Redirections

I've been doing some research on the career changes people make today.  It is making me feel much better about myself, actually! One source said that today's workforce will change careers 10 times in a lifetime. The article went on to clarify that it was actually 10 jobs, and typically 5 careers. Another blog stated that people are making 7 career changes in a lifetime, however the author had changed careers 9 times. I know I have heard the number 7 thrown out before. I, personally, am coming dangerously close to using up my last cat life of careers.
You see, I graduated college hoping for a career life similar to my dad's: I would work for one company, dedicating my life to that company, for my career. I quickly realized that company wouldn't be the first company I chose! The company touted itself as one that promotes from within and likes to keep employees moving forward in their careers. However, try as I might to move up, I was only ever given one promotion. In fact, the parent of one of my clients tried to get me into a trainer position (training new staff on how to work with our clients) because she felt I exemplified the traits needed to be a community support professional. She was told, in no better words, that I actually needed to dumb down if I wanted to move up in the company! This sealed it. I moved onto graduate school to earn my Masters in Counseling and pursue my original career goal of being a counselor working with middle school age children.
I had intended on being a mental health counselor, however didn't have the funds to work for free for a full year completing a second internship in counseling. So I settled on the school counselor license and decided I would find a middle school to dedicate my life to. Well everyone in education knows this is nearly impossible because if you love middle school you are not going to leave! And elementary counselor positions are nearly extinct. So after the third school fell through, all due to circumstances out of my control, I decided to move forward again.
Perhaps I am not meant to dedicate myself to one company or career. Or even two or three!
Along the way I have tried out other career paths. My absolute favorite job, as I referenced not long ago, is being a mom. However, with the Tiny in kindergarten, and someone wanting more income, it is time to seek out the next career path. Life is extremely boring when no one is around all day!
This brings me to this blog. Redirecting. Apparently it is something most people do quite often in our lives. I just happen to be surrounded by people who don't redirect a lot. I'm married to a teacher. For 15+ years he has worked in the same school. My dad gave his career life to Lilly. My mom dedicated herself to us kids. My brother is a vet who, like me, has been seeking out one company. At least he has had one career goal, though! I am the black sheep. I am the direction-less floater. I am the one who is most frustrating. I have career ADD. I can't ever be happy. I feel like the screw-up of the family.
And yet, I am more like the average working person than any one of these people in my life. Why can't I accept that?  Better yet, what am I even looking for in the next career move? I can tell you what I want on the surface: flexible hours, good pay, and security. I want to be part of a team who respects me and the other hard-working employees. I want to matter and I don't want to feel like a screw up. I want the job to last...longer than a year or so. Is this asking too much? Is it unrealistic for Me?
Recently I interviewed for a job, and accepted the position. The interviewer said that my assessment results said I was "in transition" and that I am a "generalist". He went on to say that generalists are great people to have on staff because they are not limited in their skills. They are the kinds of people who like to learn and practice a lot of different things. They are typically good project managers. This sounds wonderful to me! This makes all my flighty-ness seem normal and even useful. So there you go. I am a generalist. Now, who wants to take that and make a career of it?!
This has been an extremely long blog, with no real relevant point to anyone but me. The idea came to me in the shower and it was much more succinct when I was speaking out loud. But perhaps someone else will read it and it will make him feel much better about himself or realize that he is not alone. Feel free to share your career path by commenting below!

Abercrombie & Fitch

And it's my turn to weigh in on the scandal that has become A&F!
It is slightly amusing, and mostly annoying, listening to all the people who are outraged by the CEO's statements.  I have been trying to stay out of this but it seems that nearly every day someone else on facebook comments or posts some picture/video of someone degrading A&F.  I cannot sit by any longer!

