Gratitude

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PSA

I mean it when I say that I am going to be very long-winded. You have been forewarned.

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Discuss

Yesterday started out normal enough. I went through my morning routine, as you saw here with the gratitude and prompt posts. Then I went to log into class to check on some school-related things before doing the mood row on my blanket.

I never made it to the mood row.

My Next Move

I was looking into picking up some side work to help supplement my income a little. Just to help me grow my business and have some bill money. Nothing crazy. I have always been entrepreneurial-minded and figured something would help me get by while I continue growing my business.

My instructor posted about mynextmove.org in one of her class messages. So, I figured I would take a peek. I was curious about what people with my degree were making in the profession that my degree qualifies me for.

In my previous life, I worked as a virtual assistant and I have experience as an executive assistant. My business degree qualifies me for this type of role, and I enjoy that kind of work.

Shoot, what I learned is that people with a Bachelor’s degree in my field make over $100k a year in their role. With an Associate degree, I would still make a considerable amount of money in a lower tier position of the same general role.

There couldn’t be anything local… right?

I was wrong. There are a ton in my general area (approximately an hour from home by freeway) that actually are paying well for people with my qualifications.

This resulted in my building a resume, writing a cover letter, and applying to a few opportunities that I felt would best suit my skills and abilities.

Somewhere around that point and 5 application submissions later… It was 4 pm and I had not even begun to finish my essay due, participate in class, the mood row on my blanket, or even eat.

Thank you, Dane!

First, I would like to take a moment to share some love. My first “job” out of high school was in entrepreneurship. I connected with an entrepreneur named Dane who gave me a chance to do some remote work for him, which turned into 6 years and a strong respect. I reached out to him yesterday to make sure he did not mind being a reference since we had such a long history in the field I was applying for.

Today, Dane is the CEO of Sitehunt and simply someone I will always admire. He is a good person and a valuable friend. He also hosts and publishes the Econ Dev Show.

I found him back when I was 21. My daughter was a year old and I was trying to figure out how I could make money while living in the boondocks with no car or babysitter. He jumpstarted my work-from-home career, fed my love of business, and inspired my original motivations to start college before my mom passed in 2012.

He has a heart of gold and, honestly, I could have never asked for a better mentor or friend.

Regrets

After my mom died, I often had people ask me why I did not go back into writing for a living and working as a virtual assistant. It seemed to be the best field for me. I was passionate and dedicated. My answer was always a simple, “bills.” I couldn’t afford to rebuild my connections and I did not have the degree background to get a job in the field without trying my hand at bootstrapping a business while trying to support my family as a single mom with no other income.

Many years of traditional employment in fields I was good at but did not enjoy only compounded the fact that they were right. I was not happy in the fields I qualified for because I am entrepreneurial at my core. I love business. Whether I am a virtual assistant, an executive assistant, or an entrepreneur in a field I am passionate about, business is where I belong.

Between Stitched Delights and my college experiences, it is becoming more obvious where I belong. If I do go into an administrative or full executive assistant field, I will be much happier than I would in an entry-level customer-facing role. That is why My Next Move ate so much of my time. It became glaringly obvious I could still do something I enjoy with my degree, make a decent living, and grow a business.

I am capable of being who I want to be.

Education Matters

After all of the job searching and writing, I did manage to go back to my classroom and complete my work. I feel uneasy about my essay. I was trying very hard to condense my writing because I went far over my word count goals. I feel like it was missing something but I did my best. I also made it into class to participate with my classmates and finish up the course.

Today is the beginning of a new class (and, I do believe, the last in my certification that I am working on with my Bachelor’s degree). I have to head over there shortly to do my part and look over the content for the next five weeks.

The Rest of the Story

I managed to get everything but my mood row stitched yesterday. That is pretty darn impressive if you ask me. However, I never did eat until after my lovely better half came home with dinner because I did not have time to cook. I took a break to eat with him before finishing my school stuff.

I am pretty sure I passed out sometime around 10-ish but I laid down much sooner because I was mentally drained and felt it on a physical level.

Thank You, WordPress!

In the meantime, I also want to give a shoutout to WordPress customer service. I wasn’t mad that something hiccupped in the Blaze credit system. I wasn’t mad about the appearance of being overcharged. I was just trying to figure out if I misunderstood something and see if they could help me understand what happened.

Apparently, there was a glitch in the credit system, and by reaching out it brought the issue to their attention. They went above and beyond to rectify the situation. Besides refunding the overage, they gave me new credits for the trouble. I have been on the customer service side many times (although they are a little different), and I do know what it sounds like when someone says the words, “This was supposed to be free. Why isn’t it free?!” Rather than discount my concerns, they asked for what they needed to show that I had the credits, the billing that shows they were not all used, and proceeded to do a full look into the issue. At any point, they could have tried to say that I was lying, wrong, or that I misunderstood. They put in real effort and that matters.

I wasn’t intending to leave WordPress with AJS or Stitched Delights, but this experience did cement my determination to continue with their service as my business and blog continue to grow. Why would I want to leave when customer service is willing to do a full look into an issue instead of trying to write me off?

That’s All, Folks!

Yesterday was productive, taxing, and full. However, it was worth it. I learned a lot and I got to do some things that were needed long before now. It also made me appreciate my personal growth, mental strength, and abilities so much more than ever before.