7.10.2011

{thoughts}



Here i am again, finally. I'm pretty sure i've fallen off the blogging wagon and am having a difficult time hopping back on. I've been wanting to post for awhile about what I've gone through this past year, and especially these last few months as I have been trying to figure out what was next for me in life. About a year ago I decided to quit my full time job in a desire to explore other opportunities that were out there. I really enjoyed designing clothing, but there was something missing for me. It was a big leap of faith to leave a full time job while the economy left much to be desired, but I felt like it was the right step for me. 

Somewhere along the way I made a decision to move back to Minnesota which was something that had always been in the back of my mind. If quitting my job was a leap of faith, moving to Minnesota was an even bigger one. Yes I had my family. Yes I had a huge support network of friends and acquaintances. Yes I could live at home. But I also didn't have my fabulous group of creative friends. I didn't have a professional network. I didn't have my group of friends that had become like family over the 7 1/2 years that I had lived in Washington. I didn't even know what companies were all in the city. But I felt in my heart that it was the right decision and that was enough for me. 

As soon as I got home in February I started looking online for jobs, trying to figure out what companies to seek out and what roles I wanted to pursue. Let me just tell you, it was overwhelming. Thankfully I got connected with a small group consisting of people who were all searching for jobs. Through the meetings I learned that the most important thing when looking for a job is networking. With so many candidates out there, you have to make that personal connection within the company in order to stand out. Not only that, but I tried to remind myself that an opportunity was out there waiting for me, and if I kept pushing forward, eventually I would get to that place. So I talked to tons of people, both employed and unemployed, I attended career groups, I went to the small group, I researched companies. 

And you want to know the amazing thing? The one company that was always in the back of my mind as the place I wanted to work is the company that I ended up at. And you know how I found the job? Networking. It wasn't even posted online yet. So why am I telling you all of this? I'm telling you this because it has been a year full of questions, worry, and uncertainty. A year of questioning the decisions that I was making and the path that I was going down. But through it all there was also faith. Faith in what my heart was telling me, faith in trusting myself, faith in believing that there is a unique path for each one of us that will lead us to exactly where we are supposed to be. I know I was lucky that I ended up at the company that I had thought about for so long, and it's not always that easy. But I do believe that if you take steps, even baby steps, toward your dream, and keep trusting, that God will handle the rest and eventually get you exactly where you are meant to be. 

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