Missing Ingredients for Business Success: My experience

Reflecting on my life, I've realized that a significant challenge I encountered while trying to build a successful career before my forties was a lack of self-confidence. But I also get that this isn't the only thing that holds people back—many factors influence when and how we kick off our careers.

Some of these factors are out of our control, but what truly matters is recognizing the right moment to build a successful career.

Some folks find their path in their twenties, others in their thirties, and some, like me, in their forties. The truth is, you can create a meaningful career at any age—whether you're in your twenties, thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, or beyond. 😊

Realizing this inspires me to help others overcome their struggles and chase their dreams, no matter how old they are.

Even though we have the same 24 hours a day, we all live different lives. How come some people manage to accomplish way more than others? I often find myself thinking about what their secret to success might be. There’s no simple answer, though, since numerous factors can impact someone’s career.

My experience

I am a hard worker, persistent, ready to learn new things, enthusiastic, full of different ideas, and creative, but I am also in my 40s, and success has been avoiding me all these years.

When I say - lack of success - I mean career success.

I am happy with my family life. I don't know. It may not be possible to have both. If we all have the same 24 hours, we have some priorities. Mine is my family. This may be part of the answer. Different people have different priorities and focus on some things more than others.

Whether success depends on what you want to focus on?

Well, I am not sure... 

I was very focused on my journalism career at a time when I didn't have a family of my own. However, something still felt missing.

But what?

Maybe better social skills and luck. I will back on this to elaborate 🤓but first, a few words about my previous professional and life odyssey🤣

My professional journey has been quite diverse. During my studies, I took on various roles, including working in a bakery, a money exchange, a café, and even a brief stint as a traveling salesman. However, these were student jobs and not intended to build long-term careers.

One job that resonated with my interests was working as a real estate agent. I'm not sure why it didn't work out for me; perhaps it was my lack of experience in the field. I was pretty young at the time, and my studies took priority.

So the missing ingredient could be - it wasn't the right time for that job.

After completing my degree in political science, I transitioned into journalism, where I worked for quite a while. I stayed in that job because I believed my studies would lead me to a fulfilling career in journalism.

You can't be a "journalist star" if you don't have good social skills.

Let's elaborate on this missing ingredient: lack of social skills.🤓

I’ve got some social skills, for sure. I’m a good listener and a loyal friend, but I’ve never really been into the "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" kind of friendship.

You remember Aristotle, right? He talked about three types of friendship.

Why bring up Aristotle's division of friendship when discussing colleague relationships?

In my opinion, journalism is a profession in which it is crucial to have the right social skills.

The first is the friendship of utility. These friendships are based on what someone can do for you or what you can do for another person. Oh, this kind of friendship is not my cup of tea.

And that may be part of the answer - one social skill I never learned.

I was always afraid that someone would do me a favor and then expect a favor in return, and I wouldn’t be able to reciprocate.

The second type of friendship is the friendship of pleasure, based on the enjoyment of a shared activity. For instance, this might be someone you go for drinks with or join a particular hobby with.  While this kind of friendship is great and relaxing, I've never been able to find it in my life, even though I've wanted to. Why? Maybe because I have never been good at small talk. I knew how to chitchat, but I always felt a bit insecure and worried that I’d say something stupid.

Two magic ingredients were missing: better social skills and self-confidence.

And a third kind of friendship - the one I really like- the friendship of virtue—people you like for themselves. So, working as a journalist, I found a wonderful friend, my godmother. 😊

Do you need social skills for all three kinds of friendship to know how to cope with people who work in the journalism profession? Maybe...

And without self-confidence and great social skills, there is no career improvement. And without career improvement, there is no money.

The financial strain significantly influenced my decision to explore other career options. No matter what, I loved that journalism and looked forward to every article I wrote.

I began another challenging journey through various professions. I worked as a secretary and then as a salesperson in a bookstore. But those jobs had one common denominator: low salaries. Consequently, I needed to find a better-paying position.

To achieve this, I completed a brokerage course, as brokers at that time had high salaries. I subsequently secured a job as a broker and worked happily until most brokerage firms in my country went out of business. Unfortunately, the firm I worked for also closed its doors. This turmoil occurred during the collapse of the entire banking sector in 2009.

Lucky me😞.

Another missing ingredient for business success is certainly luck!

After that, I found a job as a secretary again.

Although I haven't had a 'successful' career in the traditional sense, my journey through various professions has equipped me with a diverse skill set and a wealth of experience.

In my ongoing search for a better-paying job, I also completed several courses during different stages of my professional journey:

- A basic Spanish language course

- Mediation training

- Specialized mediation training for labor disputes

Although that knowledge has never been practically applied at work, it doesn't matter.

This professional and life odyssey has ultimately brought me something valuable: a wealth of experience.

With a lot of experience, enthusiasm, willingness to learn, adaptability, analytical skills, persistence, creativity, and curiosity, I can at least try to do something that depends on me. I am ready to take control of my career and switch off "luck" or external factors as much as possible😊.

Blogging could be That Job. I don't need to change my main focus from family to career and don't need quick success. I have prepared my blog for years…, and I enjoy it at a slow tempo.

What is your experience?