The Eagle Has Landed

Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 fame in 1969 said it best.  "The eagle has landed."  Though he was referring to the famous first moon landing, I am using it in a much more frivolous way to refer to my recent landing of a job.  Yay!

Finally, finally . .  . . . I have a new job and I'm really excited about it.  I'm going to be a personnel employment counselor - a "headhunter."  It was weird because I had gone to this employment agency several weeks ago in the midst of my job search.  The recruiter interviewing me stopped mid-stream in telling me about one of her available positions to say, "You know, I really think you'd be terrific at doing what I do.  Have you ever thought of working as an employment counselor?"  Well, no not really, I hadn't.

But some of my best positions throughout the years have come about due to recruiters.  So I initially dismissed the idea and continued to interview at other places.  I really want this time to be a longer term job, since I've been jumping from one position to another for several years now and feeling really worried about job stability.  How can I be over 50 and never really felt like I found the right career?  So I thought deeply about it, continued coming back to that agency and talking to them more about it.

None of the other positions that I've interviewed with over the past few weeks have seemed exactly right.  My mind kept drifting back to her question, "Would I like to do what she did?"  I thought about the fact that I am good an interviewing and finding jobs for myself, which might be one reason why I've had so many positions. It's never hard for me to find another one, and often a better one.  Plus, I've been in several different fields and find it easy to go into a new job, learn the job quickly and become a valuable part of the team and then move on.  I am not afraid of change, not afraid of learning new things... in fact, the yearning for challenge, for learning new things and meeting new people has always been a strong impetus for me switching positions when I become bored and my duties are stagnant or when I run into a wall and don't feel there's a chance to advance within the company.

So today, after doing a whole LOT of soul searching, I accepted the recruiting position.  Now that I've accepted and things are in place, I am so psyched!  It feels right.  Absolutely right.  The eagle has indeed
landed.  With this job, I'll be able to use my hard-won skills to help others conquer a very difficult job market while at the same time, helping employers find just the right employee to fill available positions.  I'm thrilled.

I start next week.  Yay!

Finding My Own Career and Fitness Path

Here lately, I've been going through so many levels of transformation . . . . you can sure tell it is 2013 because with that number 13 comes the death of the old self and the birth of the new.  Kind of like when I was 13 years old, come to think of it, only on the menopause side of things instead of the teen side.  But this side of the hill feels more like a gentle climb  . . . instead of going downhill, I'm hiking upwards and finding myself more sure footed, in spite of the unknown summit ahead.

In my life, I've changed jobs MANY times, and am frankly, at this age, am getting sick of it.  I'm currently in the job search yet again and this time, really hope to find something more permanent and long lasting.  Maybe it's a part of my personality, or maybe it's the fact that the sales field tends to have high turnover and many ups and downs, but I'm not working right now and even though I'm broker than broke, that feels okay for the time being.    I've got a few irons on the fire career wise and we'll see what happens.  Don't want to jinx anything right now by talking about it, but I have some ideas and possibilities in the works. 

Because of being unemployed, and just because also I've been trying to declutter my house and simplify my life by buying less STUFF, I am on a really really tight budget.  That has felt okay and in fact, is pretty gratifying.  I've gotten rid of a lot of old clothes since I've been slimming down.  The one "splurge" I still indulge in is to shop for replacement clothing at thrift stores for my new spring wardrobe.  Since I discovered I'm a Type 1 in the Dressing Your Truth program, I am buying clothes that are in coordinating colors/styles to fit that style profile.  It's been really fun seeking those perfect styles and colors that fit both my new style AND budget.  And it motivates my fitness goals as I see myself going down in sizes, not dramatically but slowly. 

Since my surgery at the tail end of last year, I've increasingly felt better physically.  I'm using this brief time off between jobs to get back into my fitness routine.  Two years ago, I bought a Wii Fitness program and it is a really good as far as having exercises I can actually do.  It has a good balance of aerobic, strength training, yoga and balance exercises in its program.  There's enough variety in it to keep me interested and motivated.  It's like a game, and so it's really fun.  I also still do my treadmill and have been working on some abdominal strengthening exercises.  One of my favorite exercise videos that my friend Phyllis introduced me to is the Tami Lee Webb series. 
I like her videos because they are easy enough to do but they really make me feel more in shape when I do them, a good balance between getting fit but not overstraining yourself in the process. 

In years past, I've been a member of many dieting routines including low carb, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and on and on.  But about a year or so ago, I went to my general family doctor and asked how he had managed to lose nearly 70 pounds.  I told him I've been suffering from the middle age weight gain and it's a constant struggle to keep the pounds at bay.  He suggested that instead of spending money and meeting time at weight loss groups that I instead just do what he did, make the weight loss an internal/individual process for my own body.  He urged me to go out and get a little journal that I could keep my purse  and write down my meals, their calorie count, or point count, or whatever method I wanted to use to track my meals and snacks.  Then also to write down the daily exercise I do and water I drink.  Any details that I want to track as far as my nutrition and fitness.  He also suggested that at the top of the page each day, right under the date, that I write my first of the morning weight every day.  I've been doing this now since last May and it has been working out very well for me.  I generally follow the Weight Watchers Points system and use their little points calculator, that way I am assured of getting a good balance of protein, carbs, fats and fiber.  And I also try to keep the sodium under 1700 grams a day.  But I've found this method has been really effective if you are a person like me who is ready to be accountable to yourself.  If I forget to track some meals, that's okay too, I just move on and try to write down what I eat the next day, but increasingly, I'm writing down the foods because I've already figured out the points for most foods and it is now really easy to look up new foods and even restaurant meals on the internet.

Speaking of restaurants, with all of our budget tightening, I've been eating out at restaurants very little.  That's a BIG change for me, because my husband and I used to eat out almost daily.  No more. I've been cooking really healthy meals at home and cutting way back on fat, sugar and sodium in the process. 

Also, I've been increasingly loving my silver hair.  It's progressing in it's grow out. 

What I've learned from the recent changes in my life is that though I'm naturally a driven person who likes to shape my own destiny, sometimes the greatest changes come about S-L-O-W-L-Y, softly . . .  quietly . . .  gently and profoundly. 

Almost Finished With Growing Out Gray

As some of you know, I started trying to grow out my colored hair and let the silver shine through.  Last colored my hair auburn/red at the end of July 2012 so I now have been growing it out for 7 months.  With yesterday's haircut, I have mostly my natural brown/silver hair and the only thing left colored are the very ends.

Here is what it looks like as of last night:

That's the front view and now the side:

and finally the back:

Well, I'm finally almost there.  hair is shorter than I usually wear it, but I think the silver color is growing on me.  Not sure, but I think I like it. 

Dressing My Truth

Most people know that I love a good deal and that I often shop at thrift and consignment stores.  Well, one day recently, I was in one of those upscale consignment shops and overhead a very attractive and well-dressed woman turn in a huge amount of clothes for the clerk to consider buying from her.  The clerk said, "Well, these are really nice  . . .  cleaning out your closet or what?"  The girl proceeded to tell her that while the clothes were nice and stylish, and many of them were designer items, she was wanting to get rid of them and build a new wardrobe.

After a few moments, she said, "See these clothes are mostly just all kinds of colors and a bunch of different styles that I liked while shopping, but they aren't one image and style that reflects who I really am as a person.  But I've recently started an online program called Dressing Your Truth and since taking it, I've come to realize that I'm a Type 1 and need to do a wardrobe revamp. I'm hoping to sell these clothes to start a new wardrobe fund for myself." 

This really intrigued me so I walked up to her and starting asking all about it. 

She proceed to explain that in the Dressing Your Truth system by Carol Tuttle, there are four basic types of people - and the material helps you learn more about your personality - your inner as well as figuring out how to dress yout outer self (in terms of makeup, clothing, hairstyle and jewelry) to better reflect your inner self.

After leaving that store, I immediately searched the internet and found the Dressing Your Truth book on Amazon and soon realized the program also has a website, and the web-based course goes pretty in-depth, but there is a free 7 day intro  . . . .a series of 7 introductory lessons that are free to anyone who wishes to sign up by email and subscribe.  After watching the intro videos and reading both of Carol's books, I got really interested and drawn into the whole program, enough that I signed up for the course.

I found out, ironically, that like the lady I met in the store, I am a Type 1 woman.  The basic types are:

Type 1 - bright animated woman (high energy and very upbeat - full of ideas but who sometimes has more energy than follow through - they are fun-focused and sometimes drop projects if they get too boring). 

Type 2 -  the soft subtle woman (calm and detail oriented, often introverted  - very relationsip oriented and caring and concerned about other people - downfall is that they can sometimes be more focused on other people's needs than their own and aren't always "heard"). 

Type 3 - the rich dynamic woman (very goal oriented and practical - focused getting things done quickly and efficiently - they are great leaders, but sometimes seen as "bossy")

Type 4 - the bold confident woman (low and calm on the energy scale - they are elegant and classic in their features.  They believe they are right and often are!  Can function well on thier own, but can speak up when they see that things could function better.  Downfall is that they can be seen as "picky" and "critical.")

That is a very short summary of what is an in-depth and very interesting study in personality, appearance, body language and many many facets, including face profiling, where you analyze the features of your face and body language.  If you are at all interested, you can go to the website and either learn more or sign up for the free email sessions.

I started into this at the end of January, and in the four weeks since, I've been in a frenzy to clean out my closet and replace items with ones that fit better for both my coloring and Type 1 personality.  Even after taking the course, there is some confusion among some people as to what type they are, so it's not one of those things where you just take a quick test and figure out what you are.  It's more of an intuitive understanding that you come to after going through the material. 

This system vaguely reminds me of the Color Me Beautiful system that came about sometime in the 1980's when my Mom and I were off trying to find our "colors."  I was an Autumn back then, but that system was based on the color of your hair and eyes and skin tone.  This other system (Dressing Your Truth) isn't affiliated or connected with that other system in any way, and it is more multi-dimensional because it is based on your inner nature and energy levels, as well as many factors that are more complex to figure out - and it's left for you to figure out on your own, because while Dressing Your Truth provides guidance, no external person tells you what type you are, so it's up to you to explore, study the material and let your higher power tell you what you are!  But it's more than a system of dressing, much more.  Doing this program is making me delve deeper into an understanding of myself and others. 

One interesting thing, though, is that if I am a Type 1, and I am fairly certain that I am, then my decision to grow my hair out gray won't mesh well with my Type 1 "light and airy" appearance I'm working on building, so I am considering coloring my hair again.  I'm not sure yet  . . . but am thinking about it and trying to figure out where my hair should be and what it should look like.  I've cut it quite a bit recently trying to grow it out gray and the style seems to translate well with my Type 1 look, just not the gray.  Still thinking about that.

I'm learning a lot from it and have been having fun!  Lots of fun with it. 

Favorite Things

Okay, it's been a long long time since I talked about "favorite things" that I've been using, finding and that may perhaps make your life better too. 

Here are a few that have been a big help to me lately:

Electric Heating Pad  - until my recent surgery, I'd nearly forgotten how an electric heating pad can naturally relieve pain and provide comfort.  Some people still prefer the old fashioned hot water bottle, but I'd be afraid it would grow cold too quickly.  With the electric version, I just keep it on "low" setting and it automatically turns off after several hours. 

Toastmaster 1.7 Liter Cordless Kettle.   I bought this at Tuesday Morning for only $19.95 recently and what a bargain that gizmo is!   Instead of boiling water for tea, I fill the kettle with water, then push down on the brewing pedal and it brews up a piping pot of water in no time.  Keeps the water warm for a while, and then automatically turns off.  It's great for boiling water for tea, soup, oatmeal, hot chocolate, instant coffee and even pasta.  The primary thing we've been using it for is hot tea, but it is a wonderful new addition to our kitchen and we are all raving about how handy and indispensible it has become.  So if you don't have one, find your nearest Tuesday Morning store and get one.  Makes a wonderful inexpensive gift to yourself or others.

Malva Shampoo and Conditioner.  I bought this at an Avena spa store.  It's a type of shampoo that brightens gray hair and brings down the brassiness of colored hair.  It's been a wonderful help to me in growing out my auburn dyed hair into the natural gray that its becoming.  This shampoo does not add color or highlights to the hair, but rather brings out the silver and makes it look  glamorous and less drab.  It also makes gray hair look less "yellow" if it is prone to that. 

Blender Bottle - I'm pretty sure you can get these most anywhere - but it is a plastic 20 oz plastic container with a metal blender ball inside that helps shake up a morning smoothie so you can just mix it up early in the morning and then shake it to mix throughly when you get to work.  My current favorite morning green smoothie is:  1 cup almond milk; frozen berrries (usually frozen blueberries, strawberries etc); 1 or 2 kale or spinach leaves; 1 small to medium banana for natural sweetness; and 1 heaping tablespoon of NutriBiotic Rice Protein in Vanilla (purchased from Amazon).  Total calories: nearly 250 but it keeps you full for hours and gives you lots of nutrients.  It sounds gross, but you really cannot taste the spinach/kale in there because the fruit masks the taste but it is a great way to bring in extra nutrients that still tastes great and satisfying.   I just blend the above ingredients in a regular blender, then pour it into the blender bottle and take it to work for breakfast on the go. 

Vision Board - Cut out photos from magazines that illustrate a quality or goal you'd like to accomplish in your life.  Collect the photos, words, phrases and printed images and representations of your life goals, then paste them onto a foam posterboard.  It's more dynamic and visual than just writing out a list of resolutions.  After making your board, hang it on a wall where you will see it every day.  Then spend a few minutes a day transferring those images from the poster board into a visual picture in your mind's eye.  Close your eyes and imagine what your success will look like, feel the emotions of how satisfied you will feel once you reach the goal.  Someday soon, the visions you pasted up on that foam board will become reality.        

Finally On the Road to Recovery

A while back, I posted information about my ongoing health challenge with my female problems.  I had one surgery right around Thanksgiving and then had continuing problems with my fibroids that unfortunately weren't totally resolved with the first surgery.  So I took a big leap, at the advice of my physician, and had a total abdominal hysterectomy right after Christmas.  There are other hysterectomy methods that are much less involved and less recovery time, but unfortunately since I have been avoiding having this surgery for over ten years, my surgery had to be done this way.   In short, if you are a woman who is having issues similar to what I have had, they probably AREN'T going to magically go away and getting it all taken care of earlier rather than later is easier for all concerned.     

The surgery itself was harder than I expected and let me tell you, I have a high pain tolerance, but this one knocked me for a loop.  Right after it I woke up, I felt like a truck had run over me, then backed up and did it again!  My stomach area was pooched out like I was 7 months pregnant (they have a term for that called "swelly belly").  Right away, that first night, even while my IV was still in, the nurses had me sit up in a chair.  Then over the next few days, after the IV was removed, they urged me to drink water incessantly, walk down the hall with my husband holding onto my arm and do breathing exercises so my lungs would stay clear.  Being in the hospital, far from being restful was hard work.  But they are right in that approach, because it really does help you heal.    

I was in the hospital for 2 nights and then sent home to let my husband and mother take over.  They did a great job.   As we left, we were told that I shouldn't lift, reach, stretch or bend and should concentrate on drinking lots of water and resting.   The hardest thing was the ongoing soreness, pain and trouble getting up and down out of one position into another.  Also coughing.  Oh my gosh, that hurt like the dickens the first week. 

Now as I approach Week 2 of recovery, I can tell you I am feeling like a new person.  Yes, some pain and soreness remains as the incision site continues to heal, and I can't lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the first 6 weeks, but I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  I can see how each day, I feel a bit better, and I'm free of all the medical things that were bothering me before.  Also, now that my female parts are no longer in danger of posing a future cancer threat, I can take hormones.  Yay!  I have a patch that has made me mentally and physically feel so much better.  Even the "swelly belly" is going down a BIT.  Now that is something I've been told won't totally resolve for a while, maybe even a few months, but once I get cleared to do real exercise again, I'm going to work on getting my mid-section in shape too. 

Ah!  I am healing and am determined to make 2013 a better year. 

Some Life Observations

For some reason, about a year ago or more, I started a list of "Life Observations" that I think I intended to pass on to my daughter someday.  But I've come to realize that one's parent is probably the least likely person many young people will ever take advise from.  Therefore, I won't offer these specifically to my daughter, but to whomever might find the points helpful (mainly myself whenever I forget these hard-won observations and fail to observe them myself).

