Mischief to Magic by Gwen Elliott
Oprah doesn’t make vision boards. She believes that our energies and what is meant to be is fragile, and only occurs when what we want and what the universe has is store for us align naturally. Along my journey thus far, I’ve found that to be 1000% true.
I’m Gwen: Charlotte native, Tar Heel graduate and Southern transplant based in New York City. In the first year after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill I started my first full-time job, moved to New York City, got married, and started my second full-time job.
When I moved to New York, I was working as a social media manager for an events company that specialized in fandom events. It was a (rapidly growing) startup, and I was one of the first few hires that wasn’t closely tied to the events via volunteering, friends, etc. I had completed social media internships and had a history of improving accounts’ presence, engagement, and increasing followers, but I wasn’t entirely passionate about the content I was posting or the events we hosted. BUT! Because 50% of the company worked remotely, I had an incredibly flexible work schedule that allowed me to work from home when I first moved to NYC which was critical when getting packages, installing appliances, etc. Additionally, I was blessed to have competitive benefits, unlimited PTO, and unlimited sick days.
As a new grad, I felt lucky just to have a salaried position. I was comfortable, and had no plans to leave the company…until Viacom (now ViacomCBS) reached out about an entry-level opportunity that I qualified for nine months into my first year at the company.
I interned with BET my junior year of college and loved the company, culture, content, etc. and hoped to re-enter the entertainment industry but I was caught completely off guard. I immediately told my husband, and shortly after, my best friends (key members of my Board of Directors). One of them, Micheline, quickly became my professional coach. She urged me to seriously consider taking the initial call, reminding me that when you’re early in your career, you have the most flexibility to switch jobs and take risks. Like most of our conversations, I took her advice and found myself with a job offer less than a month later.
I didn’t want to be “wooed” into jumping ship for a bigger name, or let those at my old company feel like I abandoned them (the culture was very complex and tight knit). At the end of the day, countless prayers, pros and cons lists, and conversations let me to accept the job offer. The process was excruciating and I almost let the fear of something “worse” keep me from the best professional decision I’ve made thus far. I’m happier, healthier, much more professionally fulfilled, and I truly can say that I love my job and the projects I work on.
Through this part of my life I have learned:
1) Always have a “Board of Directors”
a. A “Board of Directors” is a group of individuals that you can lean on/call on when making decisions in life. I’ve built mine based on my friends, sisters, mentors, and connections I’ve made along the way. We’re not meant to go through this life alone, and your Board of Directors can make the journey a little easier.
2) Trust Your Instincts. You can talk to everyone you have ever met. But, not even your parents, can accurately analyze your instincts and your deepest desires. Trust them, and even if they lead you down a path that you didn’t expect, all things in your life are working for your good.
3) Find the lesson in each circumstance. After I accepted my job offer. I took the time to reflect on my experiences at the first company. I asked myself questions like, “what lessons did I learn?” “what do I want to take with me?” “what do I NOT want to take with me?” “what did I like best?” “what did I like the least”Ultimately, the way I can best understand my situation is that my underlying desire and the opportunities of the universe met on that day, and I was in tune enough with God and my spirit to make the right decision for my destiny.
- Gwen Elliott