Hey everyone! What do you think about our Stress Point Online Study so far? If you’ve not had a chance to get your copy of the book, it’s not too late! Click on my Stress Point info page to find out where you can order your own copy to journal in, highlight, scribble in, write prayers, doodle…whatever your sweet heart desires.
Welcome to the Stress Point Week 1 Girlfriend Interview. Every Thursday I will be posting interviews from various friends of mine who’ve “been there, done that” and want to share advice with us.
Meet Glynnis Whitwer. She is a mentor of mine, an author, a mom, a wife, and a super interesting woman. I asked a few question of Glynnis in hopes to get some more conversation going about putting Jesus in the center of our career. (This week’s study topic.)
What kinds of twists and turns did your career take when you were a young adult?
My biggest twists and turns started in college. I entered college thinking I wanted to be a teacher. Then I wanted to use my six years of Spanish and work in international relations. However one class spoiled that idea for me. And I didn’t want to travel. In hindsight I don’t know what I was thinking. It wasn’t until I was a junior that I discovered public relations which would incorporate my love for writing and organizing special events.
I graduated with a degree in journalism and public relations and started working in the field. Very shortly I realized I was going to have to deal with the public … again, what was I thinking? I loved all the writing and behind-the-scenes planning, and wished that was were I could stay.
I might have still been trying to push through the parts of my job I didn’t like, except for God’s divine intervention and a move across country. He connected me with Proverbs 31 Ministries and completely changed my career and calling.
Was it frustrating trying to navigate this area of your life? If so, how?
When I was working in the field of PR, there were many frustrating parts. I was operating in my areas of greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses. And the weak areas were a constant source of stress. I’m not good at making strategic connections with people or thinking about the big picture. I’m much better at the details. But I was often in a position of needing to lead from my weaknesses.
What is ONE thing you wish you knew about jobs and careers when you were a 20something?
I wish I would have accepted my inherent personality strengths and weaknesses much earlier than I did. I had a vision of who I wanted to be: a high-powered, in-charge, career woman. But that wasn’t me. And it was hard to admit that there were things I didn’t do well. But when I accepted how God made me, He opened doors that allow me to use my strengths in ways that bring peace and balance rather than stress.
Don’t you love this great insight? What do you think about what Glynnis said about accepting our personality strengths and weaknesses? This is something that takes time, but if we allow ourselves to work through this in our young adult years, we set ourselves up for success later in life!
Let’s chat…leave a comment…
**Read more from Glynnis on her blog. She also has a great book out titled I Used To Be So Organized.
This really hit me this week. I am really struggling with what I want to do; what my purpose is. I am not working right now but I am going to college for business management. But I am just not sure if this is what I want my career to be. I want to figure out my purpose; why god put me here but i dont know how. Anyone have any suggestions?
I know when I was pursuing my bachelors degree I pursued all kinds of part time jobs to really figure out what I want to be and what purpose God wants me for. Try volunteering or shadowing people you know and see the many fields that is offered. I know what I assumed I would like, I ended up hating in the end, and now I am pursuing a whole different degree altogether.
Find your strengths and see where that can be helpful in the career field. That way you will grow and bring an advantage to that company. Good luck!
Mainly just meditate and pray about it too. God will guide you and show you confidence. Trust me, it worked for me. There may be struggles along the way but in the end it is worth it.
Such great advice!
Kristen, as one of the girls said this week on our Week 1 post-we don’t have to have it all figured out yet! As I wrote about in our Week 1 study post, if you seek God with all your heart, He will be found by you and He will reveal your purpose–in His perfect timing.
Also, I really think you are doing great with a degree in business management. This is a very well-rounded degree whether or not you end up later in life actually working as a business manager, running a business, an office, etc. I really think that this degree will help you more than you realize now in the long run.
Does this answer help?
Yes this does help! Thanks so much! God bless! I am really enjoying this study so far and I look forward to what is to come!
Thanks to both of you Maya and Sarah for sharing your advice and Kristen for sharing her struggles. I have the same struggles too. Due to picking up a full time job for the past 3 years, I put school on the backburner and am still working to wrap up my AA degree so I can move onto my bachelors.
