In her book, Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of, Helen Horyza touts the idea that she “can help make your career decisions more efficient and help you achieve your goals faster.” And in this review, I’ll let you know whether she accomplishes that goal.

During this on-going pandemic, many of us are experiencing a major life transition. We may be out of work, pivoting our businesses, going bankrupt, and numerous other scenarios that come with various emotions.

Horyza talks about this, as the Elevate Career Cycle, in Chapter Two. When you accept that struggle is part of the process, you move better through the cycle. She offers a quiz to find out where you are, as well as tips to work through it.

For four years, I have been a travel advisor and tour manager, loving the different places I went to, experiencing different cultures and foods, and simply enjoying the social aspect of meeting new, interesting people. The coronavirus grounded me. I could no longer get out and about, and I could no longer be social. My psyche suffered greatly, as I’m sure yours did as well in 2020.

I found that I am in the Journey stage: I’ve made the decision to change just not sure what it is I want to do.

As Horyza describes internal and external crossroads, we can all feel them from the virus. To say that the coronavirus has hit us “like a ton of bricks” is an understatement. We are all feeling “anger, disappointment, frustration, plummeting self-confidence, and resentment.”

A Developmental Tip from Helen Horyza:

“Remain as objective as possible when you are involved in a difficult conversation. Your tendency to personalize what others are saying can lead to misunderstandings.”

COVID-19 has put many of us in conflict within ourselves and without. Many a day I felt bored and struggled with what to do with my day. I felt completely unstimulated and wondered what the purpose of my life was going forward. The virus has been a huge external crossroad, because it is something we had no control over, “a factor outside ourselves.”

So, we are all “ready to grow into a better version of” ourselves and Horyza’s book, available now on Amazon, gives us the guidance to do so. I read through to the end, happy to learn different observations and conclusions about myself that can help me move forward, evolve, and do what I am gifted to do.

Life is “filled with opportunity,” and here in America, doubly so. Opportunities exist all around us, we just need to open our eyes and apply ourselves to doing what we want, perhaps in a way that helps others while also earning us a decent living.

Thus, I invite you on my journey to learn and grow with me here. And if you’d like some advice on tailoring your brand, check out another Enriching Read. Until next time, thanks for reading Fifty and Frustrated.