• /
    • Archives /
  • November 30, 1999

Archives For November 30, 1999

Personal and professional identity

July 15, 2012

So…about that new job. It’s going pretty great actually. I know you’ve all been losing sleep over not knowing whether or not I like it.

I still don’t know everything I need to know (tomorrow will be the start of my fourth week), but I’m not lost like I feared I would be after leaving a place where I knew my role like the back of my hand.

It’s Sunday evening and I’m not feeling any how-many-hours-do-I-have-left-to-my-weekend anxiety. I no longer dread Monday mornings. Strike that…I don’t dread returning to work on Mondays. I always dread mornings, no matter what the day.

Most importantly, I am starting to embrace my professional identity. I am now in a position where my success will be measured by how much better I make other people’s lives. It recently dawned on me that it is a role completely synonymous to what it means to be a mom.

Maybe that’s why I am excited for each new day? Or maybe I’m still simply in the honeymoon phase? Or maaaaybe…I don’t need to try and rationalize why I feel the way I do? I keep telling myself to simply live in the moment and soak up new opportunities as they arise.

I believe I have identified the x-factor when it comes to determining job satisfaction: To be happy with what you do for a living, you must share a personal desire with those who surround you.

Some people want to be known for having the greatest material wealth or influence, so they surround themselves with others who seek out similar status. Some people want to change the world so that it is better for future generations, so they forgo immediate gratification to pursue something bigger than themselves. Some are happy simply existing, knowing they have a support system in place who can remind them of their greatest strengths when they’ve forgotten. Some people want to laugh everyday and see the good in others, so they embrace similar thinkers and doers in the hopes of finding solutions instead of harping on problems.

After all, the world is a beautiful place and we only have but one life to live. It’s not easy to stay positive, but I’m going to embrace this period for as long as possible.

Even Monday mornings are worth celebrating my friends.

In Awareness, Inspiration, Passion, Reflection , , , , , , , ,
permalink

Rock star reflection

July 1, 2012

You know the best part about blogging? You can brain dump all you want. It’s therapeutic really. Readers and fellow bloggers typically know within the first few sentences if your post is worth their time. I won’t guarantee this one will trip your trigger, but here goes.

I initially came out here to write about how I always thought it would have been cool to date a rock star (or at least a member of a band, preferably lead singer or guitarist…what does that say about me?) at some point in my younger years. When I opened WordPress to jot down these super deep thoughts, I noticed I had 375 views to my last post about starting a new career and that the total number of people who elect to follow every time I ramble is growing.

Who’s the rock star now?!

I launched maternalmedia back on February 19, 2012 with the entry, It’s about time I visited your sacred space. For the past several years, I have loved reading other people’s brain dumps and I sort of hoped I would be considered unique or (dare I say it?) interesting in the blogosphere.

It feels pretty damn amazing to know that I have readers who enjoy following my entries. So, more than anything else, I wanted to say thank you.

But, let’s get back to the original topic: Why did I never date anyone in a band? I know now that band guys are a different breed based on conversations I’ve had with women who have either dated or married them.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but don’t they tend to be a little needy? And super interested in their personas? If there’s one thing I know about my attraction or lack thereof to the opposite sex, it is this: A dude cannot take longer than I do to get ready to go out.

My husband takes 20 minutes on average to head out the door if that tells you anything.

What kind of band member would I have dated had we crossed paths before I met the love of my life? My good friends know that my number 1 crush is on Chris Daughtry, but Chris Martin from Cold Play lands a close second.

I got to meet Chris Daughtry when he and his band visited Omaha earlier this summer. Unfortunately (for me), he is pretty short. And I am a tall glass of water in heels. That’s the more polite description versus Amazon Woman.

I hope his wife, Deanna, understands my fixation with her husband is all in fun. Thankfully, my husband does.

I literally just learned tonight thanks to Wikipedia that Chris Martin is married to Gwyneth Paltrow. Sooo, he likes tall blondes? Hhhmmmm. Interesting.

In Brain dump, Just for Fun, Love, Reflection , , , , , , , , ,
permalink

I’m leaving my job

June 18, 2012

It’s not just a job. It’s a job in a company that I’ve worked at for 13 years. At a place where I know a few hundred people. A place that employed me before I had kids, heck, before I was even married. I was a wide-eyed graduate fresh out of college who was offered a full-time position after completing an internship. I falsely assumed I would be rich off my humble starting salary.

Thirteen years and three kids later, I am far from being monetarily wealthy. However, my life as a whole is richer for having worked there.

Yet I knew this time was coming.

When I had to put one of my dogs down a couple of summers ago, I told people that I should have made that difficult decision about six months prior than I actually did. I knew he wasn’t happy merely existing.

It’s a pretty dumb comparison, but that is kind of how I felt about my job. I was merely existing for the last several months. I met deadlines, completed my work, and received feedback. But I was no longer hungry. I owed my company and myself more than that.

After I finally decided to reclaim some of my professional passion and eject from auto-pilot, I committed to leaving my employer the right way. To let people know what they’ve meant to me over the years. To wrap up loose ends, say my goodbyes. I am in that process this week.

The one person who I wish I could share this latest adventure with is my Grandma Peterson. She left this earth and a void in my heart in January 2008. No one was a bigger supporter of my dreams.

She would beg me for business cards every time I took a new position so she could share what I did with her friends at church and distant relatives. I literally had hundreds of business cards printed and never got rid of them so handing her a handful was never a problem. It made her happy and it made me proud.

As I tossed my ridiculous amount of business cards in the recycling bin, I couldn’t help but smile.

It’s a bit scary leaving your comfort zone. But I’ve never been one to shy away from opportunity. Grandma Peterson would have reassured me I will be great at this latest adventure.

So I will continue to believe her and forge on.

In Awareness, Family, Inspiration, Love, Memories, Passion, Reflection, Support , , , , ,
permalink