Since starting my career transition and creating this blog, I’ve been collecting inspirational quotes, such as the one above, to help keep my spirits up. I’ve found many in the books I’ve read or online, and have a list of them saved that I refer to now and again, and as you may have noticed I use them often in my blog.
I found this particular one by Norman Vincent Peale some time ago; I can’t really recall when or where. I immediately liked it, although I can’t honestly say I fully understood its meaning. It just sort of captivated me, so I added it to my list.
Today I Googled it trying to discover it’s meaning, or at least other people’s interpretation of it. I found an article by a woman named Linda Ellis who, like me, worked in a corporate environment for a good 20 years before deciding to leave it all behind to pursue her passion in life to achieve success. Okay, she left voluntarily, but still, the similarities were freaky !! This is how she deciphers Mr. Peale’s quote:
There is a quote by Norman Vincent Peale which reads: “Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow.” If I had to summarize this journey into one sentence, that would have to be it. Because true success, that is, complete success is attained when you find personal fulfillment in what you do, instead of just going through motions to receive a paycheck. It comes down to making a life versus making a living.
Now I know why I was immediately captivated by that quote. That is exactly what I’m trying to achieve here with my new career path. It's not about the paycheck anymore, and I think I've proven that with the steps I'm taking to achieve my goals, most notably selling my house. I could keep the house if I continued my career in Finance, but it’s certainly not my dream.
I decided this week that even though I’m not finished either of my courses and have no certification yet, I would officially start my job search for opportunities in the fitness industry. I sent out a dozen or so resumes in response to ads for various positions, just to see what’s out there and get my feet wet. I already got 3 calls back, had one interview today and I have one next week :)
The job I interviewed for today was not good, it was mostly a sales position with a very low base and commission driven. I know I have to start at the bottom, but not that far down !! Their expectations were high, and really not completely ethical in my opinion. The job starts with doing fitness assessments on new clients, as well as periodic re-assessments with current clients. While all that stuff sounds good to me and would be a great initiation into the field, this is where the ethics issue comes into play. The hidden agenda of course is to try and sell personal training.
I think I mentioned previous my success … or lack thereof, in the sales arena, so even though they’ve already asked for a second interview on Monday, I’m quite certain I’m going to pass. I know that pretty much any job I end up getting in the fitness industry will involve some sales on my part, but I don’t want it to be exclusive.
But back to my blog title and why that particular quote intrigued me. Even though after realizing today’s interview was a bust, I was sooooo excited to be there. The interview itself actually went really well, and the Manager and I talked at length about our passion for fitness and our desire to help other’s achieve their goals. Like me, she has battled with her weight and fought hard to get healthy, and like me she wants to share that joy with others. I know it sounds totally cheesy but it’s really what I want to do. We talked about how there will be many frustrations along the way as I encounter resistance and discouragement with clients, but when you can actually help someone improve their life and their health and make them truly happy, the rewards can be incredible. I can’t wait :)
I suppose this is a good time to mention that I sold my house !! The home inspection was a success and they waived the condition yesterday ... closing is February 28th. Things are starting to progress rather rapidly now and once again I'm scared shitless. I have no idea where I'm going to live and I have just 45 days to figure that out. I do have options, three of my sisters and my parents have offered to let me stay with them until I get settled, and while 3 of these options are totally cool with me, I'd prefer to get to my final destination sooner rather than later. Moving has got to be one of the biggest pains in the ass I know, so I prefer to do it just once. BTW the three options are staying with my sisters; I think I'd rather live in a box under a highway overpass before moving back in with mom and dad. I love my parents, I just wanna keep it that way ;)
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