SUCCESS IN THE REAL WORLD: Mary Hey
Mary Hey is living proof that you can change your career or life path any time you want. It took her almost thirty years to discover her true calling, but Mary believes that all of her past experiences were necessary to get her where she is today. Mary will be the first to admit that she has led a very "colorful" life. Though she’s now a successful artist, Mary has traveled down a variety of other career paths including: mother, lawyer, congressional assistant, political organizer, book editor, and bus driver. She has finally found her true passion and meaning in art and believed in herself enough to develop her passion into a career.
"I became completely passionate about art and allowed myself to recognize that I loved it. Art is a joy and pleasure that I find sustaining. I have a clear vision of what is coming next. I know that its there. I just have to keep going. This has allowed me to overcome all types of obstacles."
Mary believes that you have to discover a talent and skill you do well and then take advantage of it. Your true interest — what you do well — should be easy to discover, as long as you allow yourself the opportunity to discover it.
"Talent is what comes easily to you. Its important for people to recognize what comes easily and not try to do things that are inherently too difficult. Go where your talent is...and then work hard to develop and train that talent. I was young, I didn’t allow myself to dicover my talent because I didn’t allow myself to do what I wanted to do and have fun. Every voice was saying that ‘you’ve got to get serious about a career.’ I surely wish I would have given myself the opportunity to do this earlier. My advice is to just allow yourself to do what you want... and go where your talent is."
Mary has learned first-hand how difficult an ill-fitted career can be. She found her law career very difficult, and found that she would have to push herself, grudgingly, to work. Comparatively, now she works with purpose and joy, and is even more financially successful. She is happy she studied law, though, because the problem-solving skills she needed as an attorney, she now needs as an artist. In fact, she needs many skills in order to run a successful art business–time management, accounting, marketing, networking and finance and has had to teach herself these skills by reading.
Mary urges people entering the workforce, no matter what their career, to develop integrity .
"Make sure that what’s going on inside of you matches your actions. Be truthful about yourself to others. A danger, especially in the world today, is that people don’t allow themselves to explore their talents or interests. Beware of creating a life for yourself that doesn’t involve expressing your human creativity and freedom."
Mary’s keys to success include:
- Having integrity.
Make your actions match your words and feelings.
- Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve and stay focused on your goal.
- Attacking obstacles individually.
- Being flexible about how you acccomplish your goal.
Many roads may get you to your goal, so focus on what you desire and not the path that takes you there.
- Being extremely reliable.
Showing up is 90% .
- Doing every job well.
This will lead to more responsibility.
- Paying close attention to detail.
Returning phone calls and making sure things look correct show that you respect your work and are proud of what you do.
