I decided to write a blog entry about "DRIVE" since it is the question I get asked the most by friends, clients, colleagues, interviewers and even perfect strangers. You may be thinking - what -is she talking about? Drive...? The drive that makes a person want to achieve a certain goal…..The drive that makes one person more successful than others…The drive that makes you want to wake up in the morning and go full speed towards achieving your goals. Ambition, clout, effort, energy, enterprise, get-up-and-go, guts, impellent, impetus, impulse, initiative, momentum, motivation, motive, pep, pressure, push, spunk, steam, vigor, vitality....WHAT FUELS YOUR FIRE...? Get the drift...
He kicks off the interview with the first question "KATRINA, YOU ALWAYS SEEM SO DRIVEN. HAVE YOU BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE DAY ONE OR HAS IT BEEN A GRADUAL EVOLUTION?" I smile inside having been asked this question before but this time, I expect it. I recall being 18 years old and being asked the same question, I have to admit back then I was taken aback by the question. I used to sit there and think to myself…..What are they talking about? Everyone has drive? We are all just driven to accomplish different things…. I thought we were all just made up that way…. Then I entered the "REAL WORLD", the business world which provided me with the true understanding of what people referred to as “DRIVE”.
So the question normally goes as follows: "Where do you get your drive?" "Can you instill that drive in me?" "Can you teach me to be driven?" "Where do you get the energy?" "What keeps you going?" These are all the questions I get asked quite often. Last night one of my best girlfriends (I will keep her anonymous as to respect her privacy) came over to my house for a glass of wine and she turned to me and said…. "I just don't understand Kat…. Don't you ever wake up in the morning and not want to work?" She continued… "People that don't know you ask me all the time about you and what makes you tick, how you have been able to build a company from the ground up with nothing but desire, how…." I have to admit that I was a bit surprised. This is my best friend - I mean doesn't she know me by now… The truth is when I'm with her, I don't talk about work, my clients, my company…..she is one of the few people who really knows ME, the person not the business woman. It was quite clear that she was not only curious, but sincerely wanted to understand my inner strength and unwavering tenacity.
Those who know me well know that I am a catalyst of sorts with an unyielding desire to inspire others, men and women alike, to reach their full potential, whatever that may be. Well, here was another opportunity but this time it was one of the closest people to me. I look at her and I see beauty, charisma, intelligence, and one of the kindest hearts I've ever encountered so why couldn't she see it in herself? Why can't she see her potential! It is frustrating in a sense, because it is so evident to me. She was blessed with so much and it is up to her to take advantage of what God gave her yet….she is unsatisfied…..We talked for over 4 hours and she always circled back around to the question but "Kat, what do you think I should do with my life? What do you think I would be good at?" I gave her the same answer again, and again for I realized it would take a while before she truly heard what I was saying and soaked it in….. "It is NOT what I think…or anyone else for that matter, it is what YOU think deep down in your soul will make you happy and only YOU could determine that…..You must learn to love yourself since that is the foundation for everything. If you don't have confidence in yourself, no one else will…… You need to believe that you are capable and then the rest will follow but it doesn't matter what I think….." We as human beings are constantly searching for acceptance from others while neglecting to find it within ourselves. I happen to think that one is truly never happy, until he/she finds peace within themselves. We are all made up of the same fabric… no one is better than another…. Love life, shed light and the rest will follow. Our minds are so incredibly powerful and we utilize so little of it…..It truly IS all in the mind!
There are plenty of days when I am drained, unmotivated but then I take a step back and realize…. "I work for myself, I make my own rules, I own my own company, my clients are the best, I get to see their passions drive them to be successful in their various fields whether it is football, basketball, music, baseball, Wall Street, motherhood, etc…… I am blessed." I am not the most astute, attractive, quick- witted, the list goes on and on…but I genuinely believe there is nothing that I can't attain for the power is within me. Everyone has the same ability but it must start within….. search for it and you will find it – believe it and it will become reality.
So….. here is my answer…. I have always been extremely driven. In fact, my friends and clients always tell me that they have yet to meet someone as “driven” as I am. Back in high school I held multiple leadership positions at one time, yet instead of being overwhelmed by the responsibility, I was fueled by the challenge. In college, even though an A and an A+’s weighed the same toward my GPA, my transcript lists only A+'s. I have always been a hard worker with a relentless temperament. Things have not been “handed” to me yet I was taught not to allow for mediocrity and most importantly to follow my bliss. My career is my self-portrait which is why I autograph it with excellence. My vision is the constant pursuit for excellence while maintaining my integrity and professionalism, particularly since I love what I do. This exhilarating state of being is precisely what I strive to instill in others…..
P.S. This is dedicated to my girlfriend who I love and adore like a sister. YOU can achieve anything you set your mind to, for your destiny is in your own hands. I've always told you how beautiful you are indeed but, I have also ALWAYS empathized that it is your inner beauty that I cherish the most. Love you.
