to tweak your resume a bit to highlight what you know, and maybe embellish in some other areas, but you MUST apply.

Think about it… You’re hesitant to apply for a position because you think you’re gonna get rejected. You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. If the company chooses not to interview you because of a lack of experience in a specific area, you now know what skills you need to develop for similar opportunities in the future. If they DO call you for an interview, you WIN!! Hurray!! That’s when the real fun begins: The Interview!

The moral of the story, and my # 1 rule when thinking of making your next career move is “Get out of your own way”.

I’m willing to bet there’s a company that would absolutely want to interview you, but they haven’t seen your resume or application because you’re scared to send it. Rejection is a part of life, there’s no avoiding it so just deal with it. Thankfully, new career opportunities pop up every day. You just have to look for them. So what are you waiting for? Get to work!

Here’s a link to a great place to start: www.indeed.com

Until next time…

-R

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If you like this blog and you’re looking for ways to overcome specific obstacles in your Career Search, I encourage you to consider purchasing my Udemy Course titled: “Getting Hired”. The course reviews the 5 stages of your Career Search, and attempts to help you navigate through pitfalls that tend to affect career growth. To date, over 500 users have taken advantage of the course.

Below is a link to a discount code strictly for those following my blog. The link will allow you to access the course for a significantly reduced price:

https://www.udemy.com/getting-hired/?couponCode=Racine+Blog

Check it out! There is also a 30-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the content. I look forward to you giving it a try, and I welcome any and all feedback.

In my last post I talked about the importance of trying; taking a shot or going after something you really want. For some people, pursuing a dream, or making an attempt, is easier said than done. Some of us must first work on believing; building confidence in ourselves, before we have enough courage to take a leap and go for it.

The power of belief is amazing! It conquers our fears and helps us to push forward when we have no idea what to expect ahead.

This morning while walking my dog Samson, I was given two examples of the power of belief from the most unlikely source: Samson. I’m sure you’re wondering how a dog could teach me something so important, so I’ll tell you… But first let me tell you a bit about Samson.

Samson is a very mild mannered dog. He’s somewhere between small and medium-sized, very curious, likes to sniff around in different places, and he has an affinity for sniffing other dogs. Although Samson is petrified of large trucks, buses, and fireworks, he has absolutely no fear of other dogs, no matter the size.

Stay with me now! Trust me there’s a point to my story!

This morning during a usual walk around our Brooklyn neighborhood, there were two dogs that helped Samson demonstrate the power of belief to me. As we made our way down the block, we noticed a young lady and her tiny dog walking towards us. Though small, as soon as the other dog saw Samson he began to bark and growl viciously. As much as I tried to move away from the little terror, Samson was determined to get his sniff in. He didn’t growl, he didn’t bark, and he certainly was not afraid. He was determined to sniff the demon dog, and he firmly believed that he was superior. No matter how much I tried to pull him back, Samson had already made the decision that he would sniff, and sniff he did, for approximately a milli-second. That’s all he needed. He had achieved his goal and there was nothing that could stop him. Lesson #1 learned.

With Samson’s tail wagging, and his head held high, we turned the corner and continued to walk… As we made our way towards the middle of the block, we saw another one of the neighborhood dogs. This dog is HUGE; he’s a full sized German Shepherd and he’s probably 3 or 4 times Samson’s size (think K-9 police dog). We’ll call this dog Brutus to protect his true identity.

Now Brutus’ owners don’t keep him on a leash; he pretty much owns the block. Samson and I will typically walk on the other side of the street, more because this dog scares me to death; I refuse to let him scare me enough to force us to walk down another block. (I gotta draw the line somewhere… Lol)

