Tag: Learning

True Friends

I worked for Midas International for nearly 13 years – I left when the company was bought out by TBC Corporation in 2013. So it’s been 10 years since my Midas days. But I have to hand it to the friends, co-workers and franchisees of Midas. When the chips are down, they’re the first people to show up and ask how they can help.

One of the first messages I received after being laid off was from a franchisee who said Midas is hiring and they’d love to have me back. Or that barring that, he was sure one of the franchisees would hire me. The sweetest words ever! And 10 years after leaving the Midas system!

Last night, I had dinner with 3 of my Midas friends and they could not be more supportive. And the thing is, we hadn’t seen each other in probably 4 years or more! I remarked at one point that I’m just blown away at how sitting there with them, I couldn’t believe it wasn’t just yesterday that we all worked together. I know I’ve said it before – but I am so blessed in my friends and former co-workers from all my past jobs.

Now – please excuse me. I have to run because I’m having coffee with another old Midas friend this morning. I’ll be counting my blessings again on the way!

Stress

Last time I was on a job search, I’ll admit I hit some mental health walls. It wasn’t just the job search – I also had a parent who was failing and dealing with that was really stressful too. But it got really bad when I wouldn’t go outside during “work hours.”

I am now 4 weeks past the day of the meeting with HR and my VP telling me I was on the lay off list. I think I’m doing OK but it’s early days right? I received 2 rejection emails over the last week that I freely admit stung a bit because I respect the company and I thought my skills were a good match to the job description. But hey – I networked in and maybe the next role that comes up will be an even better match.

It’s tough being between jobs when I have invested so much of myself in my work. I’m unapologetically a Type A person – I actually love to work. So not having that work rhythm to drive my days is difficult.

I’m still up at 6:30am every morning and trying to keep a routine of getting to my desk well before 9am to look at the job boards and network. And I’ve started the process of renewing my Google Analytics and Google Adwords certifications. Might even take some coding classes I’ve been eyeing after the holidays. But I’m REALLY hoping this search doesn’t take a really long time – the emotional roller coaster isn’t a good place for me!

I found these articles about stress and searching for a job – check them out? They might be helpful!

Busy, busy, busy….

I’ve been so busy to-doing this morning I’m later than usual getting here to write. I’ve been busy networking – and writing thank you notes. I even wrote a thank you note for a rejection email. Sounds weird doesn’t it?

I believe in saying thank you. Even when it seems counterintuitive. Good manners are in short supply these days but my Mom would roll over in her grave if I didn’t use my manners!

Seriously – it isn’t hard to say “please” or “thank you.” Or hold a door open for people. Or return your shopping cart to the corrals in the parking lot. Having a little bit of consideration for your fellow humans shouldn’t be so hard!

So acknowledge an email. Send a thank you for that gift. Use your turn signal. Let someone into your lane in traffic. Smile and say please or thank you! It may make someone’s day – maybe even your own!

Orthodontist!

Today, I’m off to the orthodontist. Isn’t that for kids you say? Apparently not! I was an adult when I got braces. My teeth were so badly aligned that I broke one and the dentist told me I had to get braces or it would be the first of many breaks. So as a 40 year old, I rocked a tin grin.

And because I waited so long, I’m still wearing retainers at night. So occassionally, I have to go back to the orthodontist to have the retainers adjusted. Currently, my bottom retainer is cutting up my tongue so the visit today is a must.

But having braces really contributed to my overall wellness. Oral heath has been linked to heart issues, pregnancy complications and even respiratory issues so having an easier time with brushing/flossing and lessening the chances of infection with broken teeth has been a real plus for me. The bonus has been a straighter, whiter smile!

Want to learn more about orthodontia? It really isn’t just for kids anymore – check out these articles for info if you might be considering braces as an adult:

To-Do Today…

We all have those days when we know we have things we should do but just don’t have it in us to do it right? It’s not just me?

Top of my to-do list today? I have to get back to someone about a role at a company – and I’m just not interested in it. I know nothing about the product and it’s not something I’m passionate about. So I’m just not feeling a fit.

On the other hand, my people pleaser gene is kicking in and I’m already feeling a tinge of guilt because the outreach from this company was instigated by a networking friend. And after nearly 3 weeks of not working, I’m ready to be working again. So turning my nose up at an opportunity seems so wrong!

So what am I going to do? Schedule the chat and see – maybe I could get interested in the product right? And you never know what it might lead to…

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yeah, yeah – it’s Wellness Wednesday. But it’s also the day before Thanksgiving so you know what that means – cooking a feast! I will be contributing 2 kinds of cookies to the Friendsgiving party I’m going to – which isn’t your peak health food.

