Working For My Future

I am addicted to working. Not in a workaholic way, but in an "I hate to be sitting at home" way. I really do. I like to go out and do things, but I can't go out and do things when I don't have any money. Some people might say that you can still go and do things on a budget, and others might say that I make more than enough money to be able to do things.

The truth is, I do make more than enough money...if I lived anywhere other than sunny Southern California; if I didn't pay for college myself; if I didn't pay for my wedding myself. I'm okay with doing all of those. Everything I've paid for (besides when I mess up and get tickets), is an investment for my future. I might not be seeing any immediate financial return (like if I made a literal investment) but, these are all emotional investments.

I'm happy to have made them. I'm also happy to work. I am so lucky that I have so many opportunities to fund my dreams and so many opportunities to network and socialize with people.

I've been thinking about all of this because my work schedule is a little iffy after this week. I start back at schools next week, but my schedule didn't work out exactly as we had planned so I only am teaching two days a week. The other days I will be continuing work on my company's website database that we've been building all summer.

I believe I get to work from home those other days. Not having to drive 100 miles a day in traffic is exciting. What's even more exciting is that I can work at restaurants the other days. I bring up the topic of work (again, for the millionth time) because I was approached yesterday with two amazing opportunities.

One is through the grapevine - that Buffalo Wild Wings wants me back. Working as a server is amazing because I can work a 3 hour shift and make $100. I vote yes. At the same time, I love working at my Mexican restaurant and I have the potential to make more money there in the long run. Currently, I'm a host because there are no serving positions open. We're a small company. I'm thinking of working 2 days a week at Buffalo Wild Wings, 2-3 days at Mi Casa, 2 school days and the work from home stuff. I probably will not have a full day off of work for the next few months, unless I request it off.

Working this hard is important to me. Iman and I want to pay off our debt and be able to go on a few trips + buy a house in the next few years. I'm not sure when I will get pregnant, so I believe that now is the time to work like crazy. I only worked one job for the past year because planning a wedding is like working another job.

My other opportunity is going to be sort of cryptic because I believe I've found another calling of mine. I don't want to give too many details before I work out the nitty gritty, but I've figured out something that I am going to market through what I've learned in blogging. This idea comes up, because I have been given the opportunity to work with a teenager to start her blog. I have always worked with older bloggers - out of high school, and now I'm thinking why not work with younger kids? I do teach blogging in my schools, after all.

I am so excited. I also want to thank so many of my blog friends and real life friends for constantly motivating me to continue this little blog and to grow. I started it with such a big goal in mind and no idea how to reach that goal, and I now see so many doors opening up to me. Most notably, thank you to: My Papa Perry for paying for my webhosting & always fixing things for me (or getting your coworkers to fix them), my Iman for your endless support, Lauren and Krystal for reading my blog religiously because you guys love me (I get so excited whenever you say, "Oh yeah I saw on your blog today.."), AJ for being so excited about my stats and being filled with ideas...you seriously are THE BEST, Paulina and Jess for being the best blog besties this girl could ever ask for, Brittany and Cassi for your beautiful ideas to change the world and do good (and asking me questions so that I feel like I know what I'm doing), my other blog friends who constantly support me, my momma and bubsy for always wearing your warrior queen bracelets and doing whatever you can for me, Bryan for suggesting everyone wear the WQ bracelets at the wedding, Jimi for not batting an eyelid at the weird stuff I do to blog, the rest of my supportive family and friends, aaaand my amazing readers!! You all make me so happy and keep my heart happy and motivated to keep working on this little project of mine.

aand, here's a fun giveaway!! :) 

___________________________

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Check out one of our featured Warrior Queens:

Dreams

"A goal is a dream with a deadline," - Anonymous

Have you ever been working toward a goal and then became slightly side-tracked for several years because of extenuating circumstances?

I have.

Time for a little background:

When I was in high school, my best friends were a year above me and I never had class with any of them. However they were all in yearbook. Sophomore year I decided to attempt to join the yearbook class to be with them. The class was full but the teacher liked me and stuck me into journalism instead. As per my usual enthusiasm, I went at it with all I had and by the first month i was a writer, photographer, editor AND I did layout. I slowly began to learn everything there was to do to run a newspaper. The editor in chief called me her protege. I was to be assistant editor in chief my junior year and editor in chief my senior year. As it worked out, I WAS second in command my junior year - desktop editor, aka I was in charge of the entire layout of the newspaper - however, most of the time I was doing the editor in chief's job alongside her. Doubtlessly, I was editor in chief my senior year. Somewhere in that span of time, I fell in love with journalism and it became my life passion. I spent about 30 hours a week for 9 months of the year for 3 years working on this newspaper. It was my life, my baby.

So obviously, when I moved away to Ohio to pursue that dream at Ohio State University....but didn't work on anything journalism related until this past fall...I began feeling a little off track.

It started freshman year, but I thought I was getting it back when I was accepted into the journalism program. Something was still missing though. Then I took my news editing class and i felt AMAZING because I was writing again. But the quarter ended and something was still missing.

I've gone through a lot of changes since my senior year of high school; for both the better and worse. I lost sight of who I was for awhile and I've been trying to build it back. I've felt almost completely like the person I want to be again but there was still ONE thing missing.

I think I've found it. I think that when I got that internship today -- WHICH BY THE WAY I'M NOW AN INTERN!! -- I found what was missing in my life.

So many things emotionally have gone wrong in the last 3 weeks, but I am HAPPY and EXCITED for my future because I found that missing puzzle piece and again, I'm on my way toward my goal.

If you're feeling a little side tracked - just get out there and try one more time. =]
You might get exactly what you were looking for.

Big Dreams

So I'm pretty sure we all have the friend with the crazy ambitions and drive to do whatever they set out to do. And if the word friend is stretching it, then everyone at least knows of that person at school or at work.

In high school, it was this one girl who I both adored and hated. She did sports, honors, ASB, MUN, Fellowship Christian Athletes, National Honors Society, California Scholars Federation, Yearbook, volunteer work, etc. You name it and she probably did it. She even found time to hang out with her family almost everyday. And she was SO cheerful about everything. I envied her for that and for her ability to dedicate to each of the things in her life.

In my life, I've tried almost everything in school - sports, art, student council, clubs, yearbook, journalism, etc. But journalism is the only thing that I've ever stuck with. It shows my commitment to it. But even now, I question if I really am passionate about it or if I just do it because I'm good at it. At one point, I basically lived and breathed journalism. But I haven't had an article published in years. That's right...YEARS! Not one, but two years and several months. And now I'm afraid that I will be horrible at it OR it's not right. I know (because everyone tells me) that I haven't lost it, especially because my editing professor at OSU loved my articles. It appears to be in my blood. But I just feel that I'm pushing it all back one more year since I have to go to a community. I'm sure I'll find some way to stay focused.

The other night I was hanging out with a couple of the girls who were in journalism with me but graduated a year ahead of me. Both have been editor in chief of their college newspaper. One of them is interning for the LA Times. A few summers ago another friend (who is a year younger than I) interned and free-lanced for the OC Register. So you can see my dilemma.

I love hanging out with these girls. I admire their ambition and I love taht we have this in common but sometimes it drives me crazy. I feel so inadequate! Don't get me wrong, I have my fair share of ambition and dreams. I've taken "dream big" literally since I want to start a magazine and the industry has a 90% fail rate. EEK!

But I can do it. Really, all of us can. Dream big and accept the failures because it will teach you a lesson, and you'll rise again!!