Hi, I’m Jackie. And I have recently taken on the role of content and marketing specialist at Next Step Academy. In my own history, I’ve experienced a great deal of starting, stopping, re-starting and life changing-trajectories, especially when it came to my education, careers and lifestyles.

I’d like to share some personal insights with you about my journey, in hopes that it will help you with yours. And if you’re up for it, we’d love to hear from you, too.

The first step with any new endeavor is getting informed. Gather as much  information as you can. What do you already know? What do you need to know? Who are reliable sources? Even if you can’t find the exact information you need, by doing a bit of research, you’ll find that any questions you have will make you sound more knowledgeable. Asking smart questions is better than having no questions at all.

Secondly, get organized. If organization isn’t your strong suit, at least have a basic list of tasks to accomplish. The more organized you are, the more efficient you’ll be at meeting your goals. For those of you who are more organizationally inclined, I don’t need to tell you this can take some time. A word of advice here—be careful not to be so intricately detailed that there’s no room for change. There is an art to finding the balance between organization and flexibility.

Lastly, confidence is key. Being informed and having a plan will help with finding your confidence, but it doesn’t mean that it will just appear. Everyone’s confidence varies, and that’s ok. That’s what makes us all unique. You’ll find that people who are confident in their work, interests, or other areas of life, are generally happy to share their expertise and talk about their passion.

So, as you continue on your own journey, keep these three words in mind:

Information. Organization. Confidence.

They’ll serve you well.

If you have other suggestions for getting started and would like to share your story with us, we would love to hear from you! Send an email to info@nextstepacademy.com or contact me directly at jackie@nextstepacademy.com.

Here’s to getting started!