On several occasions, Brutus has disobeyed his owners and attempted to run across the street to bark at Samson. Thankfully, in the past, his owners have been able to run and stop him before he gets to us, but today he made it across. I’m not gonna lie, I was scared! Nevertheless, I refused to show Brutus that I was afraid because I think I heard somewhere that dogs can smell fear (or was that dinosaurs? Can’t remember… Oh well!). In any case, Brutus gets to us and he’s barking and growling, and he’s standing over Samson. I glance down at Samson.. No fear! I was amazed!! It was like he literally believed that he was the superior dog. In my mind, I’m thinking ‘Samson, this dog probably eats breakfast bigger than you‘, but apparently Samson didn’t get the memo. He stood tall, got a few sniffs in on Brutus, and when Brutus got too close, or seemed a bit too aggressive, Samson responded with a flash of his teeth, a growl, and a half bark as if to show that Brutus wasn’t worthy of a full bark. Before the situation got worse, Brutus’ owners made it to us, grabbed him by his collar and ushered him away. I looked down at Samson and he continued to stand tall, basking in his ‘victory’. Lesson # 2 learned.

Let me take some time to further explain the 2 lessons I learned today…

Lesson # 1

If you decide that you’re going to do something, and you believe in yourself, you can do just about anything. It doesn’t matter the obstacles, persistence is the key to achieving your goals.

Samson decided, and Samson believed. Although his situation was a lot simpler than what most of us have going on in life, the solution is often the same. For example, when it comes to careers, your career is “YOUR” career, and achieving your goals starts with your ability to “Decide”, then “Believe”. Once you’re able to figure out what you want, you can then focus on building the confidence to pursue it. As the confidence grows, so will your successes.

Lesson # 2

It doesn’t matter what other people believe, as long as you believe in yourself. The first and most important person to convince is yourself.

Samson was convinced, even though I wasn’t… I doubted him, and as hard as it is to admit, I assumed that the “right” response was to back down and cower to Brutus. As I’m writing this, it makes me think of other times where I’ve been faced with intimidating challenges. Have I backed down? Did I cower? Watching my dog’s response made me realize the importance of believing in yourself even when those around you have doubts. Since we’re talking about a dog, there were obviously no words exchanged after Brutus left, but I walked away from that exchange with a newfound respect for my dog. It was a reminder that sometimes the people closest to me will doubt my abilities, but that should never be a reason to doubt myself.

None of what I’ve shared with you is a new lesson. Like me, I’m sure you’ve had previous experiences that reminded you of the importance of believing in yourself. This wasn’t the first, and I’m sure it won’t be my last time being reminded. With that said, while the idea is fresh in your head, I encourage you to take a baby step towards eliminating any doubt you may be feeling in yourself. Below is a poem that I learned several years ago that also serves as a reminder of the importance of belief in oneself.

Until next time…

-R

THE MAN WHO THINKS HE CAN
by Walter D. Wintle

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you’d like to win, but think you can’t
It’s almost a cinch that you won’t
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow’s will;
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you’re outclassed, you are.
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the one who thinks he can.

—————–

If you like this blog and you’re looking for ways to overcome specific obstacles in your Career Search, I encourage you to consider purchasing my Udemy Course titled: “Getting Hired”. The course reviews the 5 stages of your Career Search, and attempts to help you navigate through pitfalls that tend to affect career growth. To date, over 500 users have taken advantage of the course.

Below is a link to a discount code strictly for those following my blog. The link will allow you to access the course for a significantly reduced price:

https://www.udemy.com/getting-hired/?couponCode=Racine+Blog

Check it out! There is also a 30-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the content. I look forward to you giving it a try, and I welcome any and all feedback.

There are members of a select group of fraternities & sororities who are very familiar with the quote above, or some variation of it. I was reminded of it earlier this week when my nephew sent a text asking me ‘what are excuses’. My sister, who is also familiar with the quote, knew that if she sent her son to ask me, I would respond with the quote above.

Excuses are some of the easiest things in the world to manufacture, unfortunately they aren’t worth much and they do us more harm than good. When it comes to your career, what are some of the excuses you hold onto? Do you recognize them as excuses?

I remember a time when I would try to justify my excuses by calling them “reasons“. Looking back, I felt that it sounded better and made it seem like I had no control over outcomes; today I can honestly admit that I was holding myself back by using that approach.

