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