Your career should make you happy. I don’t want you to settle for the mundane. That’s why I’m sharing Becky’s story with you today.
I don't want you to settle for the mundane. Click To TweetWhen I first met Becky I assumed that her journey to becoming a pharmacist had been a routine and predictable process. I pictured a high school student with goals of pharmacy school and a detailed plan on how she would accomplish it. When I learned the real story, I immediately knew Becky’s story needed to be shared with working women because her journey was nothing close to predictable and, more importantly, was fueled by her heart, not her head.
A Change of Plans and a New Career Path

Becky never set out to be a pharmacist.
“I was fascinated with science during high school. My high school teacher, Mrs. Ruble had such an impact on my life, she made learning about science interesting and fun. I graduated high school and set my sites on being a biochemist to find the cure for HIV and AIDS.”
Becky launched into her freshman year studies with eagerness, however, before the end of her first year of university she lost heart in her dream. She did not enjoy her studies. She knew she needed something new to focus on and was researching opportunities.
“My summer job between my freshman and sophomore was working the fire line. Near the end of the summer, when I was a couple weeks from going back to college, I struck up a conversation with one of my teammates. She talked about going back to pharmacy school. I knew nothing about being a pharmacist, nor what it took to become one. That single conversation changed my life. The more we talked, and the more I researched later that night, the more I knew I had found my future and I immediately moved forward to make it happen. Within two weeks I had changed my schools, changed my major and changed my future.”
Today Becky owns a small-town apothecary and serves clients with a holistic approach. “Apothecary is a historical word for healer, and that encompasses the scope of what we do at the pharmacy. We focus on whole-body wellness and I could not have a more rewarding career.”
Becky reflects on the choice to change her career
Reflection: “Do you wish your adversity had never happened; or are you grateful it did?”
“I am so grateful that I listened to my heart. I was not satisfied in my line of studies and had I continued I would not be in the role I have today where I can work to serve people in so many ways. Not that biochemistry is a bad thing, it is just not my thing.”
Two Lemon Crushing Characteristics We learn from Becky’s Career Story
1. She followed her heart to the career of her dreams
Becky was intentional about setting up her future. She did not want to waste time or energy on dead-end studies or a career that did not make her happy and give her joy and purpose.
2. She didn’t hesitate when the right thing came along.
Becky’s life changed in one conversation and she took action that day. In less than 2 weeks she made some significant life changes which included her major, her school and her future.
How many times do we as working women come across an opportunity and fail to act? Desiring something better is the first step to a better future, but desiring is not enough. Taking action and moving forward on a plan is how success is achieved.
Fear is a Trap

As I talk with working women about their careers and if they are doing something they really love, most women express that they are not really happy with what they do.
Women express that they have settled for a career that pays the bills, that is convenient, that may be the only job they can get. I find women frequently defend that they need to stay in the position they are currently in, even if they do not enjoy it, far more than they want to talk about moving forward to a better, more fulfilling, role.
What holds women back? Reluctance from moving ahead to progress can be summed up in one word; fear. Click To TweetTaking a leap, stepping away from the security of today’s job, changing a major as Becky did, all takes courage and that is often a characteristic that women need to develop.
Ruth Soukup, author of Do It Scared states “courage means taking action despite your fear.” Embracing courage and acknowledging that change is going to be difficult, is the first step to making progress. I can just imagine the courage it took for Becky to make dramatic life changes in less than two weeks, but, without stepping forward, she would never have achieved the success she has.
What can you take away from Becky’s story?
Have you settled for a career that serves your head and not your heart? What do you need to change in your life to be a more fulfilled, happier, joyous person? Does it scare you to make those changes? If so, you are not alone and you have the tribe of Lemon Crushing women to come alongside and inspire you on to your better future!
For more on making Lemonade Out of Lemons you would love Pearl’s book Lemon Crushers; A Working Woman’s Guide to Overcoming Adversity! There are stories about the qualities for success and overcoming your challenges. You’ll be ready to start crushing lemons after chapter one.
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