Who is this woman asking, “May I help you?”
You won’t know.
You won’t know that I’ve always had a deep respect for people and for their views and want them to succeed.
You won’t be able to know until we converse and work together.
Sure, I have titles, degrees and accolades. And while they contribute to Who I Am, they are but skills. Skills I’ve learned, practiced and refined throughout my life.
So, let’s talk skills: These are my skills.
Leadership:
Deciding when and how to meet the needs of both goals and people who are tasked to complete those goals. I always refused to sacrifice one for the other. I held both the assignment, goal, or project and the people involved as equals. Neither having more value or importance than the other.
My experience in becoming proficient in this skill started at a very early age, as a seven year old having to make the decision whether to stand up for another seven year old being ridiculed by a teacher or turn away. I dealt with the consequences.
Throughout high school, college and graduate school, combined with my experiences in the military, plus my experience as an 18-year-old working as a nurse’s aide during freshman-year summer break, all contributed to building my leadership skills. That experience as a nurse’s aide led me to help both older people and employees by becoming a Nursing Home Administrator and, later, an advocate for those receiving health care as a family and elder care consultant.
My experience in leadership spilled over into every venture I endeavored, including creating a nonprofit to help save animals in our local community. The mission was to rescue animals and help people keep their pets. Again, treating people and animals equally. Neither having more value than the other. Leadership is the ability to bring together people in such a way that both the goal and the people doing what is necessary to meet it succeed—together. Neither being given more value than the other. All parties able to work toward a common negotiated purpose.
Motivator:
The skill of identifying the resources a person has and partnering with the person to strategize how the person can best reach their goal and attain what they want. All areas of living my life offered me the opportunities to develop and become proficient in this skill.
Creator:
Skill in being vigilant in meeting the needs and goals of people through continued discussions, and flexible in making changes.
Facilitator:
Skill in identifying the needs of people and groups, and creating programs that successfully met their needs.
From one of my first, “remotivation,” a program that helped people suffering from short-term memory loss tap into their long-term memory and experience “happy moments,” to my latest, The Writers Gathering, a group I created to help writers at any stage of their journey come together to share their ideas and writings in a supportive, caring, non-critical environment.
Helper:
As a family and marriage counselor for thirty-plus years, now retired. Notice I didn’t capitalize the state license designation that I held. I didn’t because I’m not, nor have I ever been, the important person in the process of helping others. The people who have allowed me to walk with them have trusted me to help them achieve their goal(s) toward creating happy and fulfilling lives. They are the important people. For the rest:
Who I Am – Who is this woman asking, “May I help you?”
You won’t know.
You won’t know that I’ve always had a deep respect for people and for their views and want them to succeed.
You won’t be able to know until we converse and work together.
