In September, I had my quarter life crisis.
Realizing I was entering my mid-twenties still unsure of exactly what I wanted to be “when I grew up” hit me like a bag of rocks. In August, I had started a Masters program, but I just wasn’t sure if I was in the right place. No matter what, I knew it was time to make a change.
When I discovered Bossed Up, I dove head-first into all the free resources available on the website. The articles I was reading and the webinars I was attending were so helpful and I knew that if the free resources were so beneficial, Bootcamp had to be something special.
Within a few months of discovering Bossed Up, I registered for Bootcamp with professional development sponsorship from my work. Now just a month out, I’ve taken away so much and discovered a new sense of motivation within – I can’t help but want to share what I’ve learned!
Here are the top 6 takeaways I gained from Bossed Up Bootcamp:
1) I learned how to dream again.
Somewhere between high school and heading off to college I was told to be realistic in my dreams so many times, that I stopped dreaming altogether. Five undergraduate majors and one degree later, I still didn’t know what that dream was supposed to be.
Bootcamp opened my mind up to the power of dreaming big, something I’d long forgotten. I was able to introduce myself to the other women at Bootcamp as someone I dream to become, based upon my values and vision, rather than my current circumstances. During the exercises at Bootcamp I was able to finally hear from my intuition, rather than my ego.
2) I learned how to negotiate #likeaboss.
Before Bootcamp, I had heard of pay negotiation, but didn’t know how to navigate the process and honestly would have lacked the confidence to negotiate successfully. Bootcamp not only gave me the step-by-step process to negotiate, but also gave me the chance to practice answering salary-related interview questions and asking for what I’m worth. With the average lifetime wage gap for women over a 40-year career being $430,480 – I can’t afford not to negotiate.
3) I learned to lift as I climb.
It’s easy to get caught up in competition. Success can sometimes become a race to the top and we’ll trample others in our path to reach the top. It’s time to change this mindset.
At Bootcamp, I was surrounded by a group of similar, yet different women. Each of us had our own set of values and goals and some of us had similar goals. While it might be easiest to step on someone else to get to the top, the climb becomes much more pleasant and sustainable when we’re reaching out a helping hand to others, who then give us our boost to the next step. I am now constantly offering my hand to other women to help them make their next step and finally accepting help from those who want to assist me in my climb.
4) I learned to assert myself in the leadership roles I have earned.
As a first year supervisor in my current role, I have struggled with being assertive. Bootcamp taught me how to assert myself as a boss. At Bootcamp, we practiced being assertive in a variety of different scenarios. I asked one fellow boss about how she managed to be assertive so easily in the workplace and she told me she just did it. She was confident in her decisions and knew that she had the experience to back her up.
After Bootcamp, I watched other colleagues assert themselves without hesitation and realized there wasn’t some secret trick to being assertive. If you want to be assertive, you be assertive, but also need to know the difference between being assertive and aggressive. I began to share my ideas and ask staff members I supervise to complete tasks with confidence and without hesitation.
5) I found a community of Bossed Up women to encourage and challenge me.
All of the women at Bootcamp were so friendly and encouraging. We were all there for similar reasons and I was surprised by just how much we had in common. At Bootcamp, all of the women listened to one another. We had our own stories to tell, but at the same time wanted to listen to the stories and successes of the women around us.
This support didn’t stop at Bootcamp. As a Bootcamp alum, we were connected via email to our class and connected via a private Facebook group to Bootcamp alums from across the country. The women in this group are so supportive and always willing to give advice, encouragement, or support in any other way they can. There’s a broad range of talents, networks, and industries available through connections with other women lifting as they climb.
6) I learned where I’m going and how I’m going to get there.
Before Bootcamp, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually taken the time to write down my goals. At the end of the first day of Bootcamp, you will get the time to think about your goals, write them down, and identify the next steps to accomplish them. This was critical in turning those new dreams from the start of Bootcamp into a reality for the future.
Are you navigating a pivot point in your career?
Check out all the upcoming Bossed Up Bootcamps here and apply to join us today! These takeaways were only a small portion of the experiences and lessons I got out of my time at Bootcamp – and I can assure you, this is one weekend you won’t regret.
Article originally published on Bossed Up.
