Work Ethic, Careers, and Finding My Fit.

There are days when I feel like I was always meant for more. I was never quite sure what “more” was supposed to look like. My path didn’t include a shiny college degree or a string of fancy acronyms after my name. Instead, my education came in a very different form.

I became a mom as a teenager, started a family in my early twenties, and spent years working late nights, weekends, and sometimes three jobs at once. All while raising kids, being a wife, keeping a home running, serving as PTO president, baseball mom, snack mom, Brownies mom, lunch lady, HOA president, friend, daughter and sister. You name it, it probably landed on my lap at some point. I didn’t nail every role, and I made more mistakes than I can count. But those mistakes were teachers. Those detours built me.

Some people say I’m a leader because I’m bossy. And well….let’s blame that on my Greek heritage. But truthfully, I come from a generation that worked for everything. The generation that picked up the phone instead of texting, looked people in the eye and shook hands, bought their own cars, paid their own insurance, and learned resilience the hard way. We didn’t get participation trophies—we got told to dust ourselves off and get back out there. And honestly, I’ve never been more grateful for that upbringing.

Over the years, I’ve worked jobs I hated, jobs I loved, and jobs people probably wouldn’t even believe I actually did (yes, it’s true. I once taught pole dancing classes). Every single one of those experiences gave me skills, grit, and perspective that no textbook ever could.

Now, at 44, I’ve built a career I love. Some days I feel overqualified, other days underqualified, but both have pushed me to keep learning and growing. I don’t have a framed diploma hanging on my wall, but I do have a resume full of diverse experience and stories that taught me everything from perseverance to leadership to humility. I’ve worked with people who inspired me and people who drained me. Both shaped me into the person I am today.

I am proud of the work ethic I’ve built and the example it sets for my kids. My husband and I raised them in a generation that often glorifies shortcuts, entitlement, and “participation trophies,” but we raised them with old-school values. We taught them that nothing is given, everything is earned, kindness matters, and grit will carry you through when talent and privilege can’t. And you better believe I’ll pat myself on the back for that.

If I leave behind any kind of legacy, I hope it’s this:

1. Expect nothing, but work hard for everything.
2. Be kind to everyone, but trust carefully.
3. Don’t give up, but know when to adjust your sails.
4. And most of all, enjoy the fruits of your hard work. Explore, live, and savor every damn thing this life has to offer.
   

Because if there’s one thing I know for certain… its that our time on Earth doesn’t last forever and you can’t take it with you when you leave!