I see the world in terms of people’s work. Julia Child’s work revolved around food and cooking. As I watched her movie the other night I was touched by her passion she was able to turn into a remarkable career in her 40s. She’s a great example of how it is never too late to succeed with a passion. But behind the scenes of Julia’s career was not an easy road. She struggled to the top with years of hard work, educational challenges, huge disappointments and at times feeling her efforts were worthless because she would never achieve anything. If you look behind most great careers there is often pain and suffering. But how people get through the pain in their career is what matters most. What we see with Julia and many others who have had great careers is that passion and a dose of patience often help people persevere.
Julia Child
My career is no exception. I didn’t know exactly how I would do what I loved—helping people find their calling. I worked in the training industry, went to school for years, raised my kids and then finally said it’s time to pursue my passion. Then I had the challenge of figuring out “how” to do it. After more years of research and work I created a career launch workshop, and Fast Focus Careers was born. I love being an entrepreneur but struggles will always be part of owning a business. It began with finding ways to jump-start a new business, then the ongoing trial and errors of marketing strategies and now it’s surviving an economic down turn. Most days I use my creative energy and love it. But some days I lean on my smart colleagues for support. The message I gained from Julia Child is that real passion and patience will carry us through the pain we experience behind the scenes. Because for 99% of us it takes years to become an over night success.
- Sunny K. Lurie, Ph.D.
