by Carolyn Kalil, A True Blue
Fresh out of graduate school, Tisa had dreams of a bright future awaiting her as a counselor. She had trained her collegiate life for this and had earned her MA degree in Educational Psychology and Counseling. But in the summer of 1979 shortly after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley, Tisa was in a car accident that wrecked her body, leaving her paralyzed as a quadriplegic with a little motion in her right hand.
She worked for a short time as an advocate for the disabled out of the concern for those worse off than herself, but she never forgot her dream of being a counselor. She went to the Department of Rehabilitation, thinking they could help her find work. She explained that she had a degree in counseling and asked them to help with employment in this field. They responded “we will help you get a job but not in counseling because it’s too difficult, too competitive, and you won’t stand a chance.” Unknowingly, they also broke her spirit.
Feeling desperate and thinking this is better than sitting at home, Tisa left the office that day with a job as a representative for State Disability Employment Insurance. Her job was to sit at a computer and process claim forms for deceased people. She struggled with the routine of doing the same old thing every day for 8 hours. After a year she was so bored and depressed that she knew she could not continue to do this work. She told her employer that she was going to quit and they said “if you quit, you’re on your own.”
This may have been enough to discourage many in her condition but not Tisa. She was not about to let her physical limitations limit her. All the security in the world was not worth her sacrificing her passion.
She did quit and began to pursue a counseling job on her own. When I first met Tisa, she was volunteering for the Special Resources Center for people with disabilities at the college where I was working as a counselor. I was so impressed with her skills that I invited her to a True Colors workshop. She did the personality assessment and I could see that she was an Orange-Blue personality. Gold was her last color and this was the kind of work the Rehab office had assigned her to.
Looking back at her job with State Disability Employment Insurance, the skills required for her job processing claim forms are strengths for the Gold color.
Yet, Gold is her last color, representing her weaknesses. Is there any reason why she hated her job? She had to focus all day on doing tasks that she was not good at and had no interest in. Has this ever happened to you?
I introduced Tisa to the person in charge of the counseling department and she was instantly hired as a part time counselor because of her credentials. Now, she is doing academic and career counseling which is her dream. She loves being active so she didn’t stop there. She is also teaching career classes, speaking at conferences and doing workshop presentations. Currently she is developing an on-line career development class.
Today Tisa is living the life of her true self — the Orange personality — with all the variety, fun, and excitement that she needs to keep her interested. Her body was broken but her spirit wasn’t. If she had stayed in the job assigned to her, her spirit would have also been broken and the world would never have experienced the true gifts of this incredible woman.
What limits you from following your dreams?
Learn more about your natural gifts and talents in Follow Your True Colors To The Work You Love.