Finding Your “Why” Again: How to Stay Motivated and Inspired in a 24/7 Role

When Purpose Interrupts Comfort

Sometimes your next chapter begins while you’re perfectly content in the current one.

I wasn’t looking for a job.

Since 2009, I had been happily writing résumés from home through my business, Write to Success. I was my own boss, helping clients land the jobs of their dreams while living simply in a cozy studio apartment, keeping my expenses low, and taking public transportation, so I could maintain my freedom.

After graduating from Earlham College in 2005 with a B.A. in Business and Nonprofit Management, I had held four jobs — none of which I liked. I craved meaning more than money, and résumé writing gave me that. I didn’t need a corporate title to feel fulfilled. I just wanted peace.

So when I stumbled upon a job posting on the BET Careers page in Spring 2016, I wasn’t searching — I was scrolling. Yet something about the listing stopped me cold.

“Executive Assistant to the President of Media Sales – Chicago.”

I remember thinking, BET has a Chicago office? I felt an instant pull — a divine nudge. It wasn’t logic; it was direction.

And that’s where my story with motivation truly begins.

Preparation Meets Purpose

The calm before purpose. I arrived an hour early, sat across from the BET office, and reminded myself: preparation is a form of faith.

For the first time in my life, I approached a job with both strategy and spirit.

On June 23, 2016, I walked into my interview with the President of Media Sales at BET — both nervous and prepared. I arrived an hour early, sitting quietly in the courtyard across the street to calm my nerves and pray for peace. I wasn’t just interviewing for a position; I was walking into purpose.

Before that day, I had already gone down a full-blown research rabbit hole. I ordered his book, Dirty Little Secrets, and devoured it in 48 hours. My apartment floor was covered in papers and neon pink highlighters marking words and themes that revealed his leadership style. I wanted to know everything — his track record, his mentors, his values, and what mattered most to him professionally and personally.

When the interview began, his first question was, “What do you know about me?”

I smiled — because I was ready. I began rattling off details with confidence and composure. He smirked, realizing I had done my homework.

That preparation wasn’t just for the job; it was for the life shift that would follow. It was the moment when all my years of writing résumés for others prepared me to step into the next version of myself.

They told me they’d call in two weeks. They called that evening.

When I received the offer, I negotiated — asking for $15,000 more than their proposal. HR advised against it, but I knew my worth. I also knew I was stepping into a role that would demand more from me than anything I’d ever done.

They agreed. And just like that, I stepped into a chapter that would change my life.

The Shock of a 24/7 Role

That face when it’s 9:57 p.m., your day started at 9:00 a.m., and you’re still smiling (kind of). Exhausted but committed — the reality of a 24/7 role.

My first few months at BET were humbling. I was used to quiet mornings at home — my own pace, my own schedule. Suddenly, I was in an office where my name was called every five to seven minutes, and the days stretched endlessly.

One particular day still makes me laugh. We started at 9:00 a.m., had a book signing at 6:00 p.m., and then a fireside chat at 7:00. The night didn’t end until nearly 10:00 p.m.

By that point, I was cooked. Completely exhausted — yet somehow still committed.

That day taught me something important: even when your energy is fading, your excellence can’t. You find the strength to push through, not because it’s easy, but because your “why” keeps you grounded.

Even when the pace felt unbearable, I reminded myself: I asked for this. I prayed for this. I’m built for this.

Motivation Is More Than Momentum

Before you can stay motivated, you have to understand what truly drives you — not the title, not the praise, but the purpose behind your pursuit.

Clarity fuels consistency. When you know what you want and why, every decision has direction.

Motivation isn’t about morning affirmations or external validation. It’s about the deep “why” that roots you when everything around you moves at lightning speed.

For eight years, I supported my former executive through book signings, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, NAACP Image Awards, upfronts, annual men's summits, a new magazine launch, and more. I was on call around the clock — not solely because it was required, but because I was committed.

I wasn’t just “the help.” I was the calm in the chaos — the one who made sure the trains ran on time, the details were right, and the energy stayed grounded.

That consistency came from motivation, not obligation.

It came from knowing my purpose extended beyond the desk. Every call, every meeting, every crisis was shaping me into a stronger version of myself — a Solutionist.

I learned that being a high-profile Lead Executive Assistant/Chief of Staff means mastering three key motivators:

1. Purpose – knowing why you’re here.

2. Patience – staying calm under pressure.

3. Proactivity – anticipating what’s next before anyone else does.

   
   

An elite assistant doesn’t wait for direction. They create direction.

The Power of Research and Reverence

Excellence is the standard. Observation, intuition, and calm are the tools.

As I train assistants, I tell them: “Don’t just know your talent/executive — study them.”

Understand their personality, their triggers, their world. Research their history and their values.

That’s how you move from being “a helper” to becoming an indispensable partner.