On the CEO's statement - I actually see nothing wrong with the CEO stating that he is purposely marketing to the "cool kids".  Don't we all want to be the "cool kids"?  If you were "cool" growing up, admit that you loved the feeling of everyone looking up to you and wanting to be you.  If you were not "cool", admit that you wanted to be!  We all did!  It was something to reach for.  If a company wants to cater to those people, isn't that saying that we can all be "cool" if we buy their clothes?  We will look hot and be awesome if we buy their clothes.  We will be making a statement about our awesomeness and attractiveness if we wear A&F.  After all, they only cater to  "cool" kids.

On size 10 and under - America is WAY too overweight these days.  A size 10 today is probably about a size 16 20 years ago.  Someone recently posted that Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12.  (I thought it was an 8...but I'm too lazy to research right now!)  A size 12 for her would equal at least a size 10, possibly an 8, today.  I know this b/c my clothes have gone down in size and I asked a store about it once.  My suspicions were verified - clothes have been getting bigger every couple of years to help cater to the growing population.  What?  You wear a 10 now?!  That's awesome!  Wait, you weight the same?  The 10 is the same size as the size 12 pants hanging in your closet?  You must have shrunk those somehow...
Therefore, for people to be so upset that A&F won't make clothes to fit them, makes America seem like a giant, overweight, extremely sensitive country!  It is difficult to protest a store you never shopped in anyway.  What are you going to do to hurt the business?  Not buy their clothes?  You weren't buying them anyway!  To these people I say, if you are so upset, do something about it!  Eat less, Do more.  Get healthy and fit into those clothes!  Then, if you want to protest over some statement, you will at least be making an accurate protest.

This is probably coming off extremely harsh, however no one really reads this blog anyway, and it's been weighing on my mind for a while now.  It's about time I put my thoughts down somewhere!  Thanks for reading.  Now I'm off to buy some "cool kids" clothes at A&F!  :)

Happy New Year!

I sit here watching the after-party to the New Year's festivities from NYC.  (BTW, I did make it there this year!  We went for my birthday and it was WONDERFUL!)  I remember the year I was there.  It was crazy! But so much fun.  Jenny McCarthy asked some people tonight if they would classify the experience as "bucket worthy".  I would say a resounding YES!  Everyone should go hang out in a Times Square pen once in their life.  It is an amazing experience to be surrounded by people from all over the world and celebrate the coming of another year.  Yes it is a huge party.  Yes it can get cold there.  But YES, it is worth every minute just be a part of something shared by the entire population of humans on this planet.

I was not able to attend my yoga/gong meditation this year and that really bums me out.  I have come to love yoga and enjoy the connection to our earth that it brings me.  I have truly begun to embrace the hippy in me, haha!  I should really write a blog about simplicity and connectedness, but that seems like a lot of work right now...maybe some other night...
Tonight I did get some serous snuggle time with my Tiny.  For those who don't know, I have a 4-year-old daughter who is the love of my life.  I let her stay up until 10:00 tonight to watch the fun from NYC.  She was hilarious b/c she found the theatre where we saw Annie while we were watching the performers and was so excited to recognize something she knew!  When she went to bed she asked if she should wear her new glasses (2013 glasses we got in NYC) tomorrow.  I'd forgotten all about them!  But Tiny doesn't forget a thing.  So she'll be wearing them all day tomorrow!

If I had to choose one thing that sums up the last year I would say it is...
Surprises.
I reread some of my blogs and didn't realize how much I learned about myself this year.  So that's one surprise.
I also promoted out to Unit Leader with PartyLite, just at the time I had given up hope it would happen.  That was a very nice surprise!
I am totally happy making close to minimum wage working as a water fitness instructor and lifeguard.  It gives me something to do and is a little extra money to pay bills with.  Surprise!  (Although, don't count on this feeling to last long...it never does!)
I got an e-mail about a week ago from my long-lost friend, Andrea.  Surprise!  I thought she's fallen off the face of the earth!  Turns out she's just being a mom to her 2 kids and loving it.

Well I guess that's it.  Plus it's 1:07am on the 1st of January, 2013 and I probably should try to go to bed.  I do have to work tomorrow...ug.  So stay tuned for more blogs this year and lots of fun!!!
Happy New Year, readers!

