A couple of weeks ago I was browsing through job postings. Occasionally, I get tired of being stretched too thin too often and I see what's out there that might work around the kids school schedules. One job seemed interesting enough. It had the potential to be flexible, so I brushed up my CV (Resume) and hit, "Apply."
A few days later I received a call and after a couple of "informal chats" I had scheduled my first interview in nearly 10 years. 10 years! I had nothing to wear. Mommy-clothes fill my closet and nearly everything is either stained or old.
Interview Ready Selfie
The night before the interview my stomach was clenched and my anxiety was sky high. Friends and family on FaceBook made lovely, supportive comments and my husband talked me down in a rare show of true, deep attention. I reminded myself that I didn't care if I got the job or not, so there was really nothing to be nervous about.The next morning I was ready. An 11-year-old dress with a new-ish pair of shoes and a cute cardie I got in France a couple of years ago did the trick. The interview went swimmingly and lasted over an hour. That's usually a good sign.
We had great rapport, the questions and answers felt more like a conversation and by the end of it I felt like the HR woman and I (who had a fabulous Scottish accent) would make great friends.
The next day I totally freaked out. I realized that I did not want a job at all! While I love working with people, I also love my freedom and flexibility. I've been a Kindermusik educator and a Wine-Tasting consultant over the past 6 years and both had me leading a crowd, loving what I did! Both allowed me to set my own schedule. This is vital, because putting 3 kids into childcare before and/or after school and during school holidays is freaking expensive. Plus, The Boy only goes 3 days...
I frantically searched for school admin jobs and scrolled through the work-at-home-mom sites to find something before I got a call telling me I'd made it to the next stage. Then, I stopped and took a breath.
A day or two of contemplation and the risk of getting a real job helped me clarify my direction. You've heard it before if you've been following me for long - I am going to be a certified Passion Test Facilitator. This is it for me. I'll get my NLP/Life coach certification to complement it, but I am going to be running workshops as a PT Facilitator!! Helping others to discover, embrace and courageously follow their passions in life! That's my passion!
Before now, I've gone back and forth between following my heart or getting a paycheck. Not knowing when or how I'll ever come up with the money for the certification or the travel to get there had me nearly giving up on my dream. But I won't. It isn't just a dream, it is my path. All this job stuff helped me to finally and fully embrace that. You might have thought I had done that a few months ago, right? But I waver in the face of a $0 balance in my bank account!
After nearly a week, I hadn't heard back from them, so I placed the follow-up call. "It's going to be a 'No,'" Darryl kindly told me. "Would you like to know the reason?" Of course, I would. Overqualified.
Overqualified. With all that I've done and the goals that I have with NLP and the Passion Test, they were quite certain I would be bored handling stock and customer service calls. He didn't say that outright, but I heard it nonetheless and they're right. Plus, the couldn't really accommodate the start and end timing I would need to get my kids to and from school. Shocking.
I'm so relieved I didn't get that job! Now I can put all of my focus and attention where it belongs - on my family, my own personal development and paving the way to my dream career.
