A Month to Remember
Hello Followers and Passerby Readers,
Writing a post on From Maruki has been a great outlet to express my joys, concerns and mess I make for the past year. Sadly, I have not been able to write a post in the past month. Work consumed every piece of me and more. I barely slept 5 hours a night and worked over 10 hrs a day. Mind you, my job was a contract position with low pay, no growth opportunities and no bonuses. To my surprise, April 12, 2013 was a day of confirmation. I have been in this contract position for the past 4 years. I have renewed the contract yearly with hopes that new changes will come to the program, or that some advancement opportunities will open. I learned on that day that the answers to my prayers were 'no'! No matter how much patience I forced myself to have, which is a task all on its own, I can not change a company. No! advancement opportunities are slim, hard to come by, and was told by my manager "The company does not prefer to hire within because they prejudge their employee's experiences". Three marketing positions opened across the country, one I had to speak Spanish, I speak Japanese; another was in Kansas, and I just moved to Minnesota; and the third I applied for and have yet to hear back. The company would probably hire from outside the organization and spend the next 6 months just teaching the products and services. No! the program will not change because it will result in a reconstruction of the financial flow of the field management teams. Why would a company reconstruct their field management team to satisfy contract field marketing managers??!!!
I spent the last week with my grandfather after throwing him a huge Surprise 80th Birthday Party. My grandfather is a quite, simple, and intentional man. It brought tears to my eyes when he walked into the back half of the restaurant to see 70 family members and friends from around the country. He words were "I didn't know I knew so many people!" A few days after the party he asked me if I was going to renew the contract with the company. I explained my reservations and he said 'Fours years is enough. The change you want is a change you'll get, but you wont always find it where you want it.' And that was it. Short, sweet, simple and of course left me with a desire to ask more questions. I withheld my questions until my last day there. "Granddad, I have no idea what to do next." He looked at me and said that he wished I came to visit every month, but he understands that I have a husband now. Then he stated that I shouldn't forget about SpoonFull of Jelly, after all it was my idea to take it to another level.
When I returned home, Mr. Mind met me eagerly at the baggage claim. Only gone a week, he was so happy that I was home.We chatted about my week when it all clicked. April 2013 will be a month to remember! My focus is beginning to change. It won't be the name of the position, the amount of money the company will give me, or the crappy gifts they distribute for the years of experience that my children and grandchildren will remember when I'm 80 years old. It will be the experiences of appreciating what my elders have and will leave behind, the lessons I will teach the young ones and the memories of every joy and sorrow that will shape my life to come. What a profound lesson to learn in 30 days!
Writing a post on From Maruki has been a great outlet to express my joys, concerns and mess I make for the past year. Sadly, I have not been able to write a post in the past month. Work consumed every piece of me and more. I barely slept 5 hours a night and worked over 10 hrs a day. Mind you, my job was a contract position with low pay, no growth opportunities and no bonuses. To my surprise, April 12, 2013 was a day of confirmation. I have been in this contract position for the past 4 years. I have renewed the contract yearly with hopes that new changes will come to the program, or that some advancement opportunities will open. I learned on that day that the answers to my prayers were 'no'! No matter how much patience I forced myself to have, which is a task all on its own, I can not change a company. No! advancement opportunities are slim, hard to come by, and was told by my manager "The company does not prefer to hire within because they prejudge their employee's experiences". Three marketing positions opened across the country, one I had to speak Spanish, I speak Japanese; another was in Kansas, and I just moved to Minnesota; and the third I applied for and have yet to hear back. The company would probably hire from outside the organization and spend the next 6 months just teaching the products and services. No! the program will not change because it will result in a reconstruction of the financial flow of the field management teams. Why would a company reconstruct their field management team to satisfy contract field marketing managers??!!!
I spent the last week with my grandfather after throwing him a huge Surprise 80th Birthday Party. My grandfather is a quite, simple, and intentional man. It brought tears to my eyes when he walked into the back half of the restaurant to see 70 family members and friends from around the country. He words were "I didn't know I knew so many people!" A few days after the party he asked me if I was going to renew the contract with the company. I explained my reservations and he said 'Fours years is enough. The change you want is a change you'll get, but you wont always find it where you want it.' And that was it. Short, sweet, simple and of course left me with a desire to ask more questions. I withheld my questions until my last day there. "Granddad, I have no idea what to do next." He looked at me and said that he wished I came to visit every month, but he understands that I have a husband now. Then he stated that I shouldn't forget about SpoonFull of Jelly, after all it was my idea to take it to another level.
When I returned home, Mr. Mind met me eagerly at the baggage claim. Only gone a week, he was so happy that I was home.We chatted about my week when it all clicked. April 2013 will be a month to remember! My focus is beginning to change. It won't be the name of the position, the amount of money the company will give me, or the crappy gifts they distribute for the years of experience that my children and grandchildren will remember when I'm 80 years old. It will be the experiences of appreciating what my elders have and will leave behind, the lessons I will teach the young ones and the memories of every joy and sorrow that will shape my life to come. What a profound lesson to learn in 30 days!
Loved this post and love your outlook! What a wise man he is :) Good luck to your new adventures! If you go at it with your awesome attitude you are bound to get what you deserve!
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Kristine -The Foley Fam {unedited}