Philosophy of Living Life

For some reason lately I've been thinking a lot about how to live life.  Maybe it's the fact that I've become a great Stay at Home Mom - finally accepted the fact that someone else pays my bills (or should be, anyway...) and embraced motherhood to the fullest extent.  Maybe it's the fact that I miss NYC and am trying to convince myself to spend money I shouldn't on a trip out there (brakes on a car should be repaired before jetting to another city, right?)  Or maybe it's just that watching a 4 year old enjoy herself makes me want to live carefree and enjoy myself.
Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy myself.  I love my life!  My daughter is the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me.  And I think she is the reason I have decided to philosophize about life.  I want to be sure I give her everything she could possibly need to live a happy. long, and successful life.  But the definition of "success" is so different to everyone that I want to be sure to give her all kinds of options to explore and allow her to create her own definition.
So let's get back to life...
Responsibility is the number one thing people should live up to.  It just should be that way!  You are responsible for your own life: food, clothing, shelter, love, and the food, clothing, shelter, and love of any offspring you produce.  If you cannot provide this, then find a way!  Once these things are covered you can begin to work your way up Maslow's hierarchy of needs. But do not think for a minute that someone else should obtain these things for you.
After taking responsibility for your basic needs it is up to you to decide what to do next.  Get a job you love?  Schedule time to do things you love to do?  Find a circle of friends to share life with? Have a child or two to mold into responsible citizens like you?  Move in one direction to meet your chosen goal?  Or float from goal to goal, new idea to new idea?  Again, there is no one right path for everyone.  We should all choose the pleasure for ourselves.
So why do I feel like it is irresponsible to go to NYC?  I have a savings account.  I make some money.  I should be able to enjoy things like this!  But I am so afraid of later in life not being able to provide the things I am responsible for that I save my money.  And I save up my dreams of going places.  So I am left watching other people love their lives while I save...Yes, I am still living.  I still do fun things every day.  Just today I went swimming and watched how my daughter jumps in, swims to me, floats, and spins in the water like she was born to do this!  I don't need to do anything else.  I don't NEED NYC.  I WANT NYC.  And therein lies the struggle of how to live life...

Pigs' Eyes

This might be one of those "otherwise" blogs today!  Tiny and I were driving around and saw a truck filled with pigs.  Of course I'm sure they were going to slaughter but when Tiny asked where they were going I said I didn't know.  We had a nice chat about farmers raising pigs and then selling them.  As we were talking and watching the pigs, I caught the eye of one of them.
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Did you know that a pig's eye looks just like a human's eye?  It was creepy.  The way the sun was shining on the pig's face hid the nose and just highlighted the eye.  I swear I thought I was looking directly into a human's eye. So sad.  Asking for help.  Knowing where he was going and knowing there was nothing he could do about it.  There was not a chance I was going to tell Tiny where those pigs were really going.  Not with that one pig staring at me....Helpless.
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So, what if we are all like that?  All headed towards our slaughter with nothing we can do about it?  In a way, we are, aren't we?  I mean, we live our lives looking for success, happiness, whatever gets us through the days.  And in the end we die.  Who knows what happens when we die.  Maybe we go to Heaven.  Maybe we just rot.  Maybe we reincarnate (and become that poor pig!)  But we do know we die.  And there's nothing we can do about it.  What if our death is really the universe slaughtering us?  I could on about how many of us die in hospital and hospice.  And going to these places is like the pig going to slaughter.  When we get old or really sick we know the end is near.  Do we look sad like that pig?  Or do we hope above hope that there will be a cure and we'll be saved to live another year?
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I really don't know the answer, nor do I even know what I want the answer to be.  But I do know that there's no way I'll be buying bacon or ham anytime soon without seeing that poor pig's eyes asking me to help him!

Freedom of Religion

** DISCLAIMER= We all know this blog is about my thoughts, and my thoughts only. I may do a little bit of research, but most of this is my OPINION only. I keep hearing stuff from various politicians and not really paying much attention to them. But this latest article has taken the cake.