I was intentional from day one about being proactive. If he needed a letter prepped before a meeting, I already had a draft. If travel needed to change, I anticipated the shift. If a challenge arose, I focused on finding a solution before frustration could rise.

I called it “leading from behind.” Because true motivation is silent. It’s not loud or performative. It’s steady, strategic, and spirit-led.

Why Some Assistants Burn Out

April 3, 2024 — the day my body told the truth my mind had been avoiding. A swollen throat, a silent message: it’s time to rest, release, and realign.

During my time at BET, I worked alongside some of the most talented assistants in the business. We bonded through long hours, tight deadlines, and bursts of laughter that carried us through the chaos.

But over time, I began to notice something. Some were motivated mostly by the paycheck or the access that came with the job. They loved their executives when things were smooth — but when tension rose, their patience ran out, and they questioned why they were there.

I understood it. But I also recognized that their motivation was transactional, while mine had always been transformational.

When your “why” is tied to a paycheck, your patience has limits. But when it’s rooted in purpose, you can endure, adapt, and even thrive under pressure.

Still, even purpose can’t outrun exhaustion. Toward the end of 2023, I decided it was time to part ways. In January 2024, I shared my decision with my executive, explaining that my final BET Awards in July would also mark my last day.

By April, my body confirmed what my spirit already knew. I was hospitalized overnight for a cyst on my thyroid and the back of my tongue — my throat swollen like a bullfrog. That was my wake-up call. My body was saying what my heart had been whispering: this season is ending.

Despite the encouragement and requests from everyone who wanted me to stay, I knew it was time to transition — not in frustration, but with love and gratitude.

Eight years had proven to be my maximum.

I left BET still caring deeply for my team and proud of the work we had done. My motivation had served its season. It was time to redirect that same energy inward — toward my own vision, my students, and my next chapter.

Motivation Requires Renewal

Purpose grows quietly before it blossoms publicly.

Here’s what I’ve learned: motivation isn’t a one-time decision. It’s a daily choice.

Even the most passionate professionals lose steam when fatigue sets in. But when you reconnect with your “why,” you reignite your fire.

Ask yourself:

• Why did I accept this position?

• What do I hope to learn from this experience?

• How do I want to be remembered when I leave this role?

  
  

Your answers will shift over time — and that’s okay. Growth naturally evolves your “why.”

That’s why I always remind my trainees: you can’t rush the harvest. The seeds you plant today need time, care, and consistency before they bear fruit.

Keep watering your purpose, even as the results take time.

The Water-Off-a-Duck’s-Back Mindset

Let it roll off. Protect your peace. Keep moving.

In a 24/7 role, it’s easy to take things personally — a sharp tone, a stressful moment, a missed acknowledgment.

But excellence requires emotional maturity.

One of my favorite reminders is the “water off a duck’s back” concept: when the storm comes, let it roll off you. Don’t absorb every emotion that isn’t yours to carry.

Assistants who master this stay centered no matter what’s happening around them.

Because let’s be honest — you can’t pour from a cup that’s always leaking energy.

Motivation and self-management go hand-in-hand. Protect your peace. Guard your purpose. Let your grace be louder than your frustration.

When Excellence Speaks for You

Recognition arrives when you’re too focused on the work to chase it.

In 2018, during the BET Ad Sales Retreat, the Ad Sales executive presented me with the “Above and Beyond Award.” He said,

“I finally got it right and chose the right assistant(s).”

That moment affirmed what I had always believed — that excellence is noticed, even when it’s not praised daily.

You don’t have to chase acknowledgment. Keep your head down, your standards high, and your spirit humble.

Someone is always watching — a future employer, a colleague, or even your next client.

Let your work speak before your title does.

Crown Yourself

The best kind of recognition comes from within. Wear your worth proudly.

Sometimes, the world won’t clap. That’s okay. That’s when you crown yourself.

Operate in excellence not because of who’s watching, but because of who you are.

I remind my Crystal Marshall Certified (CMC) students and clients all the time:

“Sometimes, you simply have to crown yourself. Always commit to operating in excellence and trust that your efforts will open doors beyond anything you’ve ever hoped for.”

Motivation becomes unstoppable when it’s internal. When you believe you are worthy of greatness — not because someone told you so, but because you decided so.

As Paulo Coelho wrote,

“You are what you believe yourself to be.”

Finding Your Why — Again

Purpose has a light of its own. When you pause long enough to reflect, it finds you — every single time.

Maybe you’ve been in your role for years. Maybe you’re exhausted, overlooked, or questioning if it’s worth it.

Pause. Breathe. Remember your “why.”

You didn’t start this journey by accident. You started it because something inside you said yes — to growth, to service, to excellence.

Reconnect with that voice. Let it guide you forward.

When you move from purpose, motivation becomes a byproduct — not a requirement. It shows up, again and again, to carry you forward.