LAST COUPLE OF DAYS

So just a couple of days left till I start my new job. I am starting to feel more excited than nervous. Maybe that's how I feel right now. The one thing that I started thinking about was how I was going to show up for my job. 

I am not sure where I am going with this so I hope it will make sense as I continue to write. Of course, I have my best outfit for the first day of work and plan to get my nails done etc. So looking good and dressing like a professional is all set.

I was thinking about how I am going to really put my best foot in right from the first day. I really want to succeed in this role. I don't know what that measure of success would look like but I guess if they have not fired me in 90 days, then at least,  I have passed the first stage. I have this awesome opportunity to start at a new job and I want to start on the right foot and make sure it lasts for as long as I am employed there. 

So what is my plan. The plan will evolve once I start and get to learn what my new role will entail. I do know that my goal is to do the best work that I have ever done in the last 14 years. I want to master my responsibilities and go above and beyond whats required and to keep learning new things.

So why is this so important and doesn't everyone do that anyway. Well, yes we all( I hope) go into a job, doesn't matter if it is old or new, and do our work. When you love what you do, that makes it easier and time flies. You always put your best in and it does not feel like work. When you do something as a means to an end and think of it as just a job to pay the bills, it requires a little more motivation, or when you have been there for so long that you get comfortable and are no longer feeling the push or excitement. It becomes another day at work. 

The choice is to go in and say, well this is going to help pay my bills so I am going to do what I need to and leave at the end of the day without much thought. My goal here is to go in and do what I have to do as part of the job, but not to let the feeling of its a means to an end get to me that I stop doing my best.

I hope that my next job is the best job I have ever had. And why not make it that way everyday even if I am there 3 years , 5 years or 10 years. We will have days where we are tired and feeling down but I still want to do my very best every single day and push through the feeling of getting too comfortable. 

I hope that this job will help me transition into something else that I really love doing. I don't want to go in and think about that transition now. I want to go in and work as if this is what I love doing. We all have our reasons for doing what we do or taking the job that we need to. There is always a reason. But I am planning out for my life and this is part of that plan. This is a way to get me to transition at some point down the road maybe in the same area or another.

Whether it is going to work, or being a stay home parent, your own boss etc, no matter what it is that you are doing, do the very best that you can every single day so when you go to sleep at night, you can feel proud of yourself. It also leads to less regrets down the line since you know you did your best.

In this particular instance, I am starting a new role with a different company. So for me, its a chance to set my goals from the very start and to really think about what I want to get out this role. When I do leave the company, I don't want it to seem like I just mastered my responsibilities but was stagnant in acquiring other skills that could have been useful. So getting the experience and being exposed to a variety of other things, other than my responsibility, for me would be considered doing my best work there.

I don't have a plan laid out and probably won't till a few months for now, but once I do, I can really focus on what skills do I want to gain while being employed here. The company has a lot of resources and why not use them. Why not make use of what they have and offer. I mean really.

I did not do that while I was at my prior job cause I got real comfortable. I do not want that to happen here. Who knows, maybe one day I might get laid off so while I am there, I need to use the job to further myself and how do I do that? By my doing my best work and constantly reminding myself of the plan.

So for those of you out there that are starting a new job, I do wish you all the best. Get in there and really lay out a plan for yourself. Take the time to know people in other departments, don't be afraid to say hi to whoever is passing by or if you are in the cafeteria or copy room. Make that first move and find out what others are doing. Learn more about them. Find out all the free resources that the company offers and make full use of it. Your time there maybe limited so make the most of it. Get comfortable but not too comfortable. Keep planning and re-planning. 

I am ready and the time is just right. I know that it will be great and I will keep posting how things go. 

Wish you Peace and Love!

Peace,

Monita

STARTING MY NEW JOB SOON

Hello my friends!! Happy Monday! Well, I finally got the email that I am starting my new job in 2 weeks. My first thought was oh no vacation over and then yippee, I am finally going to be getting a paycheck. 

