Resourcefulness Brings Success  

When we have too much on our plates, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Everything can seem essential and significant, which makes it difficult to make decisions and move forward. We may go in all sorts of directions and ask ourselves with frustration, “Where do I even start?” This is how Sky felt until she found Life-Work Planning Center and her steps became clearer.

“Sky” was born in another state. She moved around a lot with her folks before settling in Minnesota at the age of 13. Sky’s parents are still together after getting married. She says that her parents were both hard workers who worked all the time. Her mom is still employed, while her dad has retired. According to Sky, her family is close-knit and very important to her.

Sky contacted Life-Work Planning Center during the COVID-19 pandemic when she moved to the area. She found herself in an unhealthy romantic relationship and was working on separating from her long-term partner while parenting and working part-time. Sky was referred to LWPC by her landlord, and in January 2022, she met with a self-sufficiency counselor to complete enrollment and create an action plan. She established a support system to assist with coping and healing from leaving her partner.

Sky says that the LWPC staff was always there for her and made accommodations for her needs. She participated in LWPC’s pre-employment Strength, Balance, and Self-Respect Workshop series and one-on-one personal and pre-employment counseling. Sky says she learned a lot from the workshops and was able to identify her boundaries. Sky states that the Boundaries workshop helped her learn that it was okay to not only establish boundaries, but defend them. She was also able to set goals, gain confidence, and move forward with the information she received. Additionally, creating an action plan was enjoyable because it held her accountable; it would make her happy to check off a goal and move on to the next.

Sky worked a part-time job before coming to LWPC, but today she works two jobs, one of which is a management position. Sky claims that the work “family” she has built is very supportive.

One of Sky’s goals was to purchase a house. She worked with her self-sufficiency counselor to apply for a Habitat for Humanity home. She was chosen! Sky is happy to be able to spend the evenings in her new home helping her child with homework.

Sky encourages other women to always keep trying to “push through,” look forward to the future and not look back. “There are people you can talk to who have gone through what you have gone through and who will give you the proper support.”

Sky’s favorite quote is from Mabel “Madea” Earlene Simmons (a character created and portrayed by Tyler Perry):

“You got to go on with your life. It’s all right to sit around and be depressed for a minute, cry about it, do whatever you have to, but don’t stay there too long. Get up and go on with your life.”

*Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the subject of this story.