I am a Republican. But, I should clarify, I fall under the category of "old Republican". I am a fiscal Republican and feel that we should all be entitled to make our own money, spend our own money, and invest our own money. If you can't do this wisely and run out of money then it's too bad on you. Figure out another way to make more money and live within your means. Harsh? Nope. Fair!

Now, socially, I lean towards being a Democrat. I truly believe the constitution when it says "freedom of religion". I believe that "all men (and women) are created equal.". The founding fathers wrote the constitution based on these ideals. They did not sit down and say, "we are Christian. How can we screw over other religions while looking like we're giving them freedom?!"

I mean, really Santorum? We get our rights from our hearts which come from God? (as quoted during the debate in Alabama). We get our rights from the constitution! For goodness sake, why do you think we have a constitution?!

I just cannot believe that educated people are saying some of the things these current Republican presidential-wannabes are saying. They are mis-quoting the constitution, they are completely ignoring some amendments (the first!), and they are making America seem like a country full of hypocrites!

From what I understand President Obama is a Christian. This is different to being a Muslim. I don't really care what religion he is because that is the best part of being an American. You can be any religion you want and still be President! We have Freedom OF Religion here in this great country!

Furthermore, President Obama was born in the USA. Who cares where his parents were born? (Santorum, I believe, was the one making a stink about this. What is this guys' deal?). According to the constitution you have to be an American-born citizen to be president. I know this because I always wondered why Arnie didn't run for president. He can't. He wasn't born in America.

The way I see it, I think I should be president. I don't think I am any more knowledgable than the bumbling pack of idiots currently running. But I am a down-to-earth, fair thinker. I can read and understand history. I can understand plain English that says things like "freedom of religion". I don't pretend to know everything that is in the Bible and interpret it to suit my needs. I respect everyone, regardless of religion, because I am American. I could go on, and maybe I will in another blog, but for now I leave you with this one question: Are there any American candidates left out there?!

Yoga vs. Church

Over my life I've been to church-I've believed in God-I've stopping going to church-I've questioned God-I've done a mission trip bringing me closer to God than anywhere else-and I've reverted back to questioning and not attending church. That's where I stand now.

During the "not going to church" times I've found a couple other things to occupy my Sunday mornings. I've recently discovered a Sunday Hot Yoga class. And this has me thinking about spirituality as a whole.

If you look at church as a way for people to feel closer to God, more spiritual, then maybe it works for some people. I know there was something going on in Africa when everyone in the church sang and praised God together. There was a feeling of connectedness. I couldn't say if this connectedness was a connection to God, a higher power, or a group of people all together positive and full of praise. But it was a great feeling all the same.

I've always felt there's something out there - some kind of universal something (real specific and descriptive, I know!) I'm not sure it's one god, or even a group of gods (like in mythology), or just a universal presence. I do believe in karma, though. Karma is sort of like a Wiccan belief (at least at the bare bones of it all) in that when you send positiveness out into the world it will come back to you and when you send negativeness out it also returns to you.

So now you have "connectedness" and "karma" and you add Yoga. Yoga is a practice. Yoga centers a person. Yoga is based on goodness in people and using that goodness to bring out the goodness in other people. We are asked to choose who or what to dedicate our practice to each week and I always dedicate it to my daughter and frequently also my business. I leave hot yoga feeling so positive, relaxed, and full of strength and positive energy. I have never left church feeling this way.

But I know many people have and do each week. And it doesn't matter which church, temple, or other religious building the people I've talked to have attended. I don't think there is anything wrong with getting your weekly positive energy from church. I'm trying to figure out the difference. Why do I feel so good, so connected to positive energy, goodness, and the universe when I leave yoga yet I feel nothing when I leave church? Why do some people cling to their specific religion so tightly yet others will convert without thinking twice? Why do some people feel empty when they miss church? And furthermore, what is it about people that we need any of these things (God, the universe, a connectedness to others, etc) in the first place? It makes me feel that there is something, I just don't know what, holding everything and everyone together.

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