Moving Forward

Yesterday was my last day at my company. It was very surreal to be leaving. I
will definitely miss all the people I met there. I do believe that everything happens for a reason and I am excited about my prospects ahead.

Upon leaving, I sent an e-mail to everyone in the office:

"Hi,

I just wanted to send out a quick note. I have truly enjoyed my first job out of college. I have met some amazing people, learned a lot about sales, and tradeshows. I think what makes an organization truly great is the people that support it. I was reminded today that it is really easy to get bogged down in the negative things but I think it is a lot easier to be positive and keep moving forward. After all, they say people with a positive outlook on life tend to live longer. So, I plan on remembering everyone and this organization for all the wonderful things it has done to
make me a better person.

I hope to stay in touch with you all. I will miss you all. You can reach me on my cell at or through e-mail. I wish you best of luck in all of your endeavors and may the company continue to grow and prosper.

Kind regards,

Mary"

My good friend Ilse sent me an article "Why Cold Calling Doesn't Work Anymore" by Frank J. Rumbauskas, Jr. at http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Rumbauskas1.html. I think it sums to perfection my experience with my previous company and why I had such a hard time cold calling.

Today I mainly got ready to head down to Bridgewater. I am so excited to be here! It is a dream come true. Jason has been great with me moving in. In fact he is working on a shelf for my closet as I write. If this is not love I don't know what is. Last weekend we re-did the walk-in closet in the den and ordered a cabinet for the bathroom. He has been wonderful supporting me through my job loss and moving on. In fact his firm has played a very significant role in helping me find a job. I was a topic of discussion at the last partners meeting. They all sent out a bunch of e-mails
and calls to various attorneys and clients. It was so nice of them (and I mean that in a big way because I did not expect it whatsoever). So Jason and I have been talking a lot about changes in the house to accommodate me.

I have currently moved my essentials (clothes, make-up, shoes, etc) down here. I packed
it up, unloaded it, and unpacked it by myself. I am pretty damn proud of myself. Since I love pink, I have brought a few things from my place and put them strategically around the house. At least it looks like a girl lives here now. As soon as I get some to sublet in Falls Church or a job down here, I will move the rest of my stuff out of the apartment.

On Monday I plan on applying for unemployment. I am also going to be calling through to all the businesses that belong to the Chamber of Commerce. I did not plan on staying unemployed for long and I will continue to move forward despite this step back.

Election

I do feel the need to comment on todays election. Although I am a Republican and believe in about 95% of what Obama says, I do think this is an important day for American history with having an African American for President. I think Bill Marriott catches it best in his blog: http://www.blogs.marriott.com/default.asp?item=2317723

Best of luck Obama!

Top 10 Reasons to Hire Mary

1. My organizational skills keep me focused and goal oriented in which I will be able to help your organization achieve its objectives.
2. I am a quick learner and adapt to different situations easily. Thus, I will be able to acclimate myself to your organization in a jiffy.
3. I am an expert at using the Microsoft Suite. So I will be able to format, create, and edit more efficiently and effectively then anyone currently on your team.
4. I am a natural planner and a progressive thinker. I am always thinking of your company's best interests.
5. I am a people person. I will have no problem getting along with my co-workers and clients.
6. I am knowledgeable in marketing, event planning, and business development. I am pretty much capable of completing any task you put before me in a timely manner.
7. I like things to be aesthetically correct. Everything I do for you will not only be done right but it will also look good.
8. I am good at public speaking. I will have no problem leading a discussion, a meeting, giving a presentation, or directing a team.
9. I am naturally the leader. I do not wait for someone else to step up. If there is a job to be done, I am the first to volunteer.
10. I am a big fan of recognizing your ethics and values. I am professional all of the time.

I am happy to prove to you that I am capable of all of these things. I would love to speak with you more about my qualifications.

Just Another Manic Monday

Monday turned out to be a very interesting day. I had a meeting with the bosses. I was a little worried when they asked me to come talk with them in their office(maybe it was about the event in the morning).

The bosses said that they know I have been wanting an Account Manager position instead of sales and they have noticed that I have not seemed that happy cold calling. They really appreciate everything I have given to the company, my organizational skills, my professionalism, my dedication, etc.. If they had an account manager position available with NorthStar they would gladly give it to me but since they don't they gave me a recommendation of an employer in Manassas (Continental Services) who is hiring an Account Manager. If I don't want that position, they would be happy to support me looking elsewhere and will both give me references.

Right now they basically want me to close up my current opportunities and finish going through the dormant list and not doing anymore cold calling. I definitely never saw this coming. I basically have to wrap everything up by January 30 (my last day).

So, instead of my last day possibly being April 15 and having a few months to look for a new job in the Harrisonburg area. It is exciting because this is probably the best way to leave Northstar with my new job search being out in the open and the bosses providing references. It is also nice that I may be able to move in with Jason a wee bit sooner. The downside is that everything is up in the air right now on my plans for the next month, I may be unemployed for awhile, and I still have a lease here in Falls Church until May 30.

I am frantically looking for a new job and trying to be as optimistic as possible.

Thursday Blues

This week has been exhausting! I am so tired today after getting up at 5:15am for the second time this week. They have both been for networking events. I am not only networking for my current company but also for myself in finding a new job. I did have the chance to speak with Debra from ManPower and luckily they have an office in Charlottesville. I cannot wait to give them a call.

I attended a nice networking event this morning hosted by the Tech Council of Maryland (https://techcouncilmd.com/events/detail.php?list=Events&laction=detail.php&evt_id=154) . It was amazing! I really enjoyed Kate with PRofessional Staffing (you can find her at http://www.prstaffing.com/) and Aaron who was on Apprentice Season 6. I learned a lot from them about the fundamentals of networking. The second half concentrated more on social media strategies. It was lead by Steve Raddick (at http://www.steveradick.com/) and Denise Graveline (at http://www.dontgetcaught.biz/). They both revolutionized my idea of social media and using to sell myself and not a product (or service). I plan on following all of their blogs.

Not much else going on- heading over to my friend Natalie's house to get "The Time Travelers Wife" by Audrey Niffeneggar. We are reading with Stephanie and Katie for the next book club meeting. I am pretty tired but I would love to hang out with Natalie.

I cannot wait for tomorrow and to finally be on my way to Bridgewater.

P.S.

Yesterday, I did 11166 steps (4pts!)

The Beginning

Although I have been doing Weight Watchers for almost a year, in all my ups and downs, I have lost about 10 lbs. But, I think if I had not been part of the program I definitely would not have worked out as much, made some wrong choices with food, and gained weight. I never want to be that heavy again and that was the main reason for joining Weight Watchers so I could learn to live a healthy lifestyle. I think it will take a little while especially because I seem to lack motivation to say "no" to certain foods like chocolate, or cookies, and my portion sizes are still way too big.

Right now my goals are:

1. Focus on my motivation for WW
2. Work out at least 3 times a week (I really need to get at least 30mins of exercise a day)
3. Get my BMI into a healthy range
4. Find a new job (where my BF Jason is at so we can move in together)
5. Become financially secure
6. Run a Marathon
7. Climb Machu Picchu (w/ Jenna!)
8. Own a Chanel purse

My current job out of college is not what I expected. I have been trying to make the best of my position especially since I have realized that I am not as passionate about sales/business development. So I am on a really big budget where I am not able to afford anything but gas and groceries. I cannot wait to get out of NOVA, live with Jason, and not be spending half of my money on rent. It would not be so bad if I could make commission but I think that is impossible here. I am really looking for a marketing/event planning job in the Harrisonburg/Charlottesville area.