Tag: job

Categories
Life

No Prospects, No Money and No Idea

I left with no prospects, no money and no idea of what to do next.

Okay, so that may sound a little ‘Jane Austin-ish’ but I can assure you, that’s how it was when I left my full time job.

I decided to leave without any guarantee of work anywhere else, and no clue of what exactly I wanted to do. I applied for a few different creative fields, because THAT was the one thing I knew for certain; I wanted a creative job that I would enjoy!

Painter GIFs | Tenor

People say – just get a job that pays the bills, so you can do what you love on the side  – all the time. They are WRONG. Just. Plain. Wrong.
If you can find something for a job that pays AND you enjoy – that’s what makes you happy in life.

My grandfather spent his whole life in a horrid job, doing something he loathed – just the pay the bills. Grateful, is the only word I could come up with. Grateful that he did that to provide for his family, and that it lead to my Dad being who he is.

Fortunately in these times, we have more flexibility. Not only in WHAT job we do, but HOW we do it (and this could become even more flexible post Covid).
So, Why when I advise everyone NEVER to leave a job with no prospect of another on the horizon, did I make this decision?

The answer is simple, but it may sound strange – depending on your world view.
I just KNEW it was the right time. Things had been spoken to me and over my life (through trusted people in my sphere), and it was time! My job wasn’t challenging or interesting anymore, it was sucking my creativity and I was coming home tired because I wasn’t fulfilled – instead I was using my energy just to be present and do my work.

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I knew that I was looking to publish my first book, so leaving was SCARY as heck! I pushed the book a few months until I could secure some income, and I searched!
What I found was an incredible blessing. Using some of my business skills, while also my creative eye – I ended up in School Photography.

Even though right now, schools are closed and my Day Job awaits for a more stable school community, the job was the greatest blessing I could have hoped for. Now, I have flexible hours to continue writing, enough income to pay bills, and I am happier than I’ve been in years.

Your answer; your dream; your YES; your silver lining; They are all out there. Don’t settle. Chase what makes you happy!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Inspiring

Meant For Me…?

Over the last year when I left my stable full time job to seek out more creative work, I applied for one in particular that I secured an interview for! But, something came through in the confirmation email that was NOT what I bargained for. 

What was supposed to come? A map of the area and some general preparation documents.

What actually came? A shortlist for the interview candidates.

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Right away, it was clear that the shortlist document with a table containing names on the left and information filled in on the right was NOT supposed to make it’s way into my inbox. But, there it was in black and white.

I quickly closed the document down without reading anything else (I’d only seen the names and the title ‘shortlist’), but then came the decision.

This was my chance, wasn’t it? To get a one up on the competition?

What if someone else had better qualifications and experience? What if I could do or say something to look better than them? I just need to know what it is that they have over me and I’d be a shoo-in to get the gig, right?

Some people told me to read it – what’s the harm? Some people told me to delete it and NOT tell the employer about their mistake. This silly little document that wasn’t meant for my eyes was giving me insecurity against my fellow interview candidates. It was causing me to compare myself to imaginary people and doubt my own abilities – and I hadn’t even read it!

Self Doubt GIF - KendraOnTop CanIDoThis SelfDoubt - Discover ...

It got me thinking. Life is a little like this sometimes. We can get an ’email’ sent to us that isn’t meant for us. It wasn’t supposed to show up in our path and seems legit. When that happens, we have two choices

You can read it, but when you do, it changes everything. Sometimes it changes the way we see ourselves or other people. Sometimes it changes the way we act, or speak to other people. Sometimes, we can let this opportunity or information cloud our mind.

The other option, is to send it right back and never look at it. Push aside that information on your college which could get you the promotion, but ruin their lives. Push aside that opportunity to move to another country, but would uproot your family and make them miserable.

I chose to be honest, and I chose to delete what wasn’t meant for me.

What are you going to choose?

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace

Categories
Life

Blessings Guilt

I have a difficult time accepting a compliment.
I have a difficult time accepting a gift.
I have a difficult time knowing that I have enough money to support myself – and beyond that – while also being aware that others have no home, no job, no food, and no little to no belongings.

When it comes to being blessed, I would say I’m in that category. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not in the 1% of people, but I am able to pay my bills, have money to spend on the projects that I am passionate about (even if I do have to pay them off), and have a roof, food and a car.

Recently, I was able to purchase a new computer. I use apple computers, so you can imagine (or google) how much THAT costs. When I got the computer onto the desk, and smiled at my new purchase, it hit me almost immediately, that I spent a bunch of $$ on an upgrade for my computer (when the old one did work, but was 10 years old), and other people can’t afford to buy food for themselves.

I felt guilty. I was surprised that I felt guilty. I worked for my money, I wasn’t wasting it on something trivial like a years supply of gummy bears; but it was a lot of money to spend none the less.
I had ‘blessings guilt’. I felt guilty that I was so fortunate to spend that much money on a computer, when others could not.

I had to talk this out with trusted family and friends, and refuse to agree with this nagging doubt that I should feel bad about wasting all that money. Instead, I recognised that I AM blessed, and that through those blessings, I can bless others.

Have you gone out of your way to do something nice for someone else? Someone who doesn’t have the same opportunities as you?
Inspire US with your story!

See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace