Curating Career Life Stories: How Did I Get Here? Ep. 145 with Shara Ruffin

Join me for the career reflections of Shara Ruffin, clinical social worker, and consultant. Her dream is to be the next Mariah Carey, once reality sets in she shifts to becoming a lawyer, then to psychology and ultimately social work -- because what's behind human behavior is so interesting! She’s the first born in her family, setting her on path of more firsts: first to go to college and graduate, first to get a master’s degree, first to get a professional license and first to launch her own business. Her’s is story overcoming far too many of life’s major challenges: the death of a child and a brother, her second child diagnosed with only months to live, divorce, poverty, coming to grips with her own depression and mental health issues. What’s served Shara best is: “My willingness to adapt, remain flexible and have faith -- which was hard. I always kept going, I never looked back. No matter what bomb was going on in my life – every hardship is to teach you something.” Her words of wisdom she’s got three: 1) “She quotes a story from Will Smith’s memoir about building a wall ‘brick by brick’ – it’s not thinking about the whole wall; it’s thinking about one brick at a time.” 2) “Know that you’re not perfect, be willing to make mistakes and take chances.” 3) “Live every day, not like it’s your last day, like you are proud you lived it.”