The lack of an updated resume is a very common “reason” causing professionals to delay their career search. The myth of the “perfect” resume also tends to stop job seekers in their tracks. I refer to it as a myth because of the countless job seekers who believe that recruiters only look for a specific resume format. Fortunately, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

If you ever want to start a debate between a group of recruiters, ask them to describe the components of the ‘perfect resume‘. To take the debate further, ask them if the resume should include an “Objective”, a “Summary of Qualifications”, or if you should forego using either. Chances are, you’ll get a variety of responses from the people you ask, and they’ll support their opinions with very valid arguments. I bring this up to highlight the fact that there are a variety of opinions that exist in the Human Resources industry regarding resumes. Assuming that there is a “perfect resume format” basically implies that every recruiter & hiring manager has the exact same opinion, and that’s obviously not the case. Delaying your career search because of a desire to satisfy the needs of the entire industry will only hurt you in the long-run.

For those of you who place great value in the feedback you receive from friends that “work in HR“, keep in mind that it’s likely there are recruiters & hiring managers who assess resumes differently and might even disagree with your friends’ resume recommendations. I don’t want to discount the importance of having your resume reviewed by a professional, because in most cases it’s very valuable, but at some point you’ve gotta pull the trigger and click “submit”. That’s the only way you’re truly putting your resume to the test and giving yourself a chance. Remember, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

It’s also important to be mindful of the amount of time you take to create/update your resume. While you have good intentions, and simply want to put your best foot forward, it’s also important to be aware of the number of people running ahead of you while you’re preparing to take that first step. Ironically, holding onto your resume until it’s “perfect” may still bring about the rejection you’re trying to prevent. Instead of being rejected because of the quality of your resume, you’re rejected because the position is filled. Same outcome, and probably the same rejection letter.

Thousands of career seekers miss out on opportunities because they’re hesitant to submit their resume for employment consideration. This blog post is for those of you being held hostage by the resume feedback cycle, where everyone you ask for feedback or advice, gives you just that: “feedback and advice”. Always remember that your resume is meant to sell you when you’re not there to sell yourself. The most important feedback you receive will often come from someone involved in the hiring process for the company you’re interested in, or a Career Advisor who is familiar with the company’s needs. When you start listening to resume feedback from friends who justify their recommendations with “this is how I did my resume and it worked for me“, it’s imperative that you compare your work experience with their work experience. Your friend’s work experience may have played a larger role in their employment success than they realized. The format they used may not be the best format for you to use.

The experience you have to offer is just as important, if not more important, than the type of format you choose to use on your resume. Many experienced recruiters can spot the experience they’re looking for on a resume within seconds. They know which companies produce the best employees to target, and which position titles are the most relevant to the role they’re looking to fill. It’s up to you to give recruiter’s a chance to review your resume, and that starts with applying to open positions that interest you.

Don’t let your resume become the excuse for stalling your career growth… If you’ve worked long and hard, have several years of valuable experience, and you’re thinking about making a move, don’t hesitate to test the employment waters. Your resume is the bait, and one of the best ways to test its effectiveness is to apply for open positions. Just remember that the work doesn’t stop when you click submit, that’s actually when the real work begins… After you submit your resume, the next order of business is to get it looked at by the employer, and hopefully get a call or secure an interview. But that’s a topic for a future blog post…

Until next time…

-R

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If you like this blog and you’re looking for ways to overcome specific obstacles in your Career Search, I encourage you to consider purchasing my Udemy Course titled: “Getting Hired”. The course reviews the 5 stages of your Career Search, and attempts to help you navigate through pitfalls that tend to affect career growth. To date, over 500 users have taken advantage of the course.
Below is a link to a discount code strictly for those following my blog. The link will allow you to access the course for a significantly reduced price:

https://www.udemy.com/getting-hired/?couponCode=Racine+Blog

Check it out! There is also a 30-day money back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied with the content. I look forward to you giving it a try, and I welcome any and all feedback.

It all started a few weeks ago while on my way to Portland, Maine for work. I had been running late for my flight and ended up skipping lunch to make it in time. While in the air, I sat in my seat watching as the flight attendant made her way down the aisle offering snacks and beverages to passengers. I was starving, yet when she reached me I felt a pang of guilt rush over me as I asked for more than one snack. I asked her for one bag of peanuts AND a packet of cookies. With a smile she obliged and the guilt eventually went away as I enjoyed my snacks. It was at that moment that it hit me… In all my years of traveling with Delta, and all my years feeling ‘greedy’ and ‘guilty’ for requesting two snacks, the flight attendants never said ‘no‘ to me. Where was the guilt coming from? More importantly, was my guilt causing me to miss out on more?