So my only tips for you today are:

  • Moderation in everything – you don’t have to eat full servings of everything on the table! I like to make my Thanksgiving plate more of a tapas experience and just get dabs of everything. It’s kinder to me in the long run when I’m not miserably full!
  • Take a walk! A long standing tradition at our Friendsgiving is to take a long walk around the neighborhood after the meal (and before dessert). We have a lot of fun out on our walk – even when it’s been raining or snowing!
  • Wear stretchy pants. Friendsgiving for me is a 3 hour car ride away from home – comfy pants are a must no matter how much I eat.

So that’s it for the blog this week – taking tomorrow and Friday off for the holiday festivities. Have a great Thanksgiving and see you all next week!

Networking

On this To-Do Tuesday, I’m networking! I’ve got a list of companies I’m targeting as places I would like to work AND where I think my experience and skill set would be appreciated. Yesterday, I spent hours scrolling through LinkedIn and found a list of people that know people in my target companies and started networking.

I’m always amazed at how quickly you can find someone that knows someone. That game of six degrees of separation is even smaller in the business world – and I am VERY fortunate in my friends and former co-workers.

My LinkedIn pages are a gold mine! I’m overwhelmed with how people are responding even during this holiday week. So yeah – I got laid off, but I am blessed. Gotta run now – having lunch and networking with some old friends from my Midas days!

First Rejection

My resume is updated and I started applying for new jobs last week. And promptly got my first rejection note. Oddly enough, it didn’t really bother me. The role was one I could have done well, but it wasn’t really my dream job. And really, I don’t know that I should settle for just “a new job.”

At this point in my career, I really hope I don’t need to settle. I want to work at a company that really values their employees and where I can use my experience/skills to make a difference. I am good at what I do – although at times like these, it isn’t always easy to remember.

I’m reading a book titled YOU are a BADASS: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life. I cannot recommend it enough. I’m not usually a self-help book kind of person – but this book is really helping me put some things about myself into perspective. I’ve never been good at self-promoting but maybe that needs to change.

For all of you that I have worked with in the past and have sent me messages over the last couple of weeks – even when we haven’t spoken in FOREVER, I cannot tell you how much I have appreciated hearing from you. The sympathy and encouragement are overwhelming – thank you!

And last but not least – if you work in HR or know someone who does, know that the rejection notes are the nicest thing you can do for an applicant if you won’t be moving forward with them. Ghosting your applicants just leaves them hanging. The roller coaster of emotions your applicants are going through is hard enough – so send the note so they know where they stand OK?

Thursday Throwback

Part of processing being laid off last week has had me thinking about when I was at my happiest in my career. The thinking being, to shake off the sadness over the Walgreens lay off and find what makes me happy again.

I think my happiest years career-wise were the years I spent at Midas. Big brand – tiny marketing department. It was my first client-side job and while I was hired because of my media and field marketing experience, the tiny size of the marketing team let me get involved in almost all aspects of marketing. Boundary lines between roles and even departments in the company were blurry. There weren’t silos.

Even though Midas wasn’t always a well managed corporation during my tenure, in the later years under our last CEO, we flourished. We got serious about focus, used hard data to guide decisions and put our franchisees/customers first. And it really paid off with 8 straight quarters of amazing growth. Maybe it paid off too well since it resulted in the company being bought out – but I’m thinking I need to get back to that kind of place. Encouragement for out of the box thinking, no silos, customer first. Now I just need to figure out if that kind of place still exists – and how to get my foot in the door when I find it!

Walking to Wellness

So it’s Wellness Wednesday and later I’ll be strapping on my walking shoes to celebrate. It’s really no secret that walking is a great form of exercise. I took up walking kind of seriously in August when I participated in a fundraising challenge from the American Cancer Society. The challenge was to walk 2 miles a day, every day of August for a total of 62 miles. I blew it out of the water averaging 4.2 miles a day for the month according to my Apple Watch.

One of my favorite places to walk

All the walking not only raised money for ACS, but I actually started losing my pandemic weight! Today, I’m down 10 full pounds from the top of my weight (I’m not saying where I started OK?) and I found other benefits too. My Apple Watch alerted me to a lower resting heart rate which is an indicator of better heart health and cardiovascular fitness. I dropped around 6 beats/minute over the course of the month!

I’m also sleeping better. I’ve always been a light sleeper and stress/worry only makes it worse. At the risk of sounding all weird, the walks have given me a way to empty out my head. Being outside and walking hard with my headphones pouring mood appropriate music into my head is just soothing in a way I cannot describe. And given the events of the last week, my walks have helped me put things into perspective and get into a good mental place.

So take a break – go for a walk and see if a few miles will help you too! Want some more info on walking and wellness? Check out these links: