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Scheduling Life and 401K Checks

posted 12th November 2009    Written by: Marisa    CATEGORY: All Posts, Job/Career/Work, Marisa, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 1

Borough Market in LondonIt’s strange to settle back into a normal day schedule.

I’m getting back into the swing of things: waking up early again, eating before noon and planning a full day’s worth of adventures.  Not to say I wasn’t just as scheduled while being unemployed, everything just happened after 12 and it was fairly easy to accept a life with barely any daily commitments.

I’d like to think I’ve combined both versions of my life a little bit.  And I like going to work where I wear whatever I want, participate in yoga during lunch if I choose so, and leave just in time to complete the other daily tasks for a busy life.

Such is part-time.  Such is my life.

I received my cashed-out 401 k check today too. After having a heart attack over the taxes taken out and being resuscitated by my cat Sophie, I had a very large check in my hands, waiting for direction and attention.  I became giddy and child-like; what to do with it?

I could save it… I could spend, I WANT to spend it. There are too many wants out there for me like new clothes, tons of great food in Portland and oh, to travel!

One of many goals for 2010 is the head to Europe. An old dear friend from Girl Scout camp is getting married in Sussex next May and I’m determined to be there.  It’s my birthday month as well, so what better way to spend your birthday, than say in Paris or Berlin or London?

Daydreaming about a vacation with many museums, galleries and venues makes my mind spin with glee!

My goal is to also be able to travel and eat without any medical attention needed. Believe it or not in the past ten years, European food standards have become Americanized with the popularity of processed foods.  Thus, my problem.

Thus, I need a plan.

I know they don’t have any Whole Foods there and they sure as hell don’t have the glorious and fantastic New Seasons, therefore I bet that most of my money will be going towards good, expensive foods.  Which is not that bad when considered that I can pay for it now with this lovely check!  Traveling in leisure, ha!

I’m excited to be able to plan so far ahead. Hopefully, I’ll still be working at lucy during my vacation because traveling this past spring without employment wasn’t fun.  I’m crossing my fingers this next spring is different!

So– not spending the 401 k check now.   It’ll be tucked away for rainy days in London.

marisa-bio1

photo credit: tonysphotos

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Do One Thing That Scares You

posted 11th November 2009    Written by: Andrea    CATEGORY: All Posts, Andrea, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 1, Travel

Europe AdventureA few months ago, I was having a bummer of a day when I randomly decided to stop at the travel agency located on the college campus where I work. At the spur of the moment, I put a down payment on a 12-day tour through Eastern Europe.

Crazy and spontaneous, I know. But, trust me I needed it!

Why Eastern Europe, the Cold countries, during the cold month of October? Well, I’ve been to “regular” Europe and 2 years ago I explored a handful of cities in China. I wasn’t looking for a tropical paradise… I wanted adventure… Eastern Europe it was. Plus, Poland was one of the countries highlighted on the trip and given my ancestoral background, Poland had made it on to my list of 30 Things To Do Before I’m 30.

Taking this trip was honestly one of the most gutsy things I have done in the past few years of my life.

I booked the trip without consulting anyone’s advice (a major feat if you really stop to think about it), I didn’t know a single thing about any of the places I’d be staying, and I didn’t know a single person going on this tour. All I knew was I would be with 19 to 30-year-olds from all over the world for 12 days, through 6 countries, visiting 9 cities.

Sitting at the Dulles airport that afternoon before my takeoff, I can only describe my mood as terrified. However, this was something in the back of my mind I knew I could do… but it was still a huge personal challenge to see how I would manage with all of the ‘unknowns.’

My biggest fears were really silly:

I’ve been back almost a week now and guess what? I survived! Not only did I survive, but I think I thrived.

It was honestly one of the best random decisions of my life. My mother reminded me that my spontaneous decisions are always my best ones. Somehow, I tend to forget this, but she’s so right! I came full circle from almost crying because I was scared to go on this trip, to almost crying because I didn’t want to come home.

Funny how life works out like that, isn’t it?

I ended up meeting the best people on my trip.  It was so enlightening to meet 2o new people from around the world because now I have places to visit and new friends to call on! My roommate did not think I was weird (well she may have,) but we still got on great and ran around Eastern Europe exploring new cities, eating delicious food and sampling some of the finest beers.

Did we get lost? Sure we did! Almost everyday and it wasn’t scary at all, it was fun! It was all part of living, learning and facing scary places and new people.

So, I challenge you as readers and fellow ladies living through a Quarter Life Crisis, to do one thing that scares you over the next few months. Maybe even make a decision all by yourself, without consulting friends or family. Challenge yourself and you may come out learning more about yourself and the world around you than you ever thought possible.

Andrea (new) bio.

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The Unemployment Blues

posted 10th November 2009    Written by: Kendra    CATEGORY: All Posts, Job/Career/Work, Kendra, Quarterlife Crisis, Season 1

Depression LineI have experienced three periods of unemployment in my adult life. The first was when I first finished undergrad, the second, was when I returned from living in France, and I’m currently into my fourth month of my third period of unemployment.

Having gone through unemployment so many times, one would think I’d be good at it.

And, in some ways I am.

But the truth is no matter how we try to dress it up in terms like “funemployment” being conventionally unemployed… sucks.

Oh sure, it’s great for awhile.

You can sleep all day, party all night and live in your PJ’s. And for a week or so, as you peel off the layer of exhaustion that often comes with trying to juggle full-time work with a full-time life, being unemployed rocks…until it doesn’t.

This is something that most of my friends, who’ve never been unemployed, Do. Not. Get.

They don’t get, for example, how because most of us have spent our lives either in school or at work for someone else we never learned how to structure our own time. Yet, when you’re unemployed all you have is time: a yawning chasm of a day that must somehow be filled. Learning how to fill your unemployed time, without going crazy is a skill that must be learned or else you’ll find yourself awake at midnight wondering where your day went and how you managed to accomplish nothing more than showering, watching bad TV and facebook stalking your exes.

Or so I’ve heard.

I’ve found it helpful to make two lists: a monthly list what I want to accomplish that month (thinking short-term when unemployed is your friend), and a daily list I make every night which lists what I’m going to do the next day to help me accomplish my larger goals for the month, as well as reminding me to do the mundane survival things like pay my student loans. I find it helpful to structure my day into blocks: things I will accomplish between 9:00am and 11:00am, 11:00am and 1:00pm. I even go so far as to put mundane things like eat breakfast on the list, because while most people manage to gain wait while laying around doing nothing I’ve managed to drop almost ten pounds because I simply forget to eat (and I’m realizing as I type this that I’ve been awake for three hours and haven’t eaten anything… the list system, is admittedly not perfect).

Something else the ‘always employed’ don’t recognize is how socially isolating being unemployed is. When you have a job you talk to people – even if it’s the drone the next cubicle over. There’s chitchat around the coffee pot, people you have lunch with, happy hour after work. When you’re unemployed the loose social interaction that happens at the office is nonexistent, unless you count my relationship with Benson & Stabler from Law and Order: SVU.

And I am broke. Really broke. So spending money I don’t have on things such as happy hour just doesn’t make economic sense reinforcing cycle of loneliness.

My solution, however, has been a two tiered prong of stacking my days and volunteering.

Volunteering helps because it puts you into contact with people who can make a career connection – it’s a valid expense. I try and stack my networking/job interviewing events with social ones: if I’m already blowing $4.50 to get into the city for an interview, I can dawdle (for free!) in a bookstore while waiting to meet friends for drinks. I suck back water while they’re imbibing on something stronger (my friends are not scrooges, they are too happy to buy me a round of drinks but a combination of pride and common sense- there is nothing sexy about an unemployed alcoholic- means I try not to take them up on their offers too often).

Volunteering also helps because apart from getting some awesome social interaction, sometimes you get a free meal, a free drink or both out of it.

But I’m not going to lie, the thing that makes unemployment easiest to deal with is the hope, that if you keep plugging away, eventually… it’s going to end.

kendra-bio1

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First Day of Freedom

posted 9th November 2009    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Job/Career/Work, Quarterlife Crisis, Robyn, Season 1

dog walkersAs if to confirm that I had made the right decision, my first day free from the corporate world was spent outside in 73 degree weather. Despite it being fall, I woke up to the sun shining and I brought my lap top outside to do some work.

After some research and some writing, I left for my first day of dog walking.

The girl I walk dogs with has a story similar to mine. She used to work for a big ad agency before she realized how miserable it was making her. She had her Quarterlife Crisis and ended up quitting her job to pursue her dreams of working for herself. She didn’t have much of a plan, so she started walking dogs in the meantime. She loved the schedule and the pups and being outside and active all day. Eventually she started her own dog walking business.

And grew that business so much that now she has walkers like me!

I spent four hours in the gorgeous weather–riding my bike around Chicago to different houses and playing with dogs. It was a blast!

Most importantly… it was SO different from my corporate job. I found myself feeling care-free and stress-free and (what a shocker!)… I felt happy.

It was definitely odd to wake up and not have to get dressed in business casual and put on makeup. Instead, I stayed in one of my favorite comfy tees and some jeans. I wasn’t rushed in the morning. I took my time making coffee and eating yogurt.

I am my own boss now, and I create my own schedule. In the past, when I was working from home, I found the most important things are to keep myself on a schedule and give myself deadlines. Despite my hate for all that structure and stress in the workplace, it’s completely different when you are doing it all for yourself.

I actually enjoy my “to do” list and meeting my deadlines. Even more so, I enjoy the variety of work and being able to take a long lunch break with a friend or deciding to let myself take a half day on a random Friday.

Being disciplined and motivated are strongly required, but the perks of working for yourself are endless.

robyn-bio1

photo credit: nunocalvin

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Happy Birthday Stratejoy.com!

posted 6th November 2009    Written by: Molly Mahar    CATEGORY: All Posts, Molly, Stratejoy the Biz, What I've Learned

Happy Birthday Stratejoy.comIt’s been one year since this website went live!

One year since I quit my full time job to concentrate on birthing this baby.  One year of working towards a goal that many in my life thought impractical, frivolous, unimportant.  One year of working towards a goal that I know is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.

Happy Birthday www.stratejoy.com!

You had me at hello…

When I think about it– a lot has happened in this last year.  I hosted my first Lifestyle Design Workshop in February, started a support community for the amazing women in our Tribe, spoke in front of hundreds of women at Girl Power Hour and lululemon, spent a summer working with some incredibly talented interns, facilitated a Life List Workshop (with men!), recruited and fell in love with four contributing bloggers, connected with many of “my people” via Facebook and Twitter, created the homestudy Joy Equation course and realized that I can totally do this.

In the middle of all that craze, I also kept up my love of traveling– heading to Santa Fe, Maui, San Diego, New York, Montana and Bali to celebrate weddings, families and just plain adventure.

I am grateful for all of it.  All of the butterflies, all of the late night writing, all of the learning curves, all of the support.  And most of all?  I’m grateful for all of you.  Yes, you and you and you.

Thank you.

You have been part of this adventure.  And hopefully, I have been part of yours.  This “Tribe of Gutsy Girls” is strong and growing stronger each day. I get the excited wiggle when I think about what’s in store for all of us in the upcoming year.

Of course, it hasn’t been all peaches and cream. Working for and supporting yourself has been harder than I ever imagined.  In my 29 years, I’ve never had to deal with so many insecurities, so much fear of failure, such little confidence that I’m doing things “right”…

One of our fabulous Tribe members, Holly, posted this quote on Facebook this week.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow.”  – Mary Anne Radmacher

It reminded me that being “gutsy” isn’t always big and bold and out loud.  That even when I feel overwhelmed with the task ahead of me, getting up each day and moving forward bit by bit is courageous.  That I am being brave because I’ve committed to what brings me joy, even when it’s hard.

And you know what?  I’m learning.  I’m stretching.  I’m growing.  Perhaps I can even say, I’m coming into my own.  And in that growth, I get to witness and support YOUR growth.  Your exploration.  Your attempts to navigate an authentic life.

It’s been amazing.  It will continue to be so.

Here’s to another year of clarity, inspiration, camaraderie,  adventures, tom foolery, finding flow, rockin’ out and being authentic!

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