We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessica Nies-Burridge a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jessica , 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.
First I would like to say, I think we’re always trying to find our purpose. It took me over 30 years until I was confident enough to recognize many of mine. I focus on my strengths and skills before anything else. It’s easy to dwell on a weakness but finding the positivity in which you stand out can guide you throughout your journey. Asking myself, what am I passionate about, what brings me fulfillment in my career and in my personal life.
I love to connect with others. Having a community is essential for support. Seeking advice and others opinions can help when I’m unsure of a situation or how to overcome it.
Often when I’m feeling unaccomplished I will practice gratitude and enjoy the simple things in life. It keeps me grounded and humbled. We live in such a fast paced world now and we want instant gratification. But if you take a deep breath, look around you will find some of the most simple things in life bring you the most joy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Professionally speaking, I have been in the HCM space for 20 years. This was my first career job out of college. I landed a job not knowing what my true passion was as a professional but I grew to realize my passion was guiding and helping small business owners.
In my position, I provide a service that gives business owners peace of mind and simplicity when it comes to payroll and HR compliance. Every day I get to create and establish a strategy that is unique to that one person’s business. Just like in life each business is unique. So by meeting and getting to know the business, we’re able to determine what areas of their business may need improvement or support. This in return allows the business to operate more smoothly and become more profitable.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Be compassionate-you never know what someone is going through or how they got there Enjoy the simple things in life- always wanting & having more does not create long term happiness
Learn to say NO more often-over complicating and committing adds unnecessary stress
What would you advise – going all in on your strengths or investing on areas where you aren’t as strong to be more well-rounded?
As much as I focus on my strengths, I also feel as important about focusing on the areas in life that need improvement. Being a well rounded individual will help you identify what you need at that moment. For example, in my own personal career, I was no longer feeling fulfilled. I took a step back and channeled what it was in that moment that I needed not wanted that would allow me to feel more accomplished as a wife, mom, friend and overall individual. I took the time needed to evaluate my life. I gave myself grace and instead of dwelling on any sort of negative, I journaled and leaned on my community. This gave me the motivation to make a career change and put my effort into a position that would ultimately catapult me both professionally and personally. Allowing myself to be vulnerable gave me the boost i needed to make a decision that was based on my gut feeling instead of unpredictable.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.heartland.us
- Instagram: Mama2livnkai
- Linkedin:linkedin.com/in/jessica-nies-burridge-65433215
