The Formula for Success Pt. 1

Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It's quite simple, really. Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn't at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that's where you will find success.
- Thomas J. Watson

Good morning, my three fearless followers. I have a great success to impart to you… I got the job!!! I've gotten one of the (many) jobs that I applied for an am now employed at a luggage store in the Flint mall. This means that I am officially working 45 hours a week or thereabouts. The mall job is (a shock to no one) minimum wage, but every little bit helps and I'm grateful to have it.

On Tuesday (after a very lovely weekend at The Lake with Mike and his family, and after getting poison ivy or oak or something on my legs) I have approximately 6 job interviews. I say approximately because, well, I'm approximating. I had a few "half interviews" and such; I'll explain… I originally had 2 interviews planned for Tuesday (and so I took the day off Lansing) Mongolian BBQ (as a kitchen person) at 11AM and Hollister (yuck) in the mall for an "impact" position at 4PM. On my way to the 11AM interview I got a call about a job I'd applied for as an Ad Sales Rep for a community newspaper based in Lapeer (they do several communities papers) and set the interview for 1PM. Mongo went well, on my way to the paper I stopped at rite aid (to pick something up… I think?) and picked up an app which I returned after my interview. The paper interview went very well, it lasted about 30 minutes, she loved my resume and what I had to say, I asked ALL the right questions, etc. After that when I returned my rite aid app I got an on the spot interview with the manager on duty who happened to be the pharmacist, which also went well (his boss called me this morning). After all that I headed back to flint and briefly saw my friend Colette (happy birthday beautiful!!!!!!) I then went to the mall (it was about 3pm and my interview was at 4). I dropped off my apps for New York & Co. and another mall clothing store and spoke to supervisors briefly while I was there and then I dropped off an app for a jeweler - then I went to my Hollister interview (which was a group interview); I said all the right things, thought through my answers, and by my judgment I was clearly in the top two. The weird part was that you cannot wear any makeup, you can't wear clothes other than Hollister clothes or clothes that look exactly like Hollister clothes (down to the color of jeans) and unless you are a "model" you are not allowed to talk to customers. I then went back to the jeweler where I spoke briefly to the manager and he said he'd like to set up an interview.

Crazy day right?

Friday (today) I have 2 interviews set and possibly a third. My issue is now - I'd like to get the ad sales job in Lapeer; it is 25-30 hours a week, day time only, no weekends, and $8 base per hour plus commission (6%). If I had Lansing, the Luggage store, and Lapeer I'd be set most likely and happy. Unless I find another job to take the hours of the luggage store (afternoon/evenings & weekends) that pays more than minimum wage I think that I will stay with the luggage store (I can really only have one job with those hours, although rite aid may pay my $8 but that is in lapeer and possibly worse hours). If I got my 3 Ls (I'm already 2/3 of the way there) the only other job I could really have would be a 3rd shift job that was only 2 or 3 nights a week. If I get my 3 Ls I would be working 9am-4pm every day (between lansing and lapeer) and then 4-9pm 2 or 3 times a week + weekends.

Well, now that I've bored you with my proposed work schedule… I'm very excited about going to Indiana this week and seeing my family! I don't get to see them often and I took off work (new job, my boss wasn't very happy) and everything! I'm excited to see Justine again - I miss her!!! And my aunts and cousins J it's sure to be a wonderful weekend; there may be a little fighting, a lot of curling irons and primping, and some craziness, but there will also be good food, family that loves each other, and fun times. I'm excited about my trip… especially because this will be my first time bringing Mike! I've often felt like I needed to brag, or be someone I'm not - someone I wished I was - when I saw my family, not because they don't love me just the way I am, but because I loved who they were (yes, I idolized my aunts). I am happy with who I am and I feel that I am a little bit less… awkward… in my own skin than when I was younger and I'm excited to see how this weekend goes and if I can relax and just be while I am there. As Hecato (a Greek philosopher) said "What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself."

In the past when we've gone to Indiana for our yearly thing it's been referred to as a "sister reunion" or something and when we've done pictures (my family ALWAYS does pictures) we did only "sisters" (my aunts) and then separate "cousins" pictures. These things (once I got a bit older, about 14 maybe?) always upset me. I spoke (without any whining or bitchyness) to my aunt and my mom simply requesting we do "mixed" pictures because (as Mike is well aware) "I have EMPTY frames on my wall!!! I NEED PICTURES!!!!" J I think that this weekend will prove that simple solutions (simply asking for something else - without emotion, or simply changing your attitude) are the most powerful.

The fact is, that to do anything in the world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in and scramble through as well as we can.
Robert Cushing