I always liked the thought of chase your passion and the money will follow. Spend more time focusing on what you enjoy, setting your soul on fire. If you have that kind of intensity, the money will come. While I liked the idea, often times I didn’t know what my passion was because I was swarmed with loud, endless internal noise. It wasn’t uncommon for me to mute my intuition. In fact, I have done this numerous times throughout my life. When deciding my “career”, I chased the money and ignored my gut. I would head to Arizona State University in Tempe and major in real estate. The market was booming and once successful, my money cup would be overflowing.
Before I tell you how the Universe/Spirit rocked my world, my journey to become a Sun Devil was actually based on intuition! My dad and I went to Arizona to look at two schools, one of which will remain nameless. Let’s just say, the other one I didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel safe. I wasn’t pulled to be there. Now, when I stepped onto the campus in Tempe, I felt alive. This small town girl was ready to take on a big city. There was a part of me that was excited to be in huge lecture halls (nearly the population of my hometown) and attend D1 football games nearly every weekend. But I still had one other school back in Oregon I was considering. I liked the idea of attending a smaller school. I didn’t want to be a statistic. If I stayed in Oregon, it would be easier to get back home to see family and friends. I didn’t know where I wanted to be until I woke up one morning and chose ASU. I cannot tell you why other than I was pulled that direction. My whole body was screaming yes and there was zero resistance or hesitation in that thought.
Off to Tempe I went and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in real estate. Oh ya girl was ready to see the cash flow in. I was dreaming of all the figures I would see on my bank statements. My dream home was taking shape in my mind. Well, if any of y’all remember the economy in 2008, it was in the dumps. The real estate market crashed, BIG TIME. Awesome, Universe! Thanks for keeping me humble. I kissed those figures goodbye real fast. Through this I realized my heart and mind were never in alignment. I was chasing dollar signs, not a passion. I went after my career path with the wrong approach.
Fast forward a few years. I am now a pediatric physical therapist. For financial stability, I jumped at the opportunity to have a salary position with a new population. After negotiations, it was a wage that would give me flexibility but meant I would be working with adults rather than children. I gained a lot of knowledge but I was unfulfilled, and something kept tugging at my heart. I missed working with children. I was beginning to lose my passion. I started looking for other opportunities.
I came across a job posting and honestly I knew very little about the company. I do not recommend this approach at all but agreed to a job interview, solely going on knowing who I am as a person. I met my now supervisor and coworker at Whole Foods downtown Austin. Any interview held in my favorite store was sure to be worthwhile. The interview was one of the easiest interviews I have ever experienced and I will never question why. I remember having the feeling when I showed up, I am going to be me. I had zero expectations of myself other than being true to myself and asking questions that would tell me if they were a good fit for me as well. (Ps, those of you interviewing right now- I always remind myself I am interviewing the company too. I don’t want to be miserable at a place if I am not a good fit and I want someone who truly wants the position more than me to have the opportunity. There’s space for everyone at the table when we believe in ourselves!) I was asked what I needed from a supervisor. Without hesitation I said, I need someone who I can communicate openly with and someone who is going to support me when I need extra support but also when I’m on top of the world, someone to have high expectations of me. Kira smiled and I knew that was something she could offer as my potential supervisor. I asked my coworker how this company compared to other employers, how was work life balance and yes, I even asked what she would change about the company. I told y’all, I was interviewing them too. We’d bounce from interview questions to discussing gluten free recipes. It was s zero pressure situation.
I left the interview without being hired on the spot but I had a feeling it would not be the last time I heard from them. Even if it meant we were friends.
Well you all know how the story ended. I accepted the position without even knowing my salary because my intuition was so certain this was the place for me. Turns out this position paid more than any of my previously held positions which really is only the icing on the cake. I chose this opportunity because my intuition said yes and it has been one of my best and favorite decisions.
I truthfully believe the Universe put the ad in front of me on that day for a reason. Here are some tidbits I learned 🙂
- Trust yourself
- If someone offers you a job, and tells you they need an answer immediately but you would like to take the time to sort through your thoughts, it’s not for you.
- You’re interviewing an employer as much as they’re interviewing you. This is also true in all relationships. It’s a two-way street.
- Since the pandemic I have seen several articles on creating your dream role. I have a great appreciation for those putting together resources for others. I strongly hope the author’s are including a chapter on self reflection.
- Lastly, the “once I have this, then…” mentality. Often times I find we are searching for the next best thing rather than letting our intuition guide us.
Cheers!