by Solange Lopes | Jul 22, 2017 | Career, Find Your Purpose
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Growing up in Senegal (West Africa), I’ve always loved learning. Anything education-related, from shiny new notebooks to large academic books, had me doing a (mental) happy dance. I guess you could say I was a nerd, pink glasses, heavy backpack and all… As the second girl in a single-parent family, I had learnt very early on to treasure the gift of education, mostly because my dear mom sacrificed so much so all four of us could have access to it. In a country where women were (and still are) under-represented in so many ways, being educated as a girl was (and still is) precious!
As passionate as I was about learning, I would have never suspected back then that the gift of education would actually change my life. Fast-forward a few years as I completed high school, both my mother and I were called in to the principal’s office. Shaking with nervousness, I kept wondering what that was all about. As it turned out, I was in the running for a scholarship to a prestigious school. Except the school was in the U.S., and if I was lucky enough, I’d be starting in the next few months…
The power of learning and education will take you further than you may have thought, across continents and countries. Whether formal or informal, everything you learn takes you some place you’ve never been before…
A few years later, I was graduating from Undergraduate and Graduate school, proudly wearing my favorite handmade African outfit under my robe. As I walked across the stage, thoughts of my journey flashed through my mind. Never in a million years had I thought learning would take me halfway across the world, enhancing my precious roots, and experiencing new cultures, ideas and concepts.
It was the power of education that taught me never to stop learning. Even after graduating as an Accounting major, my thirst of learning cultivated from years as a student, never dried up. It had awakened in me a constant curiosity, this constant sense that behind even the most trivial of things or events, there’s always something to learn.
Once a student, always a student. Learning doesn’t stop at graduation, or after completing a significant milestone in life. We learn every single day, formally or informally, and we’re made better, stronger, and so much more fulfilled because of it.
It’s also learning that brought me back to my first love of writing through blogging. After getting a formal education, I kept informally learning about the one passion I had had since childhood. The more I learnt, the more I could incorporate what I learnt in and outside of school and college. The more I was able to combine my natural talents with professional demands and start building my own path…
That’s the thing about learning and education. It doesn’t have to be in a specific discipline or path. It’s not necessarily done in formal settings. It can take you from the cubicle to the corner office, lead you to try things you’ve never considered, and push you to explore those skills and talents you may have neglected before.
I’m thankful to have been given the gift of education, in both formal and informal settings. As my dear grandmother used to say in her native Cape-Verdean creole over her stove making the best soul food I ever ate: “What you know, no one can ever take away for you!”
Keep on learning and getting inspired by other students’ stories who are overcoming odds to achieve success in their lives through education!
How has the gift of education changed your life?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sister.
by Solange Lopes | May 28, 2017 | Career, Find Your Purpose |
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Good&Co App
Have you ever wondered what it takes to find your very own perfect career? I mean, the career that fits you like a glove, one where your skills, strengths and talents are fully utilized, and where your weaknesses are being improved every single day?
Now enters Good&Co, aka “the job-hunting lovechild of e-Harmony and Linked In“. Think of it as your career matchmaker, to help you identify your professional persona, assess your dream companies’ fit, and provide you with the tools and resources you need to finally find career happiness. This unique app’s mission is to help employees and employers uncover your unique strengths. Based on a series of personas, from the humanitarian to the caretaker and the socialite, it works through a series of quizzes, including:
- Your unique strengths
- How you come across to others
- What your spirit animal is
- What your networking strengths are
- What your approach to getting things done is
- What kind of co-worker you are.
It took me years to realize that enjoying your career is actually possible, but (and this is a big BUT) you need to know where you fit first. And that all depends upon your own personal and professional growth, which can take quite a while to figure out.
