We were lucky to catch up with Brigitte West recently and have shared our conversation below.
Brigitte, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I found my purpose when I realized that purpose did not need to be singular to be legitimate. I spent a lot of my younger years chasing the idea that I needed to pick one thing and be a superstar at it. Something important, amazing, spectacular! In middle age, I have learned that purpose can be found in small, seemingly dissimilar endeavors. I am a lawyer, a small business owner, a mother, a volunteer, a creator, a wife, a friend, an advocate. These purposes take turns being at the forefront, but at their core they all mean being of service, helpful to others. It no longer matters if I reach the pinnacle of one endeavor. What drives me is effecting positive change in the variety of arenas I enjoy. My purpose is realized when I know I am using my experience to benefit people.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Two years ago, I started Lite Write Marquee Rentals in San Antonio, Texas. We install custom marquees for corporate events, weddings, parties, and celebrations of all kinds. Being an event planner was always one of my roads not taken in life. Lite Write gives me the opportunity to swoop in and create something awesome for a different celebration every time! I was already 53 years old when I launched this business, but I’m glad I took the leap and I’ll keep doing it as long as I love it.
I am also a child welfare advocate. I have been a volunteer in this arena for many years, but I recently decided to begin practicing law again in the children’s court here in San Antonio. Working with and for foster children is of course emotionally challenging, but my real frustration comes from the unnecessary dysfunction of our broken child welfare system. There are solutions, so I’ve decided to start a new career just as most of my contemporaries are planning how to wind down theirs!
For anyone interested in voluteering, I highly recommend becoming a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate). The organization is nationwide and CASA work is tremendously fulfilling. It is easy to see the clear positive impact you make on the children to whom you are appointed.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Listen to understand rather than to respond. Cultivating good active listening skills is invaluable, both personally and professionally. There are many easily-available resources to educate and train yourself to be a good listener. Listening helps you clarify your own communication and active listening is not our natural response. It requires focus and attention to what our brain is doing…or not doing!
Perfect is the enemy of good. If we wait for circumstances to be perfect, or seek perfection in a project or in ourselves before we do something, we may never do it! You don’t have to see the finish line to take the first step. Plan, prepare, but don’t wait for all your ducks to be in a row to do anything you want to do.
There is great power in recognizing your own short-comings. Self awareness means realizing that you cannot be all things to all people, including to yourself. Accepting this is tremendously freeing because you lose nothing and gain so much peace of mind. The sooner you are truly comfortable in your own skin, the more opportunities you will have for joy.
Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?
I was fortunate to have a group of women friends who were about ten years older than I when I was in my late thirties and forties. I called them “My Board of Directors on How to Be an Amazing Woman.” Their personalities, interests, and careers were so varied and I learned so much from them about how to move through life with grace, purpose, and grit. They helped me realize that everything in life, the bitter and the sweet, would change. Nothing is carved in stone and isn’t that wonderful?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.litewritesa.com
- Instagram: @litewritesa
- Facebook: Lite Write SA
