Thoughts….

I sat down to update my résumé thinking it would be simple.

Add my degree.
Update my job title.
List my skills.
Save. Done.

But somewhere between formatting dates and choosing action verbs, I realized I wasn’t just documenting employment — I was confronting my life.

Writing a résumé forces you to reflect in ways you don’t expect. It asks you to measure growth, name your strengths, and translate lived experience into language that fits neatly into bullet points.

And life rarely fits into bullet points.

As a 40-year-old single mother of two living in Houston, my path hasn’t been linear. There were pauses, pivots, survival seasons, and silent victories that never came with a title or promotion. There were years when resilience mattered more than résumés.

Yet, as I began listing my experiences, something shifted.

I saw endurance.

I saw leadership in moments I never labeled as leadership — advocating for my children, managing crises, balancing work, school, and motherhood without dropping everything at once.

I saw discipline in late nights spent studying after everyone else was asleep.

I saw adaptability in every unexpected turn life handed me.

So much of what shapes us doesn’t come with a certificate or official recognition. Still, it builds skills employers value and, more importantly, strengths we should value in ourselves.

Reflection turns “just a job” into evidence of perseverance.
It turns survival into strategy.
It turns experience into expertise.

Updating my résumé reminded me that I am not starting from scratch. I am building from experience.

It also forced me to ask deeper questions:

What work energizes me?
Where have I grown the most?
What strengths do I carry that no job description can capture?
What kind of life am I building now?

Because a résumé isn’t only about where you’ve been — it’s about where you’re going.

If you’re updating your résumé and feeling discouraged by gaps, detours, or changes in direction, pause before you judge your path.

Look closer.

Growth lives in the spaces between the lines.
Strength is built in seasons no one applauds.
And your story holds more power than you may realize.

This process didn’t just prepare me for new opportunities.

It reminded me of who I’ve become.