I have been off since the summer being at home with the kids and since they have been at school, really enjoying being at home and using the time to myself. Now, the count down to my first day at my new job has begun. I am having mixed feeling of happiness and nervousness at the same time.

I am also trying to fit in all the things that I want to do between now and the next few days. Firstly, taking care of my overall health is really important so exercising everyday is on the front. Secondly, getting my quiet time by either going for a walk and practicing to be fully present. Thirdly, reading as much as I can during the day. Fourthly, watching HGTV and food network and lastly soaking up the sun every single second that I can.

I know that once I start my new job, I will have very limited time to myself. Working all day, coming home to be the kids, making dinner etc will leave me with no time. So I am purposely really trying to fill my mornings now with all the things I want to do for myself.

My kids know that I am going back soon and they understand...I hope. I have had such a great time being home and able to to drop them to the bus and pick them up. Now, my husband will be in charge of drop off and pick up. I will certainly miss the days but I know that when I feel down, all I will have to do is remember the smile on their face and our many wonderful moments together.

I loved being home with them and experiencing camp mom. I will say that I am so grateful that I had the opportunity too. It was the best summer and time went by so quickly. Now, its back to the work grind for me.

I am starting a new job after 15 years and the thought of walking in to my new work place gives me the jitters. I am nervous but I know that it was pass in the first couple of months on the job. I just need to get through the first couple of months. So what will that entail. Lots of self care and love!!!

I have had a nice long break and am not sure how to feel going back to work. Some days I feel excited about it and other days I feel overwhelmed at the thought of walking into an office and sitting in front of the computer for over 8 hours a days! Yikes, how am I going to sit in front of a computer all day!! I have got so used to walking around home and being more active then I ever have been. 

For me, finding a way to keep active while at work is going to be a lot harder. There is no good walking path nearby the office and I know that since everything is going to be a fresh start, I will be sitting more on my desk than I'd like to while learning the new job, meeting people and figuring things out. All the things anyone would need to do right when starting a new job. But why does it seem so difficult..or am I making it harder then it really needs to be?

I always need to question myself. I know that there is not much that I can do about the fact that I am going to be in front of the computer long hours during the day. The only thing I can do is to make sure that I get up and walk around as much as possible and that I keep up with my exercising. Okay that feels good to write out. 

Now, how about the new job itself. Well, its going to be good to learn new things. I am a learner and I love learning, but this job itself does not seem to excite me that much. I have to work to pay the bills so it is a means to an end. It is a job, not a vocation. 

Keeping the purpose in mind here is going to be really crucial to help me get through the first few months. I have to keep reminding myself as to why I really have to do this. This also maybe one of the times where I have to listen to Amy Cuddy's ted talk and to really hound in on how I can fake it till I make it. 

That's it friends. Fake it till you make it!!! While I actually don't believe in faking things or feelings, starting this new job maybe a good place to really put that in practice. I need to just fake it and hopefully by faking it, I will get to place where I would not be feeling so overwhelmed. 

But, its going to be okay. It's going to be for the best and it will all fall in place. My feelings will go away and who knows, I may actually like the job.  I might even enjoy it. Who knows! The only thing I can do now is to continue my vacation and really enjoying myself. As I say to myself soak it in girl!!!


Wish you peace and love!

Peace,
Monita

REJECTIONS

Hello my friends!!! Ahhh rejections seem to have been the theme in my job hunt over the summer. I applied to well over 60 jobs and more than 90% of them came back as rejections. You know when you get an email and it says something like "thank you for applying, we will not be moving forward with your application", or "thank you for applying, we have decided to move forward with candidates that are more qualified" or "thank you for applying, while your resume is impressive, it unfortunately does not meet our requirements"...  or something along those lines.

Well, at least they say thank you!!! So I realize that this is pretty normal. It is really normal. After all, the HR department receives hundreds of applications so it is not possible to respond to everyone individually. Sending a standard thank you for applying email makes sense. I would do that if I were them as well so I get it.