It’s still unclear to me what I am meant to do or be, I actually don’t think I’ll ever sort it out because there are so many things that sound fun, interesting and I guess more glamorous than they probably really are. My degree will also be in business management, but I’ve also even considered changing that. I just do-not-know.
What I have always known in my life is that someday I want to be a good mother, a good wife, and a strong Christian woman for my own family and somehow become successful enough to provide my mom with a beautiful home. That’s about all I’ve figured out and unfortunately that won’t pay the bills.
I like what Glynnis said about accepting her weaknesses early on. I think this is important for everyone at any age to recognize their weakness, but be confident enough to work through it. Others can expect so much of us whether it’s in school, work, or social groups. We should be able to say “I’m not good at this, but this is what I’m great at”. If everyone did this I think we’d all be a little more accepting of ourselves and each other :)
I completly understand how you feel. I have been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life for years. That is why I am just now finishing up my associates degree. I want to get a bachelors but I do not know in what. I am just not sure business management is for me.
Thank you for sharing your struggles. It is good to know that we are not alone in how we feel. If you would like to talk more, feel free to e-mail me at kristen_lee_68@yahoo.com. I would be happy to talk more and maybe we could work through this study together! :-) God bless you!
Ashley! I love your perspective. It is totally ok if you don’t have everything all figured out. Seeking God first will lead you to His purpose. Also, just from experience, I REALLLY think your business degree will be beneficial for you. It is a very well-rounded degree. Just my two cents…for what they are worth. :)
I agree as well I feel the same I’m single and all my friends are dating seriously or getting engaged, married or having kids I feel alone and a step behind! It’s hard.
I wonder why God puts me or has put me in Jobs where my weaknesses come out.. then i become embarrased or get in trouble for it? Like I got fired from a daycare almost 4 years ago becasue a parent complained that i called her child a bully which i DID NOT say at all! But thinking back i may have been able to word it better.
So my weakness I have a hard time getting my tthoughts from my head to my mouth and alot of times thye come out so differently than what I was thinking.
Meg! I’m right there with you… I totally say things before thinking ALL the time. But, as I’ve realized this is one of my weaknesses, I’m working on it. It just takes time as you navigate through young adulthood to learn and grow and work through your weaknesses. You are on a great track! I love your attitude, my friend!
Maybe God has put you in these positions to help you recognize your weaknesses and isolate them from your strengths, so that you can build upon them?
If you know that you have trouble connecting your thoughts to words, just take your time…breathe…and *really* think about it before you say it (my boyfriend has this problem, so I know what it is like for you).
It’s important that we get our thoughts out clearly, but if you find yourself using the wrong words to the point where you are getting in trouble even though you don’t mean it the wrong way, all you can do is apologize and try to explain your weakness to the other person. If you catch yourself, don’t be afraid to stop and say “I didn’t mean that, let me start over..”
Good Luck Meg :)
Thanks Ashley!!!
Yes I agree 20 somethings is so far the most stressful decade of all. Especially trying to find yourself and where God wants you to be. I have made a lot of changes in my education and career and often when I see people around me starting their exciting life, I get worried. Will I reach that position that he/she is in? I know times are tough for me now, but I thank God for my life and the people around me. I then sense a feeling of peace and I am smiling once again on the inside. No worries- I am just in the tunnel right now, soon will I see the light. Thank you Sarah for starting this bible study and that I can take part in it. I really needed a place to speak my thoughts.
One thing that keep me going and believing in God so much through my troubles is that He never abandoned me and that He is my one constant in life always.
I love where I am right now with my education, I just need to graduate so I can pursue my passion. God Bless you!
Maya! Thanks for sharing your heart and your struggles. If you read through all of the comments so far I think you will see that you are totally not alone in those struggles. So glad that you are joining in on the study!
