HOW TO BE SUCCESSFULLY UNEMPLOYED

I spent 5 months without earning a regular paycheck

and I became a better person.

The backstory, in case you'd like to know more; I moved to Minnesota with my husband for him to start his brand new job. We were thrilled! I even had the opportunity to freelance for my former employer for the first few months after the move. 

Once that job wrapped up I was left with only myself, no one telling me what to do next or how to do approach this new territory. In the very beginning I felt two things: Overwhelming confusion and liberation.

I had a very strong urge to just take the first job that came my way. Only after reading through forums and forums of job postings that didn't resonated with me did I know that the only way I would know what to do next was if I gain a better understanding of who I am and what I value… Think 'makeover of the soul' as Cher from the movie Clueless put it best :)

What I gained from the past few months was major growth in creativity and a boost in confidence with my point of view and voice.

It took a lot of trial and error to uncover the best ways to improve myself. The impact of all of this self improvement was becoming a better help to others, which in turn, can mean better for future employers and/or collaborators.

So If you ever find yourself in the uncomfortable position of being unemployed, All this week I'll be sharing my tips to use this time well.

I was going to do this all in one post, but it was turning into a serious TL;DR amount of information and I think these tips are too useful to be just shoved into one post that's too overwhelming to read.

REAL QUICK shoutout to all of you that currently have a job, especially if you are feeling stuck in that job, but don't know how to move on — a lot of these tips I'm sharing are things that I plan to continue to use in my life, even with a job. Sure, these things have been scaled back a bit, but self improvement is never a job that's finished, it keeps evolving. I hope that this series will be useful to you and anyone who needs extra motivation in their day to day lives.

And with that, I'll see you tomorrow with my first tip!

TODAY IS YOUR TEACHER

This post-it! This lesson!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I wrote this in the wee hours of the morning. I had a big day ahead of me and this phrase leapt into my half awake mind.

I wrote it down right away and I thought, 'I'll write it prettier later…'

I've been reading Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now and he talks a lot about living for the present moment, not living in the past or worrying or obsessing over the future. I love this concept but at times it's hard to practice.

Like today.

I had two contract job interviews lined up.

Two in the space of 4 hours… 

on the opposite sides of town.

I wanted to remind myself that today, right now, is my guide and don't let past interviews haunt me or what these jobs could be or not be color my mood or perception.

I rode off in my car, Shelly, to the first appointment of the day.

Near the end of my drive…CRASH.

I hit someone while driving on the highway.

It was my first ever car accident and it was my fault. I felt so many things.

I'm fine. My car is fine (sorta) and so was the poor person that I hit. I got goofed up with the directions and tried to make a quick lane change because I didn't want to be late, and that impulsive emotionally charged decision is what set it off course.

I called my contact for the company and they had to tell my interviewer that I couldn't come in. We then rescheduled for tomorrow. I felt embarrassed and silly. I went home, changed into my favorite comfy pants, made tea and just sat. I didn't listen to music, watch a video, I just sat and tried to regulate my breathing.

I saw that post-it note again and gave it the side-eye. But knew it was right. I could only move forward with what was in front of me.

In 30 minutes I had to leave for my next interview. 

I exchanged my sweat pants for my tights and skirt and off I went.

I tried to just think of how excited I was to meet new people and listen to them talk about what they're working on.

I got there in one piece, did a little dance, and walked my booty in the front door.

The interview was seriously like a breath of fresh air. I went in open minded and left just happy to have had the experience I did. Even if nothing were to come of this, it was just nice to meet people who are open, honest and are trying to make a difference. I wrote a thank-you email as soon as I got home because when you have a great experience like that, you let them know!

It was as if the pendulum of my day had completely swung in the other direction. I went from tears to peace to joy.

I was home for about 30 minutes, doing my laundry and I got a phone call. I had been offered the job. (!!!!!!!!!) I felt so grateful and I looked at that post-it note again.

'Today is your teacher.'

Damn.

Those words.

So much more impactful today than I originally thought. I makes me wonder if my brain just knew this attention to NOW was going to make the impact that it did.

I could have had the accident sour my mood and then bring that poor mood with me to the second interview, but I tried my best to let it go.

I also could have had their quick response to hire me scare me leaving me second guessing if this job was going to be good decision for me.

Instead I said yes to the offer because it felt right RIGHT NOW. In a few months I might not feel that way but I need to embrace what feels good in my current situation so that's what I did.

My mind still wanders to 'did I do the right thing?' or 'maybe they won't like me' or 'what if I hate it?' but I am so comforted that whatever day 'today' is, is my teacher.

I'm also leaving the words in their raw 'unpretty' form because today felt raw, real and also detached from expectations or judgements.

