Tuesday, August 12, 2008  

Wisdom in the stars

Faced with another career change, I look to my horoscope for a bit of sometimes reliable, hardly scientific but always interesting, guidance. Here's what I found.

There is more going on today than meets the eye, for your fantasy life is so rich that it can overflow into reality. But your dreams aren't necessarily about pots of gold and rainbows. Darker issues may lure you into the shadows, even on a bright summer day. Instead of complaining about the work to be done, just be thankful for the potential rewards that will follow.

Hmmmm, interesting. Once again, the universe has found a way to speak to me. I'll say it again, because I don't want to offend any of my God fearing friends or be accused of seeking guidance from a less-than-holy source. I read my horoscope for sheer pleasure. I don't put any (well, not too much) merit on the advice given, but I do find it interesting that sometimes the stars speak to me. It's like going to church and listening to the priest's sermon and sinking in your seat because somehow he has figured out what sins you've committed over the past week and you need to... OK, I'll not go into that right now. The stars are more palatable because their advice comes without the guilt or repent factor attached.

I'm focusing on the statement "Instead of complaining about work to be done, just be thankful for the potential rewards that will follow." What does that mean to me? There are a ton of things going on.

1) I have to turn in my resignation to my current job, my employer of less than 3 months. On Saturday I received a Fed-Ex package with an offer letter, officially sealing the deal with my new Monday through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30 life. My target start date is early September. I would have done it today when my manager and I had our weekly check in call. BUT, she's a talker. And the more she talked about how much she appreciated the work I was doing and that she enjoys having me on her team, the more difficult it became to even think about quitting. AND LISTEN TO THIS - there were a couple of high-level layoffs done over the past week, but she assured me that my job is secure. Geeeeezzzzz. Could she make it anymore difficult? I mean, what was I supposed to say? "Thanks for making sure my job is secure, but I'm giving my two weeks notice." I've never had to quit a job as an adult. There is a first for everything.

2) Because I didn't anticipate leaving so soon, I've been slacking off on keeping all of my account records up to date. I've got a lot of clean up work to do before I leave. First, I don't want to leave a mess behind for someone else to clean up. Secondly, I would like to leave a good impression with my manager in case she needs some extra help in the future and wanted my assistance (there is commission to be made!) And lastly, I have to make sure I get paid! I've probably got a couple thousand dollars of unpaid commission sitting out there with these accounts. I want to make sure it comes to ME and nobody else.

3) This new job requires me to be away from home for two weeks of training in South Carolina. I know the family will survive without me for two weeks. They've done it before. I'm worried about me. Two weeks of training seems overwhelming. That means, to me at least, that the expectations to perform will be extremely high. Already I'm freaking out when I think about the work load. But doesn't every company try to scare the living daylights out of you when it comes to expectations? I suppose they want to see your reaction when they say, "You really need to know how to multi-task and be on top of all of your customers and be courteous and show up on time and attend all of the meetings and be tied to your phone and not take breaks and work past 5:30, etc." If you freak out, you don't make the team. If you look at them straight in the eye and say with the utmost confidence, "That's not a problem. I'm the person you're looking for," then you're hired.

4) All the other stuff - like uncluttering my life & my house. That's a work in progress. It will always be a work in progress.

So I look at my horoscope and realize that there is a lot of work to be done. But there is an overwhelmingly bright light at the end of the tunnel. It's that light that signifies something wonderful, albeit challenging, is about to happen. If I can survive a layoff from a company that I invested 21 years of my young life with, then I can do a little bit of work for an abundance of reward. Time to get to work!

Chronicled @ 12:16 PM

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Thursday, August 7, 2008  

You know you've got too much on your mind when..,.

...you go to transfer the clothes from the washing machine to the dryer and find the TV remote control mixed in with the towels - batteries and all! Luckily we've got one of those water conserving HE machines, meaning the remote wasn't sitting in a soapy Tide bath. I immediately tested it and - voila - it still works. Thank goodness, 'cuz I can't imagine having to get up and manually change the channels.

In a few weeks I will be faced with at least three significant milestones. My oldest will be a freshman in high school. My second will be set loose among the hormonal pre-teens at the junior high. And my youngest will be all alone at the elementary school. It saddens me to see them split up. They won't mind, I'm sure of that. Logistically for me, the timing of schedules will be challenging for sure. Even more challenging because - believe it or not - I'm going to be starting another new job.

Yes, another new job. Though I love what I'm doing now, the circumstances (pay and hours) are something I can no longer deal with. When my kids start complaining about me being away from home I take that as a sign that it's not working for them either. When I have to decide which bill is more important to pay and which can wait, that tells me it's time to move on. Miraculously, the opportunity came up exactly when I needed it.

If everything pans out, I'll be working 10 miles away from home, Monday through Friday, 8:30 - 5:30. Though the hours are not exactly what I was looking for, they are better than evenings and weekends. And the location is perfect. It's a commute against traffic and there are back roads to get home if the freeways should be jammed up. The building is modern. There is a shopping center down the street. And the managers that I've met are very friendly and down to earth. What more could I ask for?

Here's the challenge. I will be the OLDEST sales person on the team, and I don't consider myself to be that old. I'm told the average age of the staff is mid-20s. YIKES! And there is only one other sales person who is a parent. I'm not opposed to working with 20-somethings. I used to be a 20-something. I think that's what scares me. At that age I was convinced I knew everything to be successful. I knew that whatever flaws I had were just a figment of the flaw-pointer-outer's imagination. I knew that all I needed to know was I'm better than everyone. Total self-absorption. Time has, thankfully, put a few notches in my wisdom belt. Family, friends and experience have taught me what is truly important and that I am NOT the center of the universe. Well, most of the time I'm not :-)

So I'm moving down another path. So many forks in the road to choose from. That's the beauty of life. We can CHOOSE which direction to move in. After spending 21 years with the same company in the same routine, I'm not going to settle for "settling" anymore. Here's to another chapter in my oh-so-adventurous life.

Chronicled @ 2:21 PM

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