Sunday, July 31, 2016

Time to live - Time to thrive!

I have noticed lately that it seems many people simply exist. We no longer thrive - we muddle through. We worry about bills. We worry about tomorrow's problems which may never come. We go to jobs we are not passionate about. We make meals to fill bellies but not to experience cuisine. We shuffle the kids to activities and parties. We clean the house and fold the laundry. We busy ourselves with chores and obligations.

Then, once in a great while, we live. We do something we truly enjoy. We take a vacation or finish a great book. We spend a carefree day with the family on the lake. We eat a meal that truly must be savored. We explore a cave or hike a peak. We thrive. We alert our senses to sounds and smells around us. We live.

Why do we do this? If we get one chance at this great gift called life...why do we waste it? 

Yes - we need to pay bills but why not find work that we enjoy? Work that empowers us and satisfies us. Work that is not dreaded on Monday mornings but looked forward to. 

Yes - we have to feed ourselves but why not make meals that nourish our bodies and tickle our taste buds? In the hours we twiddle away on nothingness why not make a casserole and freeze it for a meal later in the week? Why not experiment with bright colored vegetables and fun-shaped pasta? Why are meals just meals and not an event?

Yes - we have obligations but it is also okay to say "no." No, we can't make that birthday party. No, we cannot commit to another weekend event. No, no, no!

No - we can no longer live mundane lives. Why would we want to anyway? I want to live. I want to thrive. I want to re-work my existence. I want to re-plan my route. I want to take the road less traveled and see what it has to offer. I no longer what to waste the dash between the day I arrived and the day I depart. I don't want to exist but rather I want to live.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Plot Twist

So, God has a way of working things out in ways we can't possibly imagine or re-create ourselves.

Last time I posted about my awesome new job and I was so excited about the new opportunities and fresh perspective. Not long after that post things in Awesome-ville rapidly unraveled. My new job soured at a quick rate. The promises made to me when I was hired were shelved and new duties were assigned. I began doing a job I didn't apply for and wasn't being trained for. I had a manager than went on long-term sick leave days after she was hired, I had a company owner trying to but a positive spin on the mess she was creating, and I had an HR department that still wasn't providing me with concrete details of my new role and - it's sales - my new goals. 

I was getting anxious about how things were working out. Two months in and the job I was so excited about had shifted to a really bad deal. It was probably the most expensive job I ever had. We had to purchase a car for my travel. Granted ,the company did partially reimburse me for mileage. The health insurance was outrageously expensive and amazingly bad. A prescription that used to cost me $10 cost $45 under the new plan. Doctor visit co-pays jumped too. And, I thank all the is good no one was hospitalized during my stint there.

Every expense report I submitted was commented upon and returned by the company bean counter. 

"This hotel is $20 over the approved nightly cost." To which I replied, "The company owner stayed there and it was her I was meeting with."

"You are not allowed to expense a protective phone case." To which I replied, "It was $7. And, it is to protect the new iPhone you issued."

In the end, I would issue a payment to American Express for whatever charges the bean counter deemed inappropriate. We haggled once over 48 cents. 48 cents!

While my new world was crumbling I got word that a specialist at my old company had resigned after accepting a position with a competitor in her area of specialty. I told myself I would not call. I would not inquire. I had made my choice and I had to accept what I had chosen.That said, I welled up with tears of reliefs when I received a text message about 3 weeks later from my old boss.

"Would you be interested in a conversation about the specialist role just vacated?"

Through tears, I coolly replied, "I am always up for a conversation."

The following day the manager of the specialists called me. I know him well because he was in my rookie class back in 2001. We talked about the role and the territory it would cover. I was interested but remembered the last interview process I went through.

I said, "This all sounds great. And this is a position I would love to have. But, to be honest, I am really not interested in going through another interview process with the company."

He said, "You know, I think we have done enough to you already. I was thinking more along the lines of a conversation and an offer."

I was blown away! "That sounds easy enough! Lets do that! When should we have the conversation?"

"Jen, this IS the conversation!"

So, with a little bit of finagling and an outrageous twist on my career path I find myself back with the crazy I know verses that completely wacky crazy that I was struggling with. 

My new role fits me well. I get to work with other reps to help them achieve their goals. I travel a lot which isn't always easy, but I am making it work. I am learning a great deal every single day.

I hesitate to say that I am back in Awesome-ville because I was burned so badly before. But I am enjoying my new job for what it is. I can't predict how long it will last or what the future holds, but for the time being I am content. Finally. Well, mostly content. There is still a restless bit inside me that keeps me on my toes with one eye on the present and one eye on the horizon.