Archive

Quest for Something More

posted 24th July 2009    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Quarterlife Crisis

By now you probably realize that I do not like my job. Lately I have been using time at my “9 to 5” to work on more enjoyable freelance projects and explore other ideas I have about starting my own business. My goal is to transition to working for myself while still working my full time job so that when I quit I never have to deal with a time when I have no income.

While I know these are the first steps to moving towards something better, and while I have confidence in this plan, I still seek the approval of my family and friends when it comes to these kinds of decisions.

My biggest pet peeve as of late is when people respond to my plan with doubt, saying: “You should just be grateful to have a job in this economy.”

This a slap in the face not only because it’s not exactly supportive, but also because people who I want to be happy are encouraging me to be unhappy and settle for a job that leaves me unfulfilled and just plain grumpy.

I think this kind of response tends to take over a person’s life, leaving them less than happy and settling for all kinds of things that are not worthwhile.

Ask yourself these questions:

If you were starving and ordered a juicy hamburger with mushrooms and blue cheese and got a bowl of cold oatmeal instead, would you just be happy just to have food in front of you?

If you have been unhappily single for a long time and start dating someone who lives up to zero of your expectations and desires, would you stay with him or her just to have company?

If you ordered the perfect pair of jeans online and then realized you needed a size smaller, would you keep them and gain weight to make them fit you?

I’m hoping all answers were “no.” Why settle for something, someone, or some job that does not make you 100% happy?

I don’t believe it’s idealistic to think there is a job out there that could be fun and have meaning and, on top of that, (Shock! Disbelief!) allow you freedom to do other things you love.  So I’m off to find it!


photo credit: monicamüller

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A Crappy Day Considered in a Different Light

posted 20th July 2009    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Quarterlife Crisis

The weather is gorgeous here in Chicago–finally.  I had a great weekend–Some time at the beach, some time with good friends, some time to relax–All the necessary requirements for a great weekend.

I could stand going to work during the freezing winter and during the rainy spring, because I wasn’t distracted by other things I could be doing.  Now that the sun is shining and baseball season is in full swing… I’m having issues motivating myself to get to work.  And Mondays are the worst!

However, today I decided to change the way I look at things.

I’m far from being a miserable, pessimistic person, but sometimes I do find myself getting caught up in the “Why me?!?!” questions that everyone encounters at some point.  Every once in a while I will have one of those days where nothing goes my way, and I reach the point where I say, “Bring it on… I mean seriously…. what’s next?  What else could go wrong?  Why is the world out to get me today?”

So here is my crappy day considered in a different light:

I wake up and go through my morning routine, all while the coffee is brewing.  I grab my purse and pour myself a coffee to-go… and realize I’m out of milk.  I can’t drink black coffee, yet I can’t start my day without coffee.  Perfect opportunity to be slightly irritated.  Also… possibly the perfect excuse to have ice cream for breakfast. A spoonful of vanilla in my coffee cup cools it off to drinking temperature and takes out the bitter black taste right away.  I’m on my way out the door!

I miss my bus by 10 seconds.  Me?  Irritated?  No way.  I’m amused that the only reason I am 10 seconds late is because I stopped to pet a cute new puppy my neighbor adopted.  I get over it and enjoy more time outdoors in the fresh air with the sun shining down on me.

When I do catch a bus, I end up sitting in the only seat left–the one next to the spot that drips who-knows-what from the ceiling.  Every time the bus turns a corner I get a drop on my head.  Irritated?  Nope.  I’m delighted that I’m not one of the people standing up, scrambling for something to hold on to each time the bus driver slams on the breaks and switches lanes.  And the drip looks just like water…

I get to work and my boss asks me to do the most worthless, mindless task.  What amazes me is that she has a way of asking me to do this crap work as if she is presenting me with a great opportunity.

“Robyn, I know you’re busy, but we just got results for 2nd quarter in!  How much would you like to be the one who gets to analyze the results compared to last quarter?!”

Yay!  I tell her I’m thrilled to do it! Okay… my positivity ends there, but good effort right?

Even though my job is what has been weighing on me lately, I still have a positive outlook.  I just know there is something better out there, and I’m full of all the right ideas.  Now I just need to take the chances necessary to do something that makes me happy–something that makes me want to get to work each day…

Maybe something that doesn’t feel so much like work.

photo credit: audioeric

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Craving Something… Anything… Meaningful

posted 13th July 2009    Written by: Robyn    CATEGORY: All Posts, Quarterlife Crisis

INTRODUCING ROBYN

This is how I got to where I am…

robyn-post-1

Come along for the rest of the ride!

Being a natural-born planner and a self-defined overachiever, I believe my Quarterlife Crisis began early—at age 22.  I had graduated college with a journalism degree and a women’s studies degree (don’t ask me what I planned on doing with this, because I have no answer).  I immediately packed up my bedroom at my parents’ house and moved to downtown Chicago, living right in the heart of Lakeview in a gorgeous Victorian 3-flat.

I interviewed relentlessly, and I landed a job as a supply-chain-something-or-other at Kellogg Company.  I began the job with a shining attitude—I arrived early, I dressed up, I left late, I conversed with my coworkers. I had a dreadful one hour commute to and from work everyday (think opening traffic jam scene of Office Space) that eventually weighed on me by day #6.

My lack of stimulating work also started weighing on me. I spent most of my time zoning out in front of excel sheets and taking long lunch breaks—sometimes to my car where I could nap in my backseat (sad, pathetic…funny looking back at it).

Being unchallenged and unmotivated, I questioned whether this is what my work life would be like…and if it was…damn…I needed more time to have fun before settling down with this.

After three months, I realized all my planning and over-achieving had gotten me nowhere.  I quit my job, dropped my lease in Chicago and bought a flight to Sydney, Australia. I backpacked up the East Coast of Australia.  I did things I never thought I’d do: learned to surf, kayaked with dolphins, sailed the wide open ocean, snorkeled with jelly fish (eek!), camped on a deserted island, went white water rafting, and of course, made friends with kangaroos and koalas.

I was on a roll!  I couldn’t get enough, so I went over to New Zealand to go black water rafting through caves, hike on glaciers, and chicken out on bungee jumping.

I returned to Chicago three months later, completely revived with fresh ideas.  I felt like a new person–less concerned with structure and planning and more concerned with just “seeing what happens” and “going with the flow.” Slowly, I fell back into the pattern that society demands…I began the job hunt again–this time believing I knew more about what i was looking for, but found that all I could think about was how huge the world was and how little I had seen.

I was now stuck with a travel bug that would haunt me during my next job.

I received an offer to work at a marketing firm downtown with a salary bigger than I ever imagined starting with.  I immediately decided I would love the job and decided to buy a condo and settle down in Chicago, subconsciously knowing I needed an anchor to keep me still.

Whenever I daydreamed about exploring the world, I pushed it to the back of my mind and told myself, “Now you are working for a global company.  If you put in your time now…I bet you can work anywhere in the world!”  Some how I managed to lie to myself and make myself believe—there’s talent!

This brings me to my current point in life.

I am now working a job that takes up the majority of my time and manages to leave me unfulfilled and unchallenged no matter what kind of work I request.  I crave something—anything meaningful.  I crave a challenge, and most of all, (If this is what the corporate world is like) I crave calling my own shots and not answering to “the man.” I am on the verge of quitting my job, trying to sell my condo, possibly going back to school, and possibly starting my own business.

I expect hiccups along the way, but I’m up for the challenge—obviously!

robyn-bio1

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