Looking for the dream job

In keeping with my personal philosophy, “If you are not happy, move on”, I decided this week that if telework is so important to me, I need to start looking for it now. My hope
was my current office would consider adopting it, but it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. In my years of working I have always sacrificed some personal beliefs and/or desires believing that doing so is a normal way of life. However, I can no longer deny these beliefs because doing so is making me one miserable individual! I also fight the tendency to ruminate over how I should have done this years ago. I know I’m not the only one who is in the same predicament so here is my personal list of steps to take to make your dream job a reality:

1. Do not deny your personal beliefs and desires! In order to be happy, you must hold these sacred and search for the right company/institution that honors your beliefs and desires. In a quick search online, I found over the course of this weekend that these types of companies do exist! Start your search at: http://http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/2008. From here you can plug in “perks” you are looking for in a company and it delivers the specific companies to match those perks you find important.

2. Realize that the perfect company to work for may be you! This is something I am seriously considering and right now I’m in the process of developing exactly what I would like to do. This includes market research and developing a business plan. If you are serious about starting your own business, I suggest one of your first steps should be to meet with your local Small Business Development Office representative (http://http://www.sba.gov/aboutsba/sbaprograms/sbdc/index.html).

3. Searching for a new career is like holding down a part-time job. Allow yourself the time to conduct you research, to amp up your resume, and to then apply for jobs.

4. Be open to relocating, if needed. If you own your own home, I know the real estate market right now does not lend itself to moving, but realize you may have to move in order to acquire your dream job. This has been my hang up for years now. I live in northeastern Maryland and have limited myself to just the immediate commute area for job opportunities. Do not fall into this trap! Open yourself up to relocating and the world is yours for the taking! My husband wants to wait another 18 months before we move, but I no longer think I can wait that long. However, since I am searching for telework opportunities, I should be looking for companies that would allow me to remain where I am for now with the possibility to move in the future.

5. Block out the naysayers! This is critical to realizing your dream job. Many, many negative individuals are out there waiting to hold you back because they do not have the courage nor desire to actualize their dreams. Stay true to yourself and believe in yourself whether you want to be a world-renowned chef or open up a local pet-sitting business. For me, I sometimes keep the bulk of my plans to myself, only sharing them with a few trusted individuals (i.e., positive and inspiring individuals). This mitigates hearing a bunch of negative garbage that I can do without.

Today for me will be sorting out whether I can be satisfied changing career fields in order to achieve the benefits I want: telework, fun and casual work environment, room to advance, generous paid time off. I also need to sort out whether I would be willing to accept a pay cut to achieve these benefits. My gut reaction is yes, but I need to discuss that with hubby first. He has been very open to me taking a pay cut, as long as I can wait for him to finish college (the 18 months discussed above) and for him to get a higher paying position.

Go forward with your dream – today is the best day to start.

I'm still here!!

Yes, I’m actually still alive. This week has been a blur. My brother is in town for the Ravens/Raiders game today, so things have been hectic. Although no writing happened this weekend, I actually enjoyed doing nothing and didn’t get bent out of shape because I didn’t write. I watched some movies – Iron Man, There Will Be Blood, and Sex in the City. All were great! I enjoy watching movies by myself sometimes and I watched There Will Be Blood last night while Charlie did homework (by brother went over a friend’s house) and I watched Sex in the City this morning at 7:30 (Charlie and Dom had already left for the game – tailgating!). It felt great not to be rushing around trying to get a million things accomplished. I keep reminding myself that I’m not off track and the writing will start up again come next weekend. I find it virtually impossible, given my current job, to do any writing during the week. I’m not one to skimp on sleep, so it’s not like I can stay up late to write and I already get up at 4 am, so forget about getting up early. I can actually get a good deal accomplished on the weekends when I’m focused.

That’s all for the moment. My brain is still on “relax” mode, so I’m going to take advantage of it while I can!

Time alone please!

I was off from my “regular” job today – yee haw! I’m starting to love being away from that job, and eventually I will be for good. In the meantime, I was able to complete some work for the writer I’m working with part-time. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to work for him as it will open doors that I could never do on my own. Plus, he is a genuinely great guy! His wife is great too! I’m very excited working with him – I only wish his work was my full time job. Oh, that’s right, no whining and no wishing! Only doing! My greatest personality flaw is that I have very little patience. I have made some strides in improving my patience, but other times I let it get the better of me. I’ve come to see that it can have a negative impact on my emotions, which is something I don’t need.

