Life is too short to settle!

People seem to be dropping like flies these days, and well before their time. With the average life span getting longer and longer, it is disheartening to hear of people dying in their 40s and 50s. In fact, just the other day, I learned that Randy Pauch, an inspirational college professor that wrote the book, "The Last Lecture," lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. This devoted father and doting husband had a zest for living, even though he knew that his days were coming to end. It just goes to show you that if you wait until the future to enjoy your life, there is a chance that you may not live to see it. For Randy, he knew that time was of the essence, so rather than dwelling on his illness, he made a conscious decision to make the best of his situation and not let it get the best of him. If Randy could do that with a life-threatening disease, then I think all of us are capable of doing it too!

This brings me to another point--life is too darn short to settle. Whether it be a job or a relationship, sometimes we choose things that are not in our best interest for the long haul. While instant gratification may seem appealing at the onset, if something is not right to begin with, it will eventually show its ugly face and the outcome will not be pretty. In my case, I am planning on relocating in a couple of months, so I took a job that I knew was below my qualifications just to have something in the interim. Finding a seasonal position can be a challenging feat, so I decided to take whatever came my way the quickest. Shortly after applying, I got a job at Express and was ready to begin my retail stint. Little did I realize, a month later, I would find myself in the same predicament that I was in before, and it was all because I settled.

To make a long story short, I was actually somewhat excited about working at Express. I shop there frequently, the sales associates have always been very helpful, and I like the overall vibe in the store. So, I thought that even though I would not be bringing in the dough working there, at least I would be in my element (I shop there enough as it is that they even know me by now) and could have a little bit of fun while I was at it. However, I had this weird feeling at the beginning that something wasn't quite right. When I called to follow up after the interview, I was given literally 2 hours notice to come in and do my preview (20 minutes on the floor to see how well you interact with the customers). Even though it was short notice, I was eager to start working and overlooked the fact that they seemed to be disorganized when it came to scheduling. On the day of my actual orientation, the store manager, who had been there for 9 years, said it was her last day with the company. There is so much turnover in retail already that it was reassuring to finally hear of a store manager being with one company for so long. Now, the first person I met, interviewed and had my orientation with was about to leave. Once again, I tried to give the situation the benefit of the doubt, and was hopeful that working for the company would still be a good experience, with or without this particular store manager.

To make a long story short, the more hope I bestowed upon this job, the more disappointed I became. On my first day, I was given little direction and had to just jump right into the action. Luckily, I had prior retail experience, but I sill felt bad for those that were new to the game. I figured that until a new store manager was hired, things were going to be a bit chaotic for a while. So, I was patient and understanding, until yet another problem started to arise--scheduling conflicts. I currently have another job on Mondays and Fridays, so those were two days that I was unavailable to work. Aside from those two days, I had 5 other free days, including the weekends. Instead of adhering to my availability, I was scheduled time and time again to work on Mondays/Fridays. Even after bringing it to their attention, I was still left on the schedule for those days and not given replacement shifts. On top of that, I was only being scheduled to work closing shifts. Last week alone, I was only scheduled to work a total of 1 day out of the entire week. I decided that enough was enough this past weekend when I was scheduled to work Saturday to close and Sunday from 6pm to 12am. Closing two days (weekend days) in a row, with another closing shift scheduled for the following Tuesday, and then not working again until another closing on Saturday was the icing on the cake!

Patience is a virtue, and I was quickly running out of it. I am 24 years old, a college graduate, and I shouldn't have to be a slave to an unorganized retail store that refuses to work with my schedule, and pays little money to begin with. Since graduating, I have taken time off to reassess my career goals and find something that I feel truly passionate about. While I have taken a few potential careers off the list, I still have yet to find my dream job. Lots of people tell me that a "dream job" does not exist, but I know it is out there. I may have to sacrifice to get to it, but I am willing to go the distance and work hard. I have gotten to the point where I have realized that settling only keeps you that much farther away from achieving your ultimate goal in the end. Sometimes you have to take risks, but there is a difference between making hasty decisions and thoughtful ones. I know that there will be light at the end of the tunnel, but I understand that I will encounter some deterrents along the way too.

Life is a learning process and you have to roll with the punches. As the saying goes, "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." :D

Ready for Change...

I just realized that by reading the title of my post, one might think that the entry is going to be about politics. After all, the democratic presidential candidate's campaign slogan is about change too. While I know that many of you would enjoy a political discussion or debate, I think that I am going to leave that area alone, for now at least. I will say this though...Whatever your beliefs are, I think we can all agree that this election period is revolutionary and one of the most exciting times in our nation's history! With that said, I think many us are ready for some type of change in our personal lives as well....change of season, change of pace, change of car, change of career etc...In my case, I am ready for a change of career and location! :D

I have decided that the time has come for me to get out of my comfort zone and embark on a new journey. I have spent two years trying to figure out my purpose in life, and I am now ready to start putting things into action. Right now, these "things" are still in the works, but I will keep you updated when everything begins to manifest. Many of those who know me know that I embrace and look forward to change. In fact, since I started college, I have moved once a year--to a new dorm, apartment, new city, and I am currently in the process of making my way to yet another place! lol Growing up, my mom often referred to me as, "the wandering Jew," mainly because I was always on the go and she couldn't keep track of my different routes. All kidding aside, I think that I have stayed true to my mobile self, but this time I am hoping to make more of a permanent change....well, maybe for a couple years. That's still longer than one year, right?

