How To Uncover Your Purpose & Empower Others In Your Industry
Whether you are seeking a new profession or hope to make a stronger impact in your industry, these tactics will help you reach your goals.
To preface this conversation, I am still in the process of one day entering the craft beer industry and everything I am sharing with you are tactics I am doing currently to one day end up there. I am fortunate that I have experience implementing these strategies before when I worked in the public relations and marketing industry in the Los Angeles media market, the second-largest media market in the United States. The journey might feel mentally challenging and demotivating at times, but satisfaction and a feeling of peace will consume your being when you reach your destination. By applying these tactics alongside firmly believing in the mantras, “things happen for a reason,” or “when one door closes, another door opens,”
I am confident you will find success while at the same time making a difference in someone else’s life.
Now, I encourage you to take out a pen and paper and join this self-discovery exercise with me.
What activities do you participate in that give you meaning or a sense of fulfillment?
Do you enjoy helping kids solve a math problem or developing innovative solutions to make someone’s everyday life easier? I enjoy sharing stories to empower others and bringing people together. I also find meaning in participating actively in the craft beer cultural movement.
Now, write down what do you like to do task wise versus what do you want to be.
Instead of reframing your life decisions based on the infamous childhood question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” - focus on the tasks you find exciting. Are you into typing a significant amount of data? Or maybe you find yourself advising your friends about their personal situations? I love writing, creating videos, taking photos, and producing experiences and events. I also will do everything I can to help someone. Maybe you have different strengths and challenges that correlate to the tasks you enjoy doing and don’t enjoy doing? If yes, write them down!
Affirm your journey by writing down affirmations in the present tense.
Put together a list of goals you wish to accomplish and stick it somewhere where you will view it daily. Don’t use the word, “will” in your sentences and feel free to set a date or timeframe when you plan on attaining these affirmations. For example, ‘I empower the craft beer community globally through my blog and Instagram community platform, “Simply Crave Beer.” “I have the knowledge to pass a beer certification test in October.” If you don’t enjoy writing and prefer visuals, create a vision board with imagery affirming your life goals.
Once your purpose is defined, create your own opportunities versus waiting for someone to hand the opportunity to you.
In a Thrills article written by Ale Sharpton titled, “These Black-Owned Breweries Give Us Hope for the Future”, a Los Angeles-based brewery owner and head brewer Justin Collins shared this, “Don’t ask for diversity anymore, just own your brewery, your own brand, and own your product. This goes for all creeds and people of color, gender, religion…whatever you want to call yourself in 2020. Black-owned breweries will have its resurgence once that type of mindset and enlightenment on its brewing history is realized. The hard work must be put in with proper education at the forefront.”
Simply Crave Beer was born on the mindset of bringing the global craft beer community together through storytelling and events. It is also giving me a first-hand education regarding how to manage a blog and social media accounts. Facilitating Hangzhou Craft Beer events brings the craft beer community together while supporting the breweries and taprooms in Hangzhou. I am also developing experience in event planning, graphic design, and promotion in China. By creating and focusing on your own opportunities, a career opportunity will come along at the right time and you will already have the experience to pursue it. I encourage you to always continue learning and ask questions.
By creating and focusing on your own opportunities, a career opportunity will come along at the right time and you will already have the experience to pursue it.
How to Build and Facilitate Social Capital
I credit my long-term mentor, Dr. Inez Gonzalez Perezchica for introducing this term to my fellow Latinx communicators and me from my university. Social capital is built on the ideals of trust and reciprocity – an “I will help you now with the confidence that you will help me in the future” mentality. I would like to add, “If you don’t help me personally in the future, I hope you will help someone else who needs assistance.” I am so happy that She Up already was built on this principle. We attend events and support each other in the WeChat group. We share our triumphs and our struggles with each other like Dani Sena in her WeChat post, "How to Overcome a Moment of Crisis". People share job postings and resources in the group. Most importantly, we remain connected.
Hangzhou’s Craft Beer Community existed before I arrived in August of 2019. All I did was act as a facilitator by starting the WeChat group and planning monthly events. However, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without receiving support from several craft beer establishments in the area. Once I received their blessing, the group took off and continues to develop a spirit of its own. I truly believe every group member plays a significant role in the community, even craft beer drinkers who currently don’t participate in the WeChat group. In a male-dominated industry, it is important to find male allies as well as supporting and finding the few female allies within the industry. Connect with like-minded individuals and give back when you can. Provide generic and thought-provoking advice and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Photo by Peter Codder
“This African proverb describes the effects of social capital perfectly: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.””
Bio:
Sabrina Valles truly believes she can help anyone embark on their craft beer journey once she helps them uncover their favorite style of beer. As the founder of Simply Crave Beer blog and as the facilitator of Hangzhou Craft Beer Meetups and Hangzhou Craft Beer group, she focuses on building and empowering the craft beer community through events and storytelling as well as encouraging first-time drinkers to find their place within the community. Before coming to China to teach English in August 2018, Sabrina has worked in the public relations and marketing industry for four years and continues to freelance in the industry.