When I first downloaded the Good&Co app, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Note that Yet as I started taking the various quizzes, I ave to admit I was pleasantly surprised. The questions were on point, targeting areas about myself I hadn’t always been conscious of. Besides, the very process of answering these questions had me thinking about the evolution of my career until now, and where I want it to go next. Check out my profile personas below when I just started taking the quizzes:
And here’s how I come across to others, which was an eye opener for me as I tend to push myself too hard and get close to crashing afterwards (blame it on those sleepless nights writing term papers in college):
What I really like about this app is that it’s a constant work in progress. Each quizz uncovers a new feature which allows you to take even more in-depth assessments of yourself. My favorite feature is the CompanyFit feature which assesses how you fit with the companies of your choice. You can also start following those companies you’re interested in, and receive job posting notifications from them! Even better, you can now connect with people from these same companies! In addition, connecting your account to your Linked In, Google+ and Facebook accounts helps you add more to the mix as well.. And did I mention the ability to form teams in different disciplines, including Quality Assurance, IT Support, Logistics, Finance, Sales, etc…
There are not many things I would change about this app. However, if you’re not into quizzes or assessments, this may not be for you. But overall, if finding career happiness and owning the way you work is important to you, Good&Co is one of the best career companions you’ll find!
So connect with me on Good&Co and let’s share our individual results! Finding career happiness is a journey, and it’s best when taken together…
Good&Co App
Now your turn: Have you or will you be trying the Good&Co app?
PS: For this program, you will download the Good&Co app and complete the quizzes to discover your unique strengths. Encourage your friends, family, and colleagues to download it as well so you can check your FitScore with them!You can find Good&Co on the App Store or Google Play Store.
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | May 16, 2017 | Find Your Purpose, Start Your Business
Have you been dreaming of building your own business? Are you hustling in your side business before and after work, creating your empire on the low? Are you ready to transition from employee to entrepreneur?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, you’re already going through what I call the shift. It’s that mind shift, that transition, during which you move from having an employee mindset to an entrepreneur mindset. And truth be told, it’s a scary, intimidating and quite challenging kind of shift…
Ask any entrepreneur out there, and they’ll probably tell you that one of the biggest obstacles to shifting from being an employee to an entrepreneur is not necessarily the money, or the commitment, or even the support. It’s the mindset.
After all, it’s more than about just creating a business. It’s an actual spiritual and emotional transformation that takes you from an established way of thinking, to a new, ground-breaking mentality. It’s leaving behind the belief that you should be dependent on a paycheck, the approval of bosses and co-workers, and a somewhat stable, albeit political environment> It’s plunging into a world of calculated uncertainty, a world where you must trust yourself to thrust yourself forward.
When I started my side hustle, I had no idea what this entailed. I thought it was cute to write blog posts and dip my hustler toes into the entrepreneurial pond. But even as a side hustler, you start realizing that in order to put yourself out there, in order to market and promote whatever it is that you have to offer to the world, you must first change your mind. You must first get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and kicking the fear out the door. For one of the first times in my life, I came face to face with the fear to even put my name on my work, the fear of others’ perceptions, and ultimately the fear of failure and being laughed at…
Entrepreneurship, in whatever capacity or form it shows itself in, is risky and fear-inducing. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling lemonade in your backyard as a kid, writing your first book, or hustling to market your brand after-hours.
It took a lot of looking at other successful entrepreneurs, a lot of reading books written by other entrepreneurs, and a lot of uncomfortable soul-searching, nervous twitching and chocolate eating to start even scratching the surface of understanding this shift. And the reality is, there are even few entrepreneurs out there who acknowledge and talk about this switch between the employee and entrepreneur mindset.
One of the few entrepreneurs whom I’ve heard discuss it and acknowledge is Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad, Poor Dad book series and franchise. In his books, he often refers to the emotional and spiritual work needed to make the transition from employee to entrepreneur. It’s easy to think that it’s all about getting the money, the right investors, the perfect business opportunity. But there’s more to it…
The more you’re able to change your mindset from employee to entrepreneur, the more you’re able to ensure your success. The more you can enjoy the transition and thrive in it. Here are 7 switches you can start making today to go from employee to entrepreneur in your mind first:
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Employee: “I’m afraid so I must conform” vs. Entrepreneur: “My fear fuels me”
Being an employee also means being a part of a system. And let’s be real, very often, if not most often, being part of a system also means being part of a certain way of doing things. It may be how it’s done in your company, or in your department, or even in your group. Which also implies a certain underlying sense of fear if we do not conform…But we don’t admit the fear often enough to start realizing what it makes us do…
However, being an entrepreneur means first and foremost admitting that fear is definitely involved. But it’s also learning to use that fear as fuel instead of as an obstacle. To use the fear as energy to create more, work harder and innovate more.