One other great struggle for me is claiming time away from my “regular” job for my writing. I’ve already touched on that previously, but I’m finding others are creating a time drain for me and I need to implement a way to stop that. My husband can be from time to time – God love him. I think because I’m not currently pulling in a whole lot of money by writing he doesn’t see the necessity of me spending so much time on it. Don’t get me wrong, he vocalizes his support constantly, but when it comes time for me to sit down and do something, he wants to spend time together. Today he decided to call in sick and although I was good for some of the morning, the rest of the day was shot.

How do you tell the ones you love you love them, but please don’t bother me for the next eight hours? Maybe just say it as is!!

Komen Race for the Cure

I ran the Baltimore Komen Race for the Cure this morning. My time was 26.15 - my best time yet. If only it was 70 degrees versus 35! I hate running in the cold. For me, it's very comfortable and takes me about a mile to warm up. But with so many people running around you (there was about 32,000 registrants!), you get caught up in the adrenaline and just go! My husband also ran and my sister Sharon (in the picture with me) and niece Ellen also came along. This was the first time they attended and they said they would be back, which is great.

Not much to write because I'm so stinkin' tired! I was up at 4 am (it's about an hour drive to get to the race), so now I'm ready for bed!

Time to take care of the breasts!

Where does the time go? I did manage to work on my memoir some this morning, but the rest of the day filled up with running, workout, getting my hair cut, doing laundry, making dinner, and now here it is almost six o’clock! It would be great to have a maid do all this work! Enough whining for now…

Thursday was my mammogram and first ever breast MRI. I’ve been receiving mammograms since I was 30 as a precautionary measure (due to my family history), but this year I switched my OB/GYN down to Johns Hopkins since my old doctor didn’t think MRIs were necessary for me. Although I don’t have a medical degree, I’m intelligent enough to read and decipher medical news and research. I’ve known for awhile that MRIs and/or ultrasounds should be used in addition to regular mammograms for women who have dense breasts (and mine are VERY dense), so I got pretty annoyed when my old doctor wouldn’t go for it. Once I transferred to Johns Hopkins they asked, “Why wouldn’t you get an MRI?” I knew I had made the right decision in coming to them.

Both technicians I saw that day commented that my breasts were extremely dense. While it’s wonderful have firm, youthful breasts, it makes reading mammograms and MRIs a bitch (i.e. it’s difficult to make out cancer because it all blends together). The MRI was only suppose to last 30 minutes but ended up taking an hour because the technician had such a hard time getting a decent picture. The digital mammogram was cool because I could see the results right there on the computer screen. I discovered I have a calcification deposit in my left breast and based on what I have researched, it is a macrocalcification deposit (not linked to breast cancer development). The films for both the mammogram and MRI had to be sent to the main office for diagnosis and I should receive results in about a week. Tomorrow is the Komen Race for the Cure here in Baltimore and this year my sister Sharon and my niece Ellen will be going with me and Charlie. We’ll be there bright and early at 6 am!

After my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 13, I made a pact with myself to always stay on top of my health and to take all precautionary measures possible when it comes to breast health. I received genetic testing this summer (for the BRCA 1 and 2 genes) and the results came back negative. It’s good news for me, but doesn’t pull me out of the weeds completely. Since my mom and aunt were never tested for the genes (it wasn’t even heard of when both were alive), my results can either mean that neither of them carried the gene, or they may have carried the gene I just didn’t inherit it. Neither of my sisters wants to get tested because they rather not know. I personally think that is crazy, but to each her own. I’d rather know and take all measures possible to prevent it than to discover it one day and have limited options.

Here’s to a good run tomorrow!!

Moving forward

As I sit contemplating how much I no longer want to work where I am currently employed, I actively engage in positive thought processing. That is, I am mapping how I will make the transition from working outside the home for an outside employer to working for myself full-time. I can wish all I want for the life I desire or actually do something about it, which is something that sets successful people apart from those who never achieve much in life. It’s a matter of always moving forward and taking risks. Successful individuals are not afraid of the unknown because they know that taking risks is a part of achieving a dream. Successful individuals may make mistakes, but they learn from those mistakes and keep moving on.

I am grateful I found a mentor in a local writer who is very successful in his freelance career. I started working for him part-time a couple of months ago. I only wish it was full time! Aack! No wishing here – just doing! J He has taught me a lot so far and I look forward to him showing me more of “the ropes” in having a successful freelance career. I have also started researching potential markets for me to break into (low-paying, but good for gaining experience) and compiled some article ideas. Next I have to create some query letters to send out and to line up experts to interview for my articles. I am also moving ahead with my memoir, more aggressively than ever, so I can get that to an agent. I indicated previously I wanted this accomplished before year-end, but as long as my schedule doesn’t derail, it should be by the end of November.

Stay positive, stay focused!!

Followers widget now listed!

I’ve added the “Followers” widget to my blog so please become a follower! Join me in getting off the treadmill and spread the word!

Many thanks,Jen