Nevertheless, getting all those rejections can be a little heartbreaking and nerve wrecking. I was after all not in a job while I was applying so I felt the pinch and anxiety a lot more. I kept thinking if anyone would ever want to hire me or if they say that my resume is impressive then whats wrong. Many a times, I felt like I was not hire-able and no company would ever want me. Those rejections can really make sure feel down.  I felt down a lot of times but somehow knew deep deep down that things will work out. That someone will want to hire me and it will be the right job with the right company. Deep down I felt confident. A rejection after all was just a feeling that I had at that time.

During the initial process of my job hunt, it was hard getting so many rejections at once. I will say that if you feel the rejection pinch, then stay with the feeling. Its okay to feel that way and it is normal. The rejection is not a rejection of you as a person.. the rejection is about the job and the requirements of the job descriptions. YOU as a person are not getting rejected and that was something that I had to keep in mind. This was not about me. They are trying to fill a role and they want the best, most qualified person for the job and that is based on who you know, education, skill set and experience. What others have on their resume may be the exact thing that they are looking for and it has nothing to do with me and you. 

I think a lot of people take rejections, whether it be related to jobs or otherwise, personally. I certainly did. Now when I look back, its easier to think that I should not take it personally but at that time of the job rejection, I really had to remind myself that all the time. I had to say, this is not about who you are. I know that a lot of people go through someone they know to apply for a job so references get a lot of attention. All my referrals were also rejections so it really hit me. 

I feel that if I ever am in the situation of looking for another job opportunity, I know that those rejections will come. I also know that it is okay and very normal and mentally prepare myself for it. One of the things that I helped was to know and accept that you will be rejected. There is no way around that. You will be rejected, maybe not more than 90% of the times in job applications, but it will happen. Great for the few of you out there if you have never experienced a job rejection but for most of us, it is normal. 

So expecting and accepting rejections became the norm for me. After awhile, the rejections will stop stinging. You will stop feeling bad about yourself. Its almost like you need to stop feeling bad and move through those feelings so you can keep moving forward. The rejections are here to help you move forward and to keep applying. For every rejection I got in a day, I applied to more many jobs the next day and the next day. I never gave up. I looked at it and said okay here's another one on the rejection list so whats next. You must look for the next opportunity and keep applying. Keep at it while reminding yourself that the right one will come. 

Its not just applying to jobs and getting the rejection email, but also getting rejected after an interview. That happened to me as well, again very normal. So you go for an interview and it seems like they really liked you (and they probably did) and then once again you get the standard email from the HR system saying, "we are sorry but you have not been selected". Yes ouch I know. 

It hurts!!! There is no denying that. Just when you think okay now the call will come and I will get offered a position, bam  you get the email. When that happened to me, I let myself be down. I allowed myself to feel the sadness. I knew that there was a very strong chance that it would happen and it did. I felt really sorry and also thought, well it was their loss and not mine. I then also realized of how fearful I felt of those rejections. Right from the start, I was scared of the rejections and not getting the approval for the job. I had a real learning opportunity. There was nothing to be afraid of. 

Thinking of rejections as it was not my loss but the company's, really helped me take on a different perspective. If you get rejected for a promotion, a salary raise, by someone, a lover etc, it is not your loss and it probably is the best thing for you. Keep your self-confidence. I have become a firm believer that everything happens FOR you and for whats best for you, always. I am going to add that to my daily mantra list and will find a way to remember it. 

Here's the thing my friends, rejections are a part of life. Don't be afraid of them.  How you handle those reactions is always a choice that you have. You can learn from it, grow from it and move on from it. You can feel the rejection sting, but how you choose to clean up that sting wound is your choice. I will choose to find a way to let it heal and to help with that, work on my next action steps all the while remembering that it is the best thing that can happen to me. Cause it is...

Wish you well my friends!!!


Peace

Monita