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Employee: “Mistakes are bad” vs. Entrepreneur: “My mistakes make me succeed”
The more mistakes you make as an employee, the closer you may get to getting fired. Right? Mistakes are not very popular in the conventional world of business. They’re perceived as costing money, time and energy. So we see them as bad and try as much as possible to stay away from them. Even if that involves pointing fingers and shifting the blame…
But an entrepreneur knows to value mistakes as the pathway to success. It’s only when you make mistakes and learn from them that you can improve and get better. Didn’t Michael Jordan famously say: “I’ve failed over and over in my life, and that’s why I succeed”? Oprah was fired at 23, depressed in her early 30’s, and faced seemingly insurmountable life challenges. Edison invented the lightbulb only after about 1,000 attempts. What does that tell you about the power of mistakes and failing?
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Employee: “Security is taking no risks” vs. Entrepreneur: “Security is taking calculated risks”
Security is a steady paycheck and a reliable 401k. However, employment at will says you can get let go without cause. And it has been proven that 401ks are questionable ways to save for retirement.
Where security in the conventional business world may mean getting a paycheck and saving, for an entrepreneur it’s a matter of taking calculated risks.
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Employee: “I must know it all” vs. “Entrepreneur: “I’m constantly learning”
Entrepreneurs are constant learners. Whereas there’s often an implicit requirement as employees to “know it all”, or at least pretend that we do, it’s important to start shifting your mindset to one where you’re not afraid to admit you don’t know everything. One where you’re open to learning constantly…
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Employee: “ I must be the smartest person in the room” vs. Entrepreneur: “I surround myself with people who are smarter than me”
Do you notice that successful entrepreneurs are not afraid to surround themselves with people much smarter than them? It’s about reaching a common goal rather than looking a certain way.
However, in many a corporate environment, in order to thrive, you may have to be perceived as the smartest person in the room.
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Employee: “It’s important that I look good on the outside” vs. Entrepreneur: “Who I am inside is more important”
Going out on your own entrepreneurial venture doesn’t just require an enormous amount of guts. It also requires a deep internal shift based on strong faith and a commitment to better yourself.
Unlike in situations when employees may have to look, dress or speak the part to be deemed worthy…
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Employee: “The goal is my next promotion” vs. Entrepreneur: “ The goal is the journey”
Look at most performance reviews and you’ll notice that the goals are clearly structured in terms of the next thing to do, have or achieve… The next promotion, the next advancement opportunity, the next raise, etc….
Yet the entrepreneurial journey is a process in and of itself. One that is built upon each achievement, each failure, each lesson learnt.
Have you made some of these switches in your own journey?
To Your success,
The Corporate Sis
by Solange Lopes | May 7, 2017 | Career, Find Your Purpose
A Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
As I turned the last page of “Year of Yes”, the best-selling book written by the creator of Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, as well as the executive producer of How to Get Away with Murder, I heard myself uttering the word “Yes”! Actually, reading this book by one of the most extraordinary women ever, whose creative empire “Shondaland” is named after her, had me saying “yes” over, over and over again!
Who would have thought that the powerful Shonda Rhimes was an introvert? That despite her major successes and popular acclaim, she was actually avoiding public appearances? That interviews triggered panic attacks for her? That’s how the “Year of Yes” starts, with a powerful woman who, like so many of us, is afraid. Afraid of our own brilliance, afraid of our potential, afraid of our power.