“One thing that keep me going and believing in God so much through my troubles is that He never abandoned me and that He is my one constant in life always.”…….Amen sista’! Life drags me down many a times, but He is the one that brings me right back to the surface <3
I wish I had accepted my strengths and weaknesses earlier on. I at times have felt like I was floundering around in jobs that were good but not great. I’m three days into a new job that I have decided is a good fit for me! :)
I completely agree that accepting our strengths and weaknesses in this(these) season(s) is integral for us to walk in our HIGHEST calling (both career-wise and personally). This actually stirs me to write a list of my known strengths and weaknesses and ask others who know me, or that I’ve worked with, what they’ve observed also.
I think this is a great idea! If you do work through this list and learn some interesting stuff about yourself, check back in and let us know. I think this is a great exercise that we should all do!
I just recently took the Strengths Finder 2.0 and learned a lot about myself! I really recommend their book and assessment. They will give you your top 5 strengths and tools to help you build them stronger. I like what they said about talents and strengths… I haven’t been able to find the word weakness and think that framing strengths in this way is really beneficial. After seeing how they describe your strengths, you might be led into a career path that would be more fulfilling, I know that it has helped me reframe what I want to be doing job wise.
“Your dominant talents naturally appear frequently and powerfully. Almost no matter where you are or what you are doing, your dominant talents are active. Your supporting talents naturally surface only when their support is needed, and do so with only relative power. Because they aren’t as powerful, your supporting talents are unlikely to serve as a foundation for strength. Your lesser talents naturally appear rarely, and they offer little power. Because of that minimal power, lesser talents seldom contribute to strength.”
Amy,
I have been thinking about getting this book. Is the assessment in the book? Or is it done somewhere online? I really want to learn more about myself and my personality as well as learn how to use it to my advantage! Thank you for sharing!
The assessment is done online. However, you need to buy the book first to get an access code. Then, you can become registered on their site and everything will be personalized for you. It is a really cool resource! There are 34 different themes or strengths and they give you your top 5. I could pick out which ones would be lower on my list of rankings than others anyways. I always cam pick out my weaknesses before my strengths. My top 5 were developer, connectedness, relator, learner and harmony. Before doing this I knew I was a relator but just didn’t have the words for it and always thought of it as a weakness. I really suggest doing this for yourself as you try to navigate life these days!
Thanks for sharing all of this, Amy! Strengths Finder IS a great, helpful book!
I love that part about “I had a vision of who I wanted to be: a high-powered, in-charge, career woman. But that wasn’t me.” I’m so in love with the idea that Jesus knows my strengths, my weaknesses, my ins, and outs. And He loves me anyway. And He has a dream and a plan for my life anyway. Rocks my world. :)
Heck yeah, girl!
Very cool!:)
Accepting my strengths and weaknesses is very tough! I want to believe I am a super strong, super go getter woman (like Glynnis said she wanted to believe about herself). But, I find myself in jobs…in situations where I am always having to use my weaknesses. Sure, my strengths come out here too…but the weaknesses is what makes my current career path incredibly challenging. I am at a crossroads what to do in my life. I’ve always been a place where I’ve been told what to do…where to go…what to major in, etc…and I’ve listened. And its gotten me nowhere!!! Now, I’m listening to myself and its scary. I am having a hard time being able to slow down enough to actually listen to what God has to say about my life. I feel like a bouncy ball bouncing up and down…just hoping I get the right career…job…etc. Anyone else feel like that? Thanks for this study..its so nice to read that others have had challenges…that I am not alone.
The more comments I read, the more I feel at peace with myself. I always felt like I was so alone because I had no Idea what to do with my life, most of the young adults in my life are married and have childrens and I have always felt left out almost. But now that I have completely given my life to God, I realize that he has other plans for me. I continue to pray to let him guide me. And I am so excited to be around other young women who are so encouraged by God and the responses of everyone in this Bible Study. I pray for all of you to let God guide our lives how he wants them to be.
I totally understand! It seems like all the girls I know from high school are either married, have children, or both. I have felt left out too. And I have no clue what I want to do with my life or what my purpose is. But it is awesome to be a part of this study with other women who feel like i do! God bless you!
For some reason my post posted somewhere esle up in the comments so I’ll repost it here:
I agree as well I feel the same I’m single and all my friends are dating seriously or getting engaged, married or having kids I feel alone and a step behind! It’s hard.
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