The End of Funemployment

Dearest readers, friends & adoring fans: 

I know it's been a while since you've heard from me. Truthfully, March has been somewhat of a tough month. When it started off, I found myself feeling many of the same emotions that plagued me at the beginning of February when I first got to New York: homesick for my friends and family in Ohio; fear of not being able to succeed in this big, intimidating town; and generally lost, still without a job, and sense of direction and purpose. And I didn't want you to know that I've been struggling, because this has been a bit of a tough journey so far. 

But, a few days ago, I finally got some news I had been waiting to hear for months... a sign that this crazy idea of mine just might work out, and that the efforts I've put into building this new life for myself really would start paying off: I received a job offer. 

You guys, you kept telling me this whole time that things would work out. You believed in me... you knew I could do this, and you had my back. My close friends, my sister, and my mom would constantly remind me that I just had to be patient; that every time I heard a "no," that just meant there was a better "yes" waiting for me somewhere down the road. And I'm writing now to tell you that I finally got that "yes."

I'm the new Manager of Digital Content for a small multimedia marketing and video production company in midtown Manhattan, and I honestly couldn't be more excited for this amazing new opportunity. I'll be getting to do the kinds of things that I love most about my career, the kinds of things I've spent the last 8 years of my professional life working toward. This is a giant leap forward for me... I'll be learning new things every single day, and will be in a great position to help advance this company along with a great team of people that have been so warm and welcoming. Everything about it just feels right... like this is truly the one thing I've been waiting for. After the nearly hundred job applications I completed, the seemingly endless days of waiting, and the countless hours I spent hoping the right people would find me some day, they finally did. 

These past few months have taught me many lessons so far, but perhaps the most valuable has been to just have patience. I've felt so unsettled ever since I got out here, and anxious for things to start falling into place. But I've managed to keep reminding myself that in no way will everything happen all at once, that it's going to just take time. And I've also had to be very patient with myself as I slowly adapt to my new surroundings and new life... reminding myself that I've been going through a big change, and that I'm going to have bad days, and days where I'll feel like I want to give up. 

But guess what? I haven't given up yet, and the hardest part is now finally over. Not that long ago, I'd fall asleep dreading the next day, expecting to face more rejection and frustration over this life of mine that I had turned upside-down. But I'm proud to say that those feelings have changed, and I'm now looking forward more than ever to what lies ahead with each new day. 

I've never been the biggest advocate of change. I used to prefer to just keep things the way they always were -- comfortable and predictable. But now through this experience, I've taught myself in the most real way possible that I'd have never been able to learn and grow if I had stayed where I was. And while change can be one of the most stressful and uncomfortable processes we can put ourselves through, without it, we'd never be able to turn into the person we're truly meant to be.