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Friday, May 31, 2013

Life Lessons I've Learned The Hard Way

I have come upon the age in a young person’s life, when things start subtly shifting. I am almost 27 years old. I have lived upon this rock floating in space for almost one-third of my average allotted life span.

I have never felt more like I am still 17 years old.

Except that when I was 17, I was pretty sure I knew almost everything, ever.

And now, I see 17 year olds and I think, "Oh, you stupid, stupid idiots. Life is going to bitchslap the swag right off your face, similar to me smacking your stupid sideways hat off of your head and into a gutter."

Or some variance of that thought.

When I was a teenager, I knew so much about so many different things. I thought I was worldly and knowledgeable and well-rounded and smart. I knew who I was, who my friends were, and where I was going in this world.

Of those things, almost-27-year-old me know pretty much none of them. I know I'm smart and capable, and I am super confident (sometimes skirting the edge of cocky) in myself. But other than that, one of the most valuable things I've learned in the past decade is that I know nothing, I am a dope, and I have a lot of learning left to do.

Learn! Read! Never stop trying to improve yourself and learn new things. I have learned a lot about being an adult. Although, to be fair to 17-year-old me, I wasn't one yet, so how could I really have known?


Life Lessons I've Learned The Hard Way:

1. Life sucks sometimes. Life, unlike Scrabble, is rarely "fair." I put fair in quotation marks because our ideas of fairness is different from person to person.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: Life isn't fair.
And sometimes, it really sucks.
But there are some amazing, wonderful, breathtaking parts of life, too. Sometimes you just have to wade through the sucky parts to emerge, practically reborn and full of goo, into the beautiful parts. And they are there. The amazing pieces of life are always just around the corner from the worst parts.

2. Love isn't easy. We want to believe that when you find 'true love,' that everything will suddenly be more in focus, clearer, more shiny.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: Love is hard sometimes.
Just like anything worth anything in life, relationships take work. It can't be awesome all the time (except that world-renowned honeymoon phase). It's real life, and like we mentioned above, sometimes it sucks.
Maybe your girlfriend owns 752346 hair products and can't seem to understand the apparently foreign concept of putting them in a damn cabinet and not leaving them over every single available surface in the bathroom, to the point that sometimes you knock them over and end up smelling like a girl all day.
Maybe your boyfriend never met a female before you and therefore doesn't understand the concept of putting the toilet seat down or changing an empty toilet paper roll. Maybe he leaves that seat up all the time, even when you get cranky about it, and you've had the unfortunate luck to fall in once, late at night, and have your butt be all wet.
Who knows?
But there it is. Sometimes you argue, sometimes you get mad at each other, sometimes you want to kick them in the shin for being such an idiot.
But when you love someone, and they become your best friend, you work it out, make it stick. Even when you're fighting, you're fighting with someone you care deeply about.
MY PERSONAL LIFE LESSON: I'd rather be fighting with BF than floating along and not fighting with anyone else. And that's how I know I love him.

3. Anyone driving slower than me is a moron, anyone going faster is a maniac. Clearly, I am driving at optimal speed.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: Everyone is equal parts moron and smart.
We're all idiots sometimes, we are all right sometimes. And often, the debates are the most fun.

4. Everyone has the right to believe whatever they want. This one might seem like a no brainer, and I know most people really do agree, but of course, we have the extremists. While a significant minority, the extremists in any situation are often the loudest.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: We will never all agree. But that doesn't mean that we are not each right. What is right for me may not be the option for you. This is true in religion, politics, choice of colleges, anything. And no one has the right to tell you what you believe is wrong or bad, or leaves you burning for eternity.
It's like me saying that because I don't think skinny jeans are a good look for me, that no one should wear them, because they are wrong for everyone. (I still stand by my provoking notion that leggings are NOT PANTS and that we should all make a pact to stop wearing them with nothing covering the butt region.)

5. You are not as fat, as ugly, as stupid, as you think you are. You're also not perfect in every single way (for the few who seem to think they are G-d's gift to humanity).
UNIVERSAL TRUTH: We tend to magnify our own shortcomings and flaws.
Trust me. When you think everyone is staring at you on the dance floor, when you just know you look foolish and everyone must think you're a total waste of space for flailing around in the club, you're wrong. Pretty much everyone else is thinking the same thing you are. They are wondering "How do I look? Do I look stupid? Is my bra strap out? Do I look fat in these jeans? What in the heck are my arms doing? OMG DID ANYONE JUST SEE ME DO THAT?"
No. Strangers don't pay you anywhere near the amount of attention you think they do. Everyone tends to worry so much about themselves, that they aren't staring at you, at what you think are your flaws.
Just like you think everyone notices that you forgot to tweeze, or are wearing (GASP!) blue socks with your black dress shoes. No one notices, and even if they did, they probably wouldn't care.

I don't mean that to sound harsh. I simply mean that while you are NOT the center of the universe, we ARE each the center of our own worlds. And we tend to think everyone else sees us that way, too.

They don't.



So, what have you learned? Do you agree with my lessons, or have any you can add? I want to learn what you know, too! Maybe I'm finally at a point in life where I can stop learning things the hard way, and start actually learning from other people's mistakes!! Probably not, but hey, it's worth a shot!

I'll always love Calvin & Hobbes! :)


Friday, May 17, 2013

aaaaaand re-employed!

Once again, I am a productive member of society, employed and contributing.  :)

I am now at the end of week one as a recruiter! I have a new job, a new career, and I am excited and learning all sorts of new stuff. You can check out our website!

And hey, if you happen to be in records management, conflicts, information systems management, legal research, or a research librarian, I might be able to find you a job in the northeast! Email me your resume, if interested!

Embarking on this new venture, I am excited, nervous, a little bit terrified, and learning quickly! I just got back from spending 4 days in Washington DC, training and learning from all the experienced recruiters and business developers there, and am now working with my very own business developer here in NY.

This is a time of change, of growth, and of new possibilities for the future. Again: excited, nervous. 

So far, I am loving it! I am doing more training today and starting Monday, I'll hit the ground running with new candidates and resumes and jobs and everything!

In this time of change, I can almost forget the frustration that went into my over-a-year-long job search. ALMOST. It was annoying, difficult, and often frustrating for me, but in the end I found a job I love. A start to the rest of my career. Maybe if I'd used a national placement firm, I could have found something sooner! I'm still learning about all that this placement firm has to offer, and am excited to share that with everyone I know. 

I do appreciate the love and unending support of my friends and family while I was on the job hunt, and can't wait to give this kind of service to others. 

And for information on TRAK, job postings, news, and resources, connect with me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter!

Have a great day!

Monday, May 6, 2013

Temporarily Bum-tastic!

Today is Monday. This is the first Monday that I can pretty much ever remember not having work or school, unless on a previously scheduled vacation day or holiday break.

I started working at age 15. My first job was typically terrible. I mean, come on. 15 year olds are stupid, and reckless, and probably shouldn't be given much responsibility or control. 

I was a cashier at Winn-Dixie in Lakeland, Florida. It wasn't epically terrible, and I don't have some awesome story about how I'd surf the shopping carts or play Supermarket Sweep after close. Nope, typical average first job.

I moved into waitressing after that. I must have been seduced by the thought of working with the customers all day every day and depending on their whims to pay me or not. Also, I was good at it, and serving over the next several years was good. Helped me pay for college, and I made some awesome friends and crazy half-drunken memories with them.

I graduated with a Bachelor's 6 years ago, almost to the day! Jeez, I just realized that. It was 6 years ago yesterday. And this week is also my 3rd anniversary of living in NYC! Life is good.

6 years ago, I finished college and switched from waitressing to a full-time desk job in sales. And through the years, across the states, and traversing different industries, sales is where I have stayed.

As of 4 days ago, however, I am embarking on a brand new career. I have been wanting to become a recruiter for over a year now. I have researched, I have applied, I have interviewed, and I HAVE TRIUMPHED.

Starting one week  from today, I am a recruiter for a recruiting firm here in NY, and with offices around the country. 

But until next Monday...

I AM AN UNEMPLOYED LAZY BUM! 

 This is amazing. Being unemployed for a week has opened my world. The gym is WAY LESS CROWDED when you go during business hours. The line at the shoe store has fewer people in it. There is almost always available seats on the train! My alarm clock hasn't made a peep in days.

Yesterday, I slept in past 11. Today, I was awake, but laid in bed until 10:30. 

It's been amazing. And thank god it is just for a week. I can already feel the boredom creeping in. Luckily, not for long! I leave tomorrow morning for some family and beach time in Florida before starting the new job!

And I am 100% super excited to start out in my new career!

The fact of the matter is that I knew this was going to be a super awesome year. I mean, my 2 favorite numbers in the whole entire universe are 3 and 7.

This year is 2013 and I am about to turn 27.

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. 

Also, Sherlock Holmes has taught me there are no coincidences. Or maybe that was David Baldacci that taught me that? Either way, I've been obsessed with both of late. I think I am becoming quite the deductive reasoning political crime detective. :)