When her sister Delores tells her during a Thanksgiving holiday that she always says “no” to amazing opportunities, Rhimes realizes that despite her many successes, she also was miserable inside. That’s when she committed to saying “yes” for an entire year to new opportunities showing up in her life. Which meant facing her debilitating social anxiety and say yes to being on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”, or giving her much acclaimed speech at her alma mater Dartmouth, and so many more things she would have politely declined before…
I remember thinking “Well, must be nice to saying yes to sharing a box at the Kennedy Center Honors with President and Michelle Obama”! Yet I recognized in her what I, and so many of us, do to ourselves. How, despite our biggest accomplishments, we fail to give ourselves the compassion, love and acceptance we so crave. While everyone else may be applauding us, congratulating us, or even hate on us, we keep ourselves busy ducking, hiding our greatness, and diminishing our successes. That’s when we don’t give credit to others, our teams, families, and friends for the hard work we continuously put in. I mean, how many of us would simply admit, out loud, that we’re badasses!
As an introvert myself, and definitely one who’s struggled with acknowledging my own worth, here are three lessons I got from “A Year of Yes” and why I think all women should read it at least once a year:
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Say “Yes” To Your Own Greatness
You’ve heard it before, “you have greatness within you”. You may just not have believed it. So you duck and hide when receiving a compliment. You do amazing stuff day in and day out, and give yourself zero credits for it. Actually, when you’re not giving others the credit for you accomplishments, you’re watching said credit be distributed to everyone else but you.
In her book, Rhimes pushes us instead to acknowledge our inner badasses. I love how she describes her struggle to simply say “thank you” when receiving a compliment. With no explanations or justifications. Simply saying “thank you” and smiling! I’ve actually been putting it into practice, and yes, it feels great…
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Say Yes to Winning as A Mom
When Rhimes starts talking about motherhood in her book, all I can say is “Yes, yes, and yes”! She clearly makes a strong point about motherhood not being this sacrificial experience in which we’re supposed to leave our identities, passions and talents at the door. We can still be strong , badass moms thriving and succeeding in our lives and careers. I love the part when she talks about replacing the sappy greeting cards celebrating moms for all their sacrifices, with celebratory testimonials of how badass women inspire their children to be their best.
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Say Yes to Real Relationships
Maya Angelou said it right: “ When people show you who they are, believe them”. We don’t realize how much the people around you can impact our growth, until we start growing. In her book, Rhimes discusses some of her toxic friends whom she had to distance herself with. As she started growing, embracing and saying yes to herself, they grew more resentful.
How many times have you faced breakthroughs and transitions in your life and realized that some of the people you thought were there for you, were actually not for you? I loved that Rhimes’ growth showed this doesn’t just happen to the rest of us. The healthier you become, the more you need to surround yourself with healthy people in your corner.
Have you read or re-read “A Year of Yes”? What did you think about it?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 26, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
I’m Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi
So after laughing for a few weeks straight after side-eyeing the last words in Luvvie Ajayi’s “I’m Judging You”, I’ve finally gotten to write my review. And it could basically be summarized in three words/phrases: side eyes, laughs, and a masterpiece.
Literally, this was one of the very few times that I sat/laid/rolled in front of a book, laughing my eyeballs out…And yes, your significant others will cut strange glances at you as you treat this book like your funny BFF from high school who cracks the best jokes about everybody and their mama…
In her book, released last September, Nigerian-born author Luvvie Ajayi, well…judges you, I and everybody else… I mean, she lays it on us, hilariously sharing her funny but oh so real take on serious issues ranging from racism, sexism to social media and the abuse of hashtags…Her do-better manual is a real, down-to-earth guide to all those modern sins we’re surrounded by (or commit ourselves) and how to, well…do better…
In the four sections of the book, namely Life, Culture, Social Media and Fame, Ajayi diagnoses the ills of our contemporary society in laugh-out loud chapters with hilarious titles such as “Your Facebook is my favorite soap opera” and exposes the naked truth many of us don’t see or admit most of the time.
Ajayi, whose previous professional experience includes marketing and digital strategist, started blogging in 2003. Within a short timeframe, she launched Awesomelyluvvie.com. Through her blog, she’s gathered a growing following of fans by writing about popular topics and topics she’s passionate about, such as her compelling reviews of the widely acclaimed Shonda Rhimes’ brainchild “Scandal”.
