The Journal Entry She Is Glad She Wrote

About ten years ago I wrote in my journal "You are not a tree. If you are unhappy where you are, move!" It wasn't something I read. It wasn't something I overheard. It was just something that came to me after a particularly difficult day at my job. Little did I know that line would become my signature philosophy and has appeared in more than one keynote address, coaching session, and overall just general conversations with people.

Rereading an old journal reminded me that I once measured career growth by how much I could personally accomplish; experience has taught me to measure it by the value I create for the organization, the judgment I bring to complex decisions, and the capability I build in others. My former self helped me recognize that ambition may open the door, but lasting impact comes from seeing what others miss, having the courage to act, and the humility to keep learning.

This is timely, as we recently relocated and I came across a box of my old journals and yearbooks! Looking back, I'm struck by how much I used to feel the need to have everything figured out. I've since learned that growth is less about reaching a final destination and more about trusting the process and taking the next step.

Looking back at what I wrote years ago, I realize how much I once equated growth with acquiring more knowledge. Over time, I have come to understand that what matters most is not how much we know, but the judgment we develop to question, interpret, and use what we know wisely.

As the most recent college graduate on the team, I was handed a scheduling textbook and given two days to figure it out. The irony is that I had hated scheduling in college and would never have chosen it as a career. Yet that assignment became a turning point in my life and the beginning of a career I could never have imagined at the time. I learned scheduling by doing it, asking questions, listening, making mistakes, and, most importantly, working alongside the people actually building the work. Being a woman in construction wasn't always easy, particularly early in my career, but over the years I have watched the industry evolve to place greater value on what matters most: knowledge, skill, experience, and the ability to deliver. I have also been fortunate to have people throughout my career who challenged me and gave me the drive to become better than my best. Along the way, I discovered that one of my greatest strengths is my ability to individualize my approach to the people around me. Every person and every team is different, and understanding how to communicate, teach, listen, and work with each of them has made me a much more effective scheduler and leader. The early mornings and long days were certainly part of the journey, but they also gave me the opportunity to partner with nearly every role in construction and understand a project from perspectives beyond my own. Looking back, I am proud of the projects I have helped build, but I am even more proud of the person I have become along the way. Of all my accomplishments, though, the teams I have been lucky enough to be part of and the people I have had the opportunity to learn from, teach, mentor, and grow alongside are what I am most proud of. Somehow, the career I never would have chosen became exactly where I was meant to be.

In 2020 and 2023, I personally experienced my breast cancer journey when I noticed a lump in my left breast, followed by a second diagnosis in my right breast with another lump. I immediately received a diagnosis that it was early breast cancer and began treatment. After many rounds of radiation and medication treatment, I was able to say "I was cancer-free" and with joy rang the Radiation Bell ending my journey...but not the fight.

"If it is to be, it's up to me!" Yvette Raymar She is stood on the shoulders of her grandmother/great-grandmother, who both served in WWII 6888 U.S. Army Battalion