I realized I was more convincing to myself and to the people who were listening when I actually said what I thought, versus what I thought people wanted to hear me say.
Ursula BurnsRead
Fresh out of college, you tend to join a company because it's a job. But, you tend to stay because it becomes a career; you start to feel at home. In the beginning of your career, you're focused on you: 'I like this place because I'm doing rewarding work; they take good care of me; the people are nice; there's runway for me,' etc.
Interpretation
Initially, you work for a job, but as you grow, it becomes a fulfilling career that feels like home.
Ursula Burns highlights the evolution of a professional journey, transitioning from simply seeking employment to developing a meaningful career. At first, individuals may join a company for the basic benefits it offers, but over time, their connection deepens as they find personal satisfaction in their work environment and relationships, leading to a sense of belonging and purpose.
In practice
This quote can be shared in a speech during a graduation ceremony to encourage new graduates to seek meaningful careers.
I realized I was more convincing to myself and to the people who were listening when I actually said what I thought, versus what I thought people wanted to hear me say.
My mother was amazing. I guess, in our community, if you wanted to get by you had to work hard. So she cleaned offices. She did everything that you could imagine. We were really poor. But she would say, 'Where you are is not who you are.'
My perspective comes in part from being a New York black lady, in part from being an engineer. I know I'm smart and have opinions worth being heard.
I'm a black lady from the Lower East Side of New York. Not a lot intimidates me.
For many people a job is more than an income - it's an important part of who we are. So a career transition of any sort is one of the most unsettling experiences you can face in your life.
Employers have gone away from the idea that an employee is a long-term asset to the company, someone to be nurtured and developed, to a new notion that they are disposable.
To say what I would have been if I wasn't boxing, I don't know why, but I always wanted to be an x-ray technician or a substitute teacher. Those two occupations always stuck with me, maybe because my substitute teacher didn't give us homework, or because I've always had x-rays of my hands.
If you're not enjoying your work, you should either change your attitude, or change your job.
My only advice is to try to get the job that's most like the job you want, rather than the one that's more prestigious. Always try to be the talent.
Sometimes you take a job for the money, sometimes you take it for the location, sometimes you take it for the script; there are just a number of reasons, and ultimately what you see is the whole landscape of it. But I can tell you from behind the scenes - that's what it is, as an actor.
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