Now, here I sit so excited for a new experience to start next week while filling out a claims report for my car accident.

HA!

VISIONS FOR 2016

all images are cited at my pinterest page

Planning a year. A whole year. It sounds fun for a few weeks then it sounds like the never-ending-list-making game where the slightest deviation will send things swan diving off of a cliff, a la cartoon style.

Though that cartoon splat sounds pretty exciting, it's horrifying to feel it coming! So I decided to try a new approach and put together a good ole fashioned (like I haven't made one of these in YEARS, pre-college maybe?) vision board.

Vision boards are typically seen as a way to mark milestones and can be a little 'things focused' so instead of this being filled with things I want, I filled mine with feelings I wish to embody. It isn't about having a fancy studio, or perfect yoga poses. It's more about the fulfillment I feel from art and design and cultivating strength and connectedness by practicing yoga, etc. Know what I mean?

For 2016, I am focusing on creating, connecting with others and myself, feeling strong, feeling refreshed, celebrating the simplicity and strangeness of life, getting messy and radiating joy.

Envisioning my year this way makes it feel less like a game of collecting things, and more like an expression of who I am and what I value.

I'd love to know what you used to plan for the year ahead. If you decide to make a vision board too, let me know! I'd love to see what kind of year you'll be having.

A DAY IN MY LIFE

So last week I decided to document a typical day (granted all days are different, but this is a kind of day that I encounter at least couple days a week).

Right now, I work from home. I very much enjoy this lifestyle at the moment, but this time in my life also feels very temporary so I want to pay it a little homage. I'm sure life will switch things up for me again so for now I'm savoring the days that look like this…

1. Wake up and greet the day.

2. Make the bed.

3. Yoga.

4. Morning sketches, brainstorming, etc.

5. View from my office ;)

6. Webinar, taking notes, planning, emails, general work.

7. Lunch at home (leftovers from the previous night's dinner).

8. Photo editing & blogging.

9. Off to a meeting.

10. Meeting venue.

11. Husband on an evening work call.

12. Washing up.

13. Hot tea before bed.

HELPING HANDS

Since drawing much more I've noticed that my hands need more love and attention than before. Mainly in the form of stretches and a few breaks to wiggle the fingers and do an invigorating set of jazz hands. To supplement this, I've been using a few products that have helped too.

So to all those out there who use your hands a lot…

This post is for you!

CND SolarOil

I (almost) never paint my nails. I reserve it for times when I go to a wedding or reach a very rare level of boredom. It's not that I don't like color, I just don't like how quickly polish tends to chip or how many layers are required for them to not chip as fast. Also, the general feeling of having polish on makes my nails feel heavy. Anyone out there feel me on this? I have had shellac done before too, which is fine, but not the best for the nails either, which is what leads me to this product! My mom found this after she had a shellac manicure removed and gave me a tiny bottle in my Christmas stocking. My cuticles aren't in the best shape, they get pretty dry and peel a lot. So I was really excited to try it. They call it a 'nail conditioner' which basically means that it's an oil for the hands. It smells of almonds and sinks into the skin near your nails and even on the beds of the nails too. It's probably the most noticeable after you remove polish, acrylics or shellac nails, but after a long winter day, it has made a big difference to me and my digits.

Gold Bond Intensive Healing Hand Cream

This lotion is another recommendation that I originally got from my mom! She too suffers from dry, itchy winter hands. I know lotion is a very personal preference and everyone's body chemistry reacts differently to the myriad of formulas out there. So from my experience, this lotion is thick, but sinks into the skin quickly with an almost cooling sensation. My hands feel smooth and not at all sticky. As for the scent, it is very light and citrusy. I put it on my hands every night before going to bed.

Lush soap Figs and Leaves

A lot of soaps on the market can strip natural moisture away from your hands and I'm pretty sure there isn't much of a worse feeling for the hands to experience than that. I rely on very moisturizing soaps because I usually can't be bothered with putting on lotion AFTER washing the hands. Enter this soap! I'm a huge fan of LUSH anyway, but this soap is my favorite that I've used so far. It exfoliates gently, lathers a very very very little and feels more like rubbing a lotion bar on your hands. Finally, THE SCENT! 🙌 It's deep and as you could probably guess, smells like figs, which smells earthy and bright.

Wintergreen Oil

My last favorite for the hands is wintergreen oil because it is a natural muscle relaxer. It's great for days when your hands and wrists feel tense and tired. The scent is uplifting and when you work a drop into your skin it takes the edge off of any mild pain or discomfort. I use my oil from Young Living. All of their oils are great, but this one is great for muscle pain or overuse.