I personally felt a deep connection to the book, being a fellow West African like Ajayi. Some of the anecdotes she referred to, from the very African art of the side eye to her experience as an African immigrant (hello Africa’s not a jungle, or a single country), felt like home sweet home. Ajayi’s voice feels like the sister from back home who eats rice and knows what it means to have your African first name butchered in American school…
All in all, Ajayi’s collection of humorous lectures and sharp essays is a must-read. The book is even currently being developed as a cable series by Scandal’s Shonda Rhimes, and promises to be a sweeping societal movement. Plus a reminder that we should all do better, and yes, I’m giving you the side-eye…
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Mar 7, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
March is here, and it’s officially #WomensHistoryMonth! Which also means I’m personally stocking up on all my inspirational, power-to-women quotes for the remainder of the year…
Women’s rights still have quite some way to go, but we’ve also made some major headway over time, and that’s worth celebrating. From pay equality to shattering the glass ceiling, not to mention legal rights, there’s still much work to do…Yet, in honor of how far we’ve come and how far we’re still going, here are 16 of my absolute favorite quote for Women’s History Month:
“It is a fact that when you change a girl’s life, you effect her vision of herself and her immediate world and the world that she will have an impact on.” Oprah Winfrey
“Women and girls can do anything. And all of us, everywhere, should have the chance to prove that.” – Melinda Gates
“The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.” — Roseanne Barr
“It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.” — Warsan Shire
“So the work continues. And for all the young women in this room, all the young men, we can never be complacent. Because we have seen in recent times how quickly things can be taken away if we aren’t vigilant, if we don’t know our history, if we don’t continue the work.” Michelle Obama
“If you are a man who believes your daughter should have the same opportunities and rights as your son, then you’re a feminist.” Beyonce
“It’s important for young women to have a constant reminder that there are amazing female role models, and that they can do anything. Anything at all.” – Ellen DeGeneres
“I’m done compromising; even more so, I’m done with being compromised.” – Mila Kunis
“Stay in for yourself and stay in for the women who are going to follow you. Stay in it for my 8-year old daughter.”– Sheryl Sandberg
“Our bodies are instruments, not ornaments. We should celebrate our different shapes and sizes, our caesarean scars and all the other beautiful imperfections that make us who we are.“—Gloria Steinem
“Human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights.” — Hillary Clinton
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it’s done right. Even a pancake.” —Julia Child
“If nobody can learn from the past, then there’s no point in raking it up.” —Billie Holiday
“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically. … No, the only tired I was was tired of giving in.” —Rosa Parks
“Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door.” —Coco Chanel
What other inspirational quotes would you like to share for Women’s History Month?
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
by Solange Lopes | Jan 16, 2017 | Find Your Purpose
Embed from Getty Images
I remember walking around Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard next to the Terrou Bi hotel in my native city of Dakar, Senegal, a continent away from where one of the most influential Black leaders in history lived and died. As a young African girl living across the ocean from the U.S. back then, and despite the distance, Dr. King’s name was already imprinted in mine and millions of other’ stories. That’s how much of an impact this extraordinary man had on the entire world…
Every year as we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we’re reminded that if it were not for his work and mission, we wouldn’t be where we are today. All of us. Not just Black men and women, but for all of us people. Because every time progress, equality and justice is accomplished for even one person, it’s done for all of us. We may not always see or recognize how it affects our lives, but it’s on days like these that we have the opportunity to sit back and ponder how far we’ve come. And how far we still have to go…
From his powerful story to being celebrated in the movie “Selma” decades later, Dr. King continues to teach us some of the most important life and legacy lessons. Which is why I’ve taken a reflective pause today to gather 12 of my personal favorite quotes from Dr. King to inspire us to keep reaching higher, wherever we amy be in the world or in our lives:
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve…You only need a hart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” From “The Drum Major Instinct“, 1968.
“The time is always right to do what is right”.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”‘
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
” I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
“The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
“Intelligence plus character – that is the true goal of education.”
“No person has the right to rain on your dreams.”
In closing, check out this great video to learn even more about the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:
Happy MLK Day!
To Your Success,
The Corporate Sis.