As simple as it may seem, that realization led to a major breakthrough for me. When faced with an opportunity to ask for what I want, I hesitate…

For the rest of my flight, I couldn’t stop thinking about my tendency to hesitate. So many questions ran through my mind. Where else did that hesitation exist in my life? What else was I afraid to ask for? Which areas of my life were being affected by those feelings?

I got to the office the next day and decided to share the snack story with my colleagues. I asked them all the following question: “When on a flight, how do you typically respond when asked if you want ‘Peanuts, Pretzels, or Cookies’?”

The discussion that followed was eye opening for me. I was amazed to hear stories of my coworkers asking for ‘1 of each’, or ‘2 peanuts and 2 cookies’, or asking for the entire can of soda instead of just a cup.. AMAZING!! All this time I was feeling guilty about asking for two snacks, when in reality some of my coworkers were getting much more when flying! I realized at that moment that I’d grown comfortable with simply accepting what was given to me, rather than defining what I wanted and asking for it. The conversation with my coworkers inspired the creation of the “Biscoff Challenge“. (We all share a love for the Biscoff cookies offered on Delta flights)

The challenge we created was simple: step outside of your comfort zone and ask for more than you normally do. To add an extra layer to the challenge, we set one rule. When attempting the Biscoff Challenge, no one is to know the “why”behind your request; not before, not during, not after. In other words, don’t explain the challenge before asking for ‘more’, and don’t try to justify the reason for your request to the person you’re making the request of. The purpose of the rule is to ensure that the focus stays on you, and not the people around you. After the conversation with my colleagues, I knew what I had to do. My mission on the next flight was to ask for 3 packs of Biscoff cookies.

So why the challenge?

Too often, many of us sacrifice our own satisfaction for the sake of how we might be perceived, or to avoid making the people around us feel uncomfortable. It’s possible that we mirror our own personal judgments and reflect them back on ourselves. In my case, I didn’t want to be perceived as greedy; asking for more than 2 snacks triggered something inside of me that resulted in those feelings of greed & guilt. This challenge was meant to help me gain more power over those feelings in an effort to choose my ideal response; I encourage you to give it a try for the same reason. Being unselfish is a characteristic that I love about myself, but I also think it’s important to feel comfortable choosing “me” first sometimes. Before we can expect others to make us a priority, we must be comfortable making ourselves the priority without hesitation. That’s the most important lesson in all of this.

So was I able to complete the challenge?

Short answer… YES! This week I successfully completed the Biscoff Challenge! I sat in Row 2 (not First Class) on a small jet heading back to NYC and I waited for the question: “Peanuts, Pretzels, or Cookies?” The minute I saw the flight attendant setting up her cart, the feeling immediately kicked in: guilt. I thought to myself, “I’m in the front of the plane… What about the other passengers? What if they’re short on cookies, and asking for 3 packs means someone in the back won’t get any?” It’s amazing how something so small could stir up such strong emotions. I quickly got it together and shifted my thoughts to remind myself that this moment was about me, and me alone. I made sacrifices for others on numerous occasions throughout my life, this was my time to collect my reward: a third pack of Biscoff cookies. When the flight attendant arrived and asked the infamous question, I looked her in the eyes, and with a confident smile I responded “can I have three packs of cookies please?” Her eyes seemed to pop out at my request, and I felt the passenger next to me look at me in shock out of the corner of his eyes. It felt like an eternity, but I kept the smile on my face and did my best to ignore their perceived responses long enough to hear the answer I was looking for. She responded, “Sure!” I exhaled and appreciated the moment. Such a simple achievement, but an achievement nonetheless.. And it’s just the beginning!

Where are you experiencing similar hesitation? Do you truly know what you want out of life? In your career? In your relationships? How comfortable are you with asking for what you want without hesitation? I challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone and just ask. You never know… You just might get it!