This is by no means a complete list, but here goes:

1.  Fate can turn on a dime, for better or worse. 
2.  Be open to new experiences and learn from them. 
3.  Consistency is more important than intensity in creating success.  Do the good, healthy, wise things regularly and you'll eventually see a reward that you can achieve and can maintain.
4.  Your resume reflects a "career story" - make it one that you would like to later read and tell to others.  This doesn't mean that you can't make career changes, but realize that with each job change, you are writing a new chapter and each chapter should logically fall into an overall story that makes sense and is in line with your overall goals.
5.  Speaking of goals, if you don't know exactly what you want to do at any given time, that's okay, but don't make major investments, in either time OR money until you reach a point where you feel a fire in your belly to proceed.  Until you feel that inner compulsion to move forward, it's okay to try different things and be open to direction.  Someday you WILL find something you want to do and then will be ready to move forward.
6.  Many times the best career paths are found by building upon the natural strengths and talents and interests that you have.  If you're not sure what those are, ask friends and well-meaning mentors and they will help point the way.
7.  Times won't always be this hard (or this easy) and people ARE shaped by their times and the life events through which they've lived.
8.  To accomplish any major task, break the bigger goal down into small, everyday achieveable tasks.  Do those small things regularly and you will accomplish BIG things. 
9.  Get big things started.  Once you get started, it is easier to work on it consistently.  The first step is the hardest, so take it!
10.  Read books (both fiction and nonfiction).  Through reading, you have internal conversations with people from a wide circle of times, places and circumstances.  Reading deepens you and feeds your mind and soul.
11.  When making a major decision, gather all the information possible, but don't be overwhelmed.  Picture yourself doing each of the choices and listen to your gut as to which feels best for you.
12.  Choosing a mate or a business partner are two of your most important choices.
13.  Be willing to compromise and change.  Hold onto your integrity, but don't be afraid to give and take  . . . this is vital in strengthening relationships.  The person who thinks "It's my way or the highway" will be traveling alone  . . . .  and that way is a LONELY road.
14.  Don't be afraid to make mistakes.  Make them, learn from them, apologize and move on.
15.  Be willing to let go of life's "bad breaks."  Personal losses and failings will be amplified in your mind if you focus on them.
16.  Be grateful for your talents, your windfalls and natural advantages.
17.  Question your assumptions  . . . . all of them.
18.  Get up and start your day EARLY.  Planning your day the night before is amazingly powerful.  But those who start late often come up short.
19.  Let go/let God.  Especially when you most want to hold on and stay in control.  Let go/Let God.
20.  Be your own best cheerleader and harshest critic.
21.  Whenever you are trying to communicate a criticism to someone else, taking a "Like Best/Next Time" approach is often effective.  This means you tell them some aspect of what they did WELL before proceeding with suggested improvements.  Offering up more positive input than criticism builds self-confidence and makes the recipient more apt to listen to the suggestions.
22.  Find ways to have faith and renew it regularly.  Practice some form of prayer, meditation, or whatever method allows you to seek refreshment and wisdom from a higher power.
23.  Don't be afraid or put off by things that seem hard.  I've found that most of the "hard stuff" in life, once started, is what makes us stronger, better and happier than what comes easy.  The easier stuff is easier for a reason.  While it seems oh so tempting to take the easy route, the hard way most often leads to fulfillment.
24.  Always keep a sense of humor.  Don't take yourself, others or the world too seriously.
25.  Remember the 80/20 rule.  80% of your success will come from 20% of what you do.  20% of your friends will be your TRUE friends.  20% of your customers will be the loyal ones who will help you succeed.  Still you need to approach and do 100% until you recognize where that 20% lies. 
26.  Have real relationships and develop them.  It's easy  to get caught up with your career, with technology, with overall "busy-ness" but the time you invest in PEOPLE and interacting with those closest to you is what really matters in the end.
27.  You will always keep relationships with influential people inside you, in your inner life, whether they are "alive" or "gone" . .  . they are always with you and shape who you are.  You can turn to them whenever you need strength.
28.  There is a God force that guides you whenever you are open to being guided.