Cloud 9

For the past few years I have spent most of my time focusing on myself. Trying to discover who I am and what I want to do in my life. The goals I have. What will make me happy. It's not something that was easily achieved, hell, I am still learning about who I am daily. What I can say I have realized about myself is that I have one main goal in my life. 

To make a difference. 

Whether it is one persons life or thousands of people. I want people to look back and remember me being someone that made a positive impact in their life. Someone they won't forget. There are billions of people in the world and some days I just think, "How can little ol' me make a difference?". But I can. 

I've been in California for over 4 months now (wow) and over the past month and a half I started applying for jobs. Now, when I was back home trying to find work before I decided to come out here I had no problem getting a job. Let me just say I got a little slap in the face from California. I started applying to restaurants because I figured it would be the quickest/most way to start saving money again. I have 5 years experience in the restaurant business. I have worked other customer service jobs. I was a nanny for a year. I mean this isn't huge experience but I think it's pretty good to be trying to work in a restaurant. So I start applying, thinking, "this is going to be a piece of cake, I'll be working in no time". But, no, that's not how it went at all. Nothing was working out. I started thinking, fuck, I'm going to have to move back to NC and I will sink into a slow, dark, depression feeling like I am going no where in my life. (dramatic? maybe. but true)   

If I am going to be completely honest though......I wasn't REALLY trying. I had no passion to actually work at any of the places I applied. Sure, some sounded like a cool place I'd like to eat at sometime but in all actuality, I didn't want to be a waitress. I didn't make the effort I should have to get the job. Which was stupid. But after traveling and discovering myself more I made a promise to myself that I would never work a job I hated just to make money. I didn't even have a job and I hated the idea of the jobs I was applying for. 

So this Wednesday morning I woke up, did my workout routine, ate breakfast, then started scanning Craigslist for jobs in Orange County. I always start on Food/Bev/Hosp. then I go to all jobs. Well today I went to the non-profit section....just because. Well, I see a listing, "Work to End Child Poverty". My initial thought? Scam. But I click it anyways just to be sure. The listing leads me to the company website where I find...it's actually not a scam. Hmm. I go to apply. Yikes, all they ask for is your name, phone number, most recent school attended and a paragraph explaining why you want to work for them. Well shit. I want this job now but all I get to grab their attention is a sum of 300 words or less. I start to write. I type a few drafts. Edit. Re-edit. E-mail my mom. Re-edit. Show my friend. Re-edit. Show my friends mom. Re-edit. E-mail my sister. Re-edit. Okay. I think it's perfect. If they don't get that I want this job based on this paragraph....well...fuck. 

So Thursday morning at 9:30 before beginning my morning workout I submit the application. 

10:00 am. I am on the ground doing "heels to the heavens" and my phone starts ringing. It's them. We talk. He says he is happy that I seem so passionate. We set up an interview. 5pm. YES! 

5pm. Interview time. I am super early (of course). I sit in my car for a bit and then go in for the interview. We're waiting on one other person (who never shows) so I fill out some papers while we wait. He starts the interview, basically just telling me about the organization and about Save the Children (the non-profit they are working to raise money/awareness for). He asks me a hypothetical questions. Says I answered perfectly. I'm feeling good but don't want to get too excited. We go over pay/work hours/expectation etc. He hires me on the spot. All I want to do is jump around the room dancing and shouting but instead I smile really big and say "AWESOME!" :)

If you know me personally you know how much I want to work and change lives. You know that I love children (even though I may not want my own) and I want to help people as much as I possibly can. Knowing that I now will be working to inform people of such a great non-profit and raising money to help kids all around the world is such an amazing feeling to me. I'm on cloud 9 right now. 

Just to prove this....here is my "bucket list" I made in 2011 from my journal..... 

#3- Raise money for a charity

#10- Help the children

Guess I'll be crossing those two off now......