I can see that in 2009 there was a level of optimism that I feel like I have lost, but I also see the difference of the situations that make this post and the principle still applicable and much needed.

2009:
-I was part of a larger vision
-I was trusted with the execution of said vision
-There was partnership and open communication, even with differing opinions

2012:
-I have made best efforts to be a part of a vision that has been ripped from me at every mistake
-I did not see my own vision within the whole picture, I became lost in the need to just survive and not thrive

I don't talk about (spiritual) faith here on this blog and it is not my goal to start, but today it is relevant to this post. I am a Christian woman and in listening to a sermon about stepping out on faith and believing first and God showing us second it made me think of this scene from the movie Hook:



This was so powerful to me! In my "Imagine That" post the tone was Think-->Imagine-->Go, but here it's more like the title of this post Act as if it Were and Watch it Manifest. Dig your fork in the plate of your career and watch the meat of your success appear in your mouth. Create it while moving like it already exists. Take the risks, write the emails, make the calls, do it anyway, and don't wait to do it.

That is what I am doing, for too long I waited on someone else to create the door of opportunity for me to walk through, but I am about to take some risks that create my own doors, mostly in the area of education, I might succeed I might fail, but there is a vision and I am a part of it's execution, I am trusted with my ability to execute, and that is all that matters. (check that run on sentence)

Happy Travels (and Risks Taken)

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Happy Thursday Travelers!

This new place in my journey has me in a very thoughtful and reflective place. So for your musical pleasure:



My current career position has propelled me into a whole new meaning of "No Fear, Just DIVA." I'm not just graduating from school with a load of prospects from recruiters and I'm not super excited about the world that is around me. I'm right in the middle of a lease, I am in that weird place in my career where I know it's time to move forward, but totally unprepared to start in some place new. I'm frustrated with the position I have been put in and I have to be accountable now more than ever concerning the movement of my career.

"We're all self-conscious I'm just the first to admit it." Explaining to my mother that I would rather be unemployed than in the position I am currently in, but the level of confidence that I need to build the career that I want. This is an unexpected pot hole on my freeway, I am totally trained that we get hired by a company we work at that company and stay at that company until retirement or the Olsen Twins hire you to be their new CEO, but that is not the case.

So what do we do when it all falls down? I have 3 ideas:

1. Occupy your time with purpose. - The only thing that is keeping me sane and from watching the computer/my emails every 5 minutes is the fact that I have other things going on in my life that allow me to feel fulfilled and knowing that even without this job I have a greater calling and who I was at work does not determine that. I now also get a chance to build my career around my purpose.
   
2. Apply for 3 jobs you would never think you are qualified for but would LOVE to do anyway if hired. - Hell, I say why not, if you get it have the confidence to rock it out!!
   
3. Don't hit the panic "Apply" button!! - We all have done it, if you haven't I hope you never do. Applying for the job that you don't want, wont lead to a career, but you know that you can get. I strongly believe that this will only lead to repeating the same cycle. Now if you are building a business and need something to fund it then I say go for it, you know it's temporary anyway.
   

So there you have it! Do not let this time get to you! I'm trying my best to not let it get to me, but I am now learning that it can all fall down, so what I am I doing to pick it back up?

Night Travelers!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"

Recently I have seen a shift in my career and though I am not a fan of the financial reform this change is about to place me in, I am excited to see what is ahead of me. I won't sit here and bash my work situation or any of the players involved in my recent shift, but I will say that I think it to be wise to not believe that leaving one unpleasant situation to a new unknown one, that the grass is greener at your new destination. Point C may not be sweeter than Point B.

In transitioning on your freeway I recommend looking at both the fixed and the variable components to your situation:

Fixed - That's you. No matter what situation your are in, work, friendship, or finance, YOU are the only thing that stays the same. So when evaluating what went or is going wrong in the above it is time to take a self examination. Moving from one job to the next new co-worker situation doesn't matter if you come in with a sense of entitlement and not humility. Having a girlfriend problem? Are all their reasons for leaving the friendship/relationship similar? Maybe it's not them maybe it's you. Finances, doesn't matter if you make $800 a month or a day, keep seeing overdrafts in your account that means YOU have a need to learn money management.

Make sense? In the time of a change, especially from an unpleasant situation to a new one, look at several past situations and the similarities in the unpleasantness.

Variable - The situation. sometimes it really isn't us, it's them. But it takes that self examination of the fixed in multiple of variable situations to know if that's truth and not self righteousness.

A sincere willingness to examine both the fixed and the variable will truly fuel your freeway. Once it has been identified then clear communication is what is necessary to properly navigate from Point B to new Point C.

Does any of this makes sense? lol

If you find yourself in the position of leadership, or are striving to be a leader then I think that this article I came across in Inc.com is an essential read. I really think that this article deserves a separate post of its own, but while composing I found myself finger pointing more than learning/self-assessing, and that is where this post came from.

So in conclusion, sometimes that change is a blessing and moving from a challenging situation to a new one can be great, but examine all the factors. In order for the grass to be greener on the other side, you are going to have to water it.

Happy Travels!

"One Step Forward, Just Glance Back. No Fear, Just DIVA!"