Now that I have spent so much time talking about it, I will elaborate a little on my plans. After working in the legal field for almost two years, and as an after school counselor at a private elementary school during the year, I have decided two things: 1)I do not want to become a lawyer, 2)While I enjoyed my time at the after school, being a guidance counselor does not seem to fit my values, interests or skills either. Since I have been able to eliminate two professions, I have also honed in on what I really want, which is to work in the communications/non-profit sector. As such, I have been looking into some graduate programs in Public Relations and ones that incorporate communications within the non-profit sector as well. I am in the midst of getting my applications completed and sent out, but I hope to be making a big move w/the handsome beau in September. While NYC is tops on my destination list, so far it looks like I may be headed to either Boston or Washington, D.C. I figure once I get my degree, I could always go to the Big Apple afterward, and hopefully have more money at that point to really be able to live like a rock star rather than a hermit! haha

Well, that's the latest on my current life plan to date. I am hoping that some other things happen during this time frame as well (ie. popping of a certain question...wink, wink). For now, though, I am very happy with my present choices, and I am looking forward to all the future changes that are in store! Only time will tell where I will end up....

Spice up your Life!

It seems like your 20's are meant for exploration and trying new things. You only live once, so you mine as well live it up, right? Once you hit 30, you are probably more established and don't necessarily have the flexibility to just get and move somewhere new and exotic. Not to say that everyone follows in this specific timeline/pattern, but I think we can all agree that when you are young, you have less responsibilities and can afford to be more spontaneous.

Speaking of spontaneity, I think everyone should try to incorporate it in their lifestyle. Oftentimes, we learn a lot about our likes and dislikes through the act of acting on a whim... this could be trying a new food, a new hair color, or even buying an article of clothing that you never thought you would wear in a million years. Whatever it ends up being, you might actually uncover a hidden part of your personality through the process.

Soooo, what I am trying to say here is that if you are unhappy with the way things are going, feel like you are in a slump, or even if you may be content with your life, I encourage you to be daring and try something new. Don't settle for mediocrity when you can have fabulosity! =)


*By the way, I am planning on taking my advice here too...I figure if we all jump on the bandwagon together, all the more fun it will be!

Ready......set........Gooooooooooooooooooooooo

Introduction or not...

I just realized that I jumped right into blogging before I even had a chance to introduce myself....and the funny thing is that the previous post was very philosophic and serious, unlike my usual giddy self...I guess you are supposed to just let things flow when you blog. Like I said, I am new to this game, but I am really getting into it. Everyone seems to be blogging these days, so I figured why not join in on the fun?

Back to my introduction before I start to digress again...lol....Anywho, my name is Aynsley aka @yns, but you can call me whatev. :) It seems like there are so many changes going on in my life right now and I hope that blogging lets me clear my mind and sort out my thoughts. Plus, I am interested in hearing feedback and bouncing ideas back and forth...I am not exactly sure how many people will be reading/commenting on my blog, but it's all good. I guess I will figure it out as I go...

So, apparently I have major digression problems this evening or maybe I just don't know where to start. Well, it is probably a good idea not to reveal everything at once anyway. Gotta have some element of surprise, right? Sounds good. That is enough for now even though I haven't really said all that much. Stay tuned and maybe you will get something worth your reading....

Well, I hope you all stick around for the journey...should be interesting and fun! :D

Yay for blogging.

I am done now for real.

Is the grass greener on the other side?

Throughout our lives, many of us ponder whether or not life could be better if we had "more" of something. Now this could be more money, more happiness, more luxuries, more friends, more curves, or more of just anything for that matter. We often spend so much time wishing for certain things to be a certain way that maybe it would benefit us more if we focused on what we have and not what we want. I am not saying that you should not have aspirations and goals. On the contrary, I am saying that goals should be unique to the individual.

I read a quote recently that really hit home. In one of those dime-a-dozen speciality shops, I came across a pedestrian white mug that had what I believed to be an extraordinary message imprinted on it. It read: "Do not live your life finding yourself; live your life creating yourself." While this quote may not seem very profound, it hit a heartstring within me. For the first time in a long time, things began to click in my mind. I realized that I have spent so much time trying to define who I am before even attempting to create myself. I set expectations for myself based on other people's achivements and successes. When you go about it like that, recognizing one's own inner potential becomes lost in the shuffle. Identity is no longer singular, but becomes pluralized and clumped together into one large mass of confusion. Does that make any sense? lol...well, it does in my mind.

This brings me to the bigger question, "Is the grass always greener on the other side?" I think a lot of the answer to this question goes back to how you were raised. At a young age, my parents, like other parents out there, instilled certain values in me. I was to be a good student, a model citizen, and grow up to be something great. Now, let me ask you this: How do you measure success? Is it something that is the result of making lots of money, or is it defined by accomplishing something great as determined by the individual? Of course, many people would agree that the latter is more important. However, without enough money, life can feel limiting and restrictive. If you look at celebrities for example, they have a lot of money, but are they truly happy?

What it all comes down to is finding the right balance. Sure, this seems like a simple task, but with the growing pressure out there to be the best, it is easy to lose yourself. But, being the best that YOU can be is what really matters, and what should matter. The truth is the grass is only greener if you think that it is....in reality, it is the same color on both sides. It is how you water and nurture your particular side that makes it something great in the end.