“…know that everything happens for a reason.”

Career Changes

As I mentioned in a previous (and rather short) post, a LOT has changed in my life in the past several months. After a short stint as an IT recruiter, I realized how much I missed the challenges and creativity of PR and social media, and thus my job search was back on. Initially, my focus was on staying in Michigan (what can I say, I really DO love Detroit) and that’s where I focused my search for the first few weeks. Then, after much soul-searching and discussions with my family and beautiful friends (you know who you are), my search unexpectedly expanded to the Boston area, Chicago and Louisville (again).

You see, I left Louisville about three years ago and never had ANY intention of coming back. I was headed to the east coast and my plans included a great job in Burlington, long weekends spent in Boston or on the Cape, quick trips to NYC and gorging myself on lobster in Maine. After about two years and many major life changes (sensing a theme here?), I found my way back to Michigan and 10 months later, back in Louisville.

It’s funny how even the best laid plans can sometimes be run completely off track — and how that can be a beautifully disguised blessing.

So here I am again — this time working in social media for a national non-profit (a longtime dream of mine). I couldn’t have guessed even a year ago that I would be able to realize my dream so early in my career, and I am thankful every single day for all of the crazy events, heartbreak and hurt that have brought me to where I am today. I find myself challenged, inspired and excited every day, and thankful for the amazing variety of people that I work with and often not even feeling like I’m at work while I’m there.

The elusive “they” say that’s what it’s all about, right?

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right…”

PR Toolbox — Wunderlist

I’m obsessed. No, really. This free app is amazing. For those like me with a serious millennial brain, this app makes organizing my life and work and staying on track SO easy. No matter what your work style or what your to-do list may look like, this will help you get it done and stay on track.

Working on multiple devices throughout the day? Totally cool — Wunderlist automatically syncs your list across all of them (amazing, since I jump from my work computer to my iPad to my iPhone and Android about a thousand times each day).

Another major plus is for this app — the ability to collaborate with colleagues (or family/friends, depending on the need) to get larger projects done. Wunderlist makes it as easy as clicking “invite” to get the team think rolling.

For me, this app allows me to collaborate with the various teams I work with (some of which may only be in the same country as me once every few months), keep track of each project I’m working on and assign deadlines (a HUGE thing for me and my work style) without having to bombard my colleagues with countless emails and reminders.

How do you keep track of your various tasks and projects (personally or professionally)?

What I’m Reading: The Birth Order Book

Let me just throw this out there up front — this isn’t a typical read for me. A dear friend of mine recommended that I give it a shot, and I’m honestly really glad that she did.

With a very conversational style, Dr. Leman attempts to get inside the head of children and adults based on their birth order (first born, middle child, baby and many combinations thereof) to attempt to explain why we behave the way that we do. Dr. Leman’s book is heavily focused on application — how our birth order applies to the business world, marriage and dating, parenting style.

As I said, this isn’t typically the type of book that I would be compelled to read. In fact, I’m not usually a fan of books that are written in a conversational tone (I usually find them difficult to follow and tend to lose interest quickly), but Dr. Leman does a good job keeping this book interesting and informative.

Give it a shot when you’ve got some time. If nothing else, it will make you take a step back and think about how you behave and may shed some interesting insight into the why behind your actions.

Big Changes…

Sadly, it’s been a while since I’ve had the time (or the motivation, quite frankly) to blog… and A LOT has changed since my last post.

I’m back in Louisville, took a new job (much more on that later — it’s AMAZING), found a stellar apartment (and am living on my own again) and have embarked on the next scary (and exciting) leg of this crazy journey.

What’s next? I’m not sure… but I do know that for the first time in many years, my heart is truly happy and I am incredibly excited to see what’s around the corner. I’ve also realized how blessed that I am to have SO many amazing people in my life. To my family, friends, co-workers and even a few random, kind strangers that have managed to play a part in the craziness of the past several months, THANK YOU. I cannot express how much love I have for each of you. ❤