Doing What I Had To Do…Until I Could Do What I Wanted To Do

Hello and Welcome! Happy New Year!! If you’re reading this, you’ve been gifted the start of a New Year filled with opportunities, yet to unfold, as you journey through the year, 2025.

As I think back over my journey back into the workspace, via the Ticket To Work Program (MEO Style), I’m reminded that in life some of the jobs we work aren’t always the jobs we prefer. But they can be a starting point…a foot in the door…a part of the pathway that leads to our desired destination. Whether it’s a preference or not, there is always something that we can learn from the experience, carrying it forward, helping ourselves and others.

In these situations, motivating ourselves is key. Even when we have others around us doing their best to motivate us, self-motivation pushes us further. One of the sticky statements I used to motivate myself was, I’ll do what I have to do…until I can do what I want to do. What I wanted to do was get back to Vocational Counseling and working with people with (dis)abilities. What I was doing, at the time, was working as a Sr. Technical Support Representative. Those are two very different worlds, so I had to find something in the world of Tech Support to satisfy my natural need to help people. I reminded myself that, although I wasn’t helping people in the way that I had previously in my career; because it was a customer service role, I was still helping people. 

I had to frame it in a way that motivated me, instead of deflating me and sucking my energy. That can make you feel stuck and defeated, creating an invitation to depression. The way I framed it was that in this customer service role, I was helping people with their devices. When I really thought about it, especially for those of us with (dis)abilities, our devices can be our lifeline. So, helping people troubleshoot and resolve the malfunctions of their devices, reconnected them to the outside world and in some cases, provided safety and security. My devices are my main connection to the outside world, because of my (dis)ability. In other words, I got the satisfaction I needed to help others, in spite of my own (dis)ability, through my work doing Tech Support. Did it satisfy me at the time? Just enough to help my life feel purposeful. However, it wasn’t enough for me to settle. But I would continue doing what I had to do…until I could do what I wanted to do.

And so, my search continued while I worked. I had the flow of the extra income and my Employment Counselor’s assist with continuing to search for what I was looking for. I knew what I wanted, but didn’t know how it was possible to do it from home. A very valuable lesson I learned from my work from home customer service job, is that working from home isn’t as easy as it sounds. Once I became successful at managing my (dis)ability, so that I could work and navigate the process of transforming into a work from home mindset; it got much easier. I had to be intentional about everything and aware of everything, especially of myself and adjustments I needed to make in my work pattern so that I could work successfully, long-term.

I also had to learn how to exist in a world of metrics…what it meant…how it worked…and how to be successful in a space where everything is data-driven by workforce analytics to track employees’ productivity and efficiency. It was a bit intimidating at first, but then I decided not to be overly consumed with metrics. Yes, I wanted my metrics scores to be high. After all, that’s how the quality of my work was determined. But for me, being overly consumed by the thought of my metrics didn’t help me perform well. I decided that I would work hard to do the best I could to help my customers resolve the issue they presented, not just quickly, but completely. In other words, I would make sure my customer was satisfied and hoped for the best with my metrics. It worked in my favor, thank goodness! 

I believe that if you want to learn something well, you look for someone who does whatever that is, well. There was a SME (Subject Matter Expert) who was a big help during my training process. I was impressed with her knowledge, so I asked her how she became so good at what she does. She told me something that I’ve never forgotten, and I share it with my clients when they are going through training. She told me not to try remembering everything we were being taught during training, but to master where to find the answers. It worked! When I was on calls with my customers, I didn’t have to deal with the nervousness of trying to remember what to do…I learned to master my resources…so I knew where to go to find the answers I needed to resolve my customers’ concerns.

The wisdom of the SME, during my training, impacted my life in a positive way and made a significant impact in my rapid move up the ladder to Sr. Tech Support. That information wasn’t just for me…because I’ve chosen to pass it on, it continues to make a difference in the training process for others.

We can’t live long enough to make all the mistakes that can possibly come our way; learning from what others have already navigated through, saves us some time and catapults us through some quantum leaps. I never want others to go through any hardships that I’ve gone through, if it’s avoidable. That’s why I write, sharing chapters of my story and experiences in hopes that it will help, in some way. And that’s why those of us at My Employment Options (MEO), who have been through a thing or two, use what we’ve learned on our professional and life journeys to assist our clients to the best of our abilities. I learned from the wisdom of my Employment Counselor and my Benefits Counselor, who are SME’s in their own right.

Every day we have the opportunity to say, Good Morning…we have another opportunity to learn how to do a thing a different way. And no matter our (dis)ability, there is something in us…some characteristic that will make someone else’s life a little bit better or some skill that we can pass on to help another.

Our journey back to the working space…may not always look the way we want it to look, at the beginning of the journey. I’m so grateful that I didn’t give up and did what I had to do…with determination…until I could do what I wanted to do. I will forever be grateful to the Ticket to Work Program(MEO Style) for being the support I needed to help me realize my dream…one step at a time!! I heard someone say, recently, we can’t be our best selves, by ourselves. We need support and that’s what MEO and the TTWP have been for me.

Thank you for the time you’ve taken to read our blog. Time is our life, so we don’t take yours for granted. Please join us again as I share lessons learned on my journey back into the workspace. I wish you all the best in this New Year filled with possibilities!! Until next time…take good care of yourselves…

**If this is your first visit to our blog site, please feel free to visit previous blogs. If you’re interested in more information regarding applying for the MEO Ticket to Work Program…click here: https://myemploymentoptions.com/apply-now/