Time Well Spent?

I cannot believe it is already August - this summer has went by so quickly - I have yet to submerge my body in a pool or place my toes in some sand - I guess I better get to it before I either have to a) wait until next year or b) take a trip during the fall/winter to indulge...that would be a great birthday gift to myself (yes, it is almost the time of year we have all grown to covet - Libra season - and more importantly MY BIRTHDAY)...

I had a conversation with a friend of mine a few weeks ago, which really had my wheels turning. He stated "I was more confident when he first met me almost 5 years ago." This dialogue made me ponder some of my actions and I began to compare my then and now...back then I was a 24 year old media planner/buyer working for the top advertising company in the tri-state - as I grasped onto more knowledge and expanded my network I began to feel powerful like I could conquer anything - now I am about to be 29, I am single, and I have been actively looking for a job for over 2 years - the constant rejection could equate to me not being as assertive, HOWEVER, I now realized I need to become even more assertive - prove to these employers how I can be an asset to their company regardless of how "overqualified" they think I am.

Networking is key and I am going to put myself in places to meet the right people. The NABJ 2011 convention is in Philadelphia currently and they are holding a career fair. I went down there to participate, unbeknownst to me the cost was $440 for non-members. I quickly jumped into Plan B - networked in the lobby and still passed out my resume and business cards to people I encountered. Who knows - they may have business leads in the future. One woman told me, "I know you will find a job soon - you are so pleasant, you have everything going for you, and I can tell you love the Lord." (That's another thing - I need to work on my relationship with Him - we will discuss that in another post) Positive feedback always helps one's spirit - so whenever you can offer a kind word - do so - you never know what the person is really going through. I even met Stephen Smith and Don Lemon while I was there. Even though I could not go to the fair, I took advantage of the people I came in contact with.

Has life seemed to pass you by or are you taking advantage of all opportunities and paving your own way?