Miriam had volunteered to be a mentor to women who were looking to make a transition in their careers. In preparing for her role as mentor, she constructed a timeline of her own journey. A utility company had hired Miriam immediately after she completed her associate degree at the local community college.

After ten years in a variety of positions, she was promoted to a managerial position. Several years later, her daughter was fatally injured in a hit-and-run accident. Not long after, she decided to pursue a nursing degree, which she did three years later. She left the company to take a job as floor nurse at a local hospital and now holds a managerial position at the hospital.

In constructing a timeline of her journey from line worker to nursing director, Miriam identified the following significant life events as having shaped her development: two marriages, a divorce, the death of her daughter, going back to school, specific job promotions, and a fortieth birthday celebration.”

Three specific opportunities helped her grow and develop: a mentoring relationship with a woman who was “a fabulous role model for the possible,” the educational opportunity provided by the company, and a spouse who was her “cheerleader, guide, and support.”

But many experiences also blocked her development along the way: living with a spouse who could not understand her dreams and ambitions, tedious work, and coworkers who tried to undermine her educational advancement.

 She would be the first to say that there were serendipitous events and experiences that contributed to her growth and development. One of these was meeting Charlotte, her mentor, at a neighbourhood holiday party. Another was spending hours visiting her critically ill daughter in the hospital.

In reviewing her timeline, Miriam realized that there were more “hidden helpers”-individuals who contributed to her growth and development-than she had first realized. Among them were her mother, her eldest son, a ninth-grade teacher, her first supervisor, the head nurse at the hospital where her daughter lay dying, a Favorite aunt, and a motivational speaker at a conference she had attended.

She realized how much her thinking had changed over time. Instead of letting change happen to her, she learned how to deal with change and ultimately became a change agent for others. She became a “can-do” person, taking responsibility for her own life through accepting risks and daring to dream.

Completing the timeline exercise, made her cognizant of how many individuals had helped her on her journey. “I never realized how privileged I’ve been; I knew on some level, but not to this extent. I was both overwhelmed with gratitude and feeling a need to reconnect with some of these people. I also was clearer as to why I wanted to be a mentor. I needed to give back some of the gifts from others that I’d been privileged to receive.

CLICK HERE to see how the Family Concepts Center helped Miriam to generate a Career Path from her life story