I really do have the best job ever.

I had a few moments yesterday that reminded me just how truly blessed I am to be working where I do and to do what I do.  Never in a million years would I have imagined that going to door-to-door for a living would be the most amazing experience of my life, or that it would introduce me to the most wonderful people and friends anyone could ask for.

Obviously I've mentioned some of my co-workers in the past, like the one who thinks I'm really sexy and the one who's taking me with him to open his own office and sent a text message of appreciation to a few people in the office (it could have been everyone in the office at the time for all I know, but hell, as long as I got that text, I don't care).  Everyone in my office is awesome though, and yesterday I was definitely reminded of this.

Venting on Relationships

So...I really don't know how to go about talking about this.  Mostly because I've been spending enough time as it is trying to figure out how it is that I feel about the situation.  I don't even really have to talk about it, but I need to get my thoughts out somehow or I'm going to explode.  I don't have anyone to talk about it with in real life because there are no "neutral" parties; my entire social circle comprises of work friends and this has to do with work friends.

It's nothing bad.  No abuse or anything.  Actually, it's the opposite.  No, it has nothing to do with the guy I talked about almost a year ago; he's long gone and out of my life.  This is something else.  A similar situation though.  I just need to talk to someone about it, and it may as well be this vast expanse that is the internet, and since no one at work knows I even have a blog, I'm probably pretty safe going into it here.

This is a Great Way to Start the Week

This is a text message I got from one of my co-workers this evening:

Hope u all have enjoyed ur reboot. If u got this text its because I just wanted to let u know ur hard work is recognized. I truly appreciate u and having ppl like u by my side every day going though the field and going through this process with me. I appreciate all u have taught me. I still need to learn more and I want b able to help u in any way I can. It's been a long road and we have stuck together. Let's set some goals, we r the foundation and strength of this office.  There is no reason we can't get each one of us to the next level. Let's work together. Let's set up a one on one this week. Thanks again, I appreciate u. Let's make all this hard work count. All in guys. Juice [sic]

 This is also the guy who's taking me to Jacksonville with him, and right now it's just the two of us going.  Obviously I'm not the only person he sent this to, but the fact that he sent it to me is incredibly humbling and mind-blowing.  He's a guy I have insane amounts of respect for, who I was reminded last night really was in a situation I was in in a not-so-distant past.  He had to be trained once, he had to figure it out once.  And now he's taking a chance on me to help him out with his career advancement.

Not only that, but he's someone I know I can rely on.  If I need something, he's there.  The buses weren't running on Monday morning and I shot him a text, and thirty minutes later he was in my driveway to take me into work without a single complaint.

And he has a really good taste in music.

I love my co-workers, I love my job.

I love my friends.

Needless to say, once I was able to string together the full text, I wanted to cry and hug him.  And I'm not a very "hug-y" person.

Downtown Greenville, SC

Enjoying Starbucks outside on a January evening.

I love my job.

It's insane how excited I am to be moving to Florida, guys.  Absolutely insane.  I've been spending a lot of time with the co-worker who's getting promoted lately, just talking about stuff, and every time he brings up Jacksonville or Florida I get just as excited as he is about the whole thing.  Here's a guy who's been busting his butt for over a year to get to where he is, someone I deeply respect because of his experience and just who he is, someone who has more than earned his position.  He's an amazing guy who's helped me and everyone else in the office out a ton, and he's chosen me to help him start his own office.  I can't even express how honored I feel.  When he was given his promotion and it was announced he'd be on his way to Florida within the next couple weeks (back in December) I freaked out because it happened way sooner than I was expecting and figured that my spot on the crew going down was in jeopardy.  When he texted me that day asking to set up an appointment to meet with my parents to discuss the entire thing you can only imagine my joy.

It's crazy to think about.  I've been busting my butt to get to where I am in the office; six months after starting this job I finally got the promotion I'd been wanting and working for; my boss gave a heartfelt speech about how much I'd grown since he first interviewed me back in April, and I had co-workers telling me later on how much they wanted to cry at my promotion.  I'd built a strong relationship with everyone in the office, helped out new people, gotten so involved with everything it was only a matter of time before my confidence had been sufficiently built up so I could go out and make it happen and bring in the sales I needed.  It's weird to think about how much I've grown in the last eight months.  I never would have thought that a sales job would teach me so much about myself and other people, much less give me the opportunity to move to another state without needing to open up my own office to do it.  That one of my co-workers who'd been extremely influential in my own personal development sees enough potential in me to want to be the one who helps him out.  I still can't believe it, really.  All my life I've felt inadequate at just about everything I've ever done; the only other things I've ever felt proud of is learning to speak fluent Spanish in 6-8 months and teaching myself near-fluent Catalan.  It's what took me so long to get my promotion at work: that lack of self-confidence.  Once I finally realized that I was good at what I was doing and got the encouragement from  my co-workers, everything fell into place and I started bringing in the sales I'd wanted to get from the beginning.

So there you go.  Marketing, direct marketing specifically, has changed my life.  I sat down for an interview back in April of 2012 for a job I didn't even know I'd applied for, desperate enough to give anything a shot, and ended up deciding that I had nothing to lose and went for it.  Not being a quitter, I went through a lot of bullcrap, stuff that would make just about anyone else quit, and seeing other people in the office quit because of far lesser stuff.  I've become an invaluable member of the office and as someone who's never felt like she's been useful enough, valuable enough, for anything before, it's been an amazing experience.  Humbling as well, I'll be honest there too.

I'm on my way to Florida with a job I've grown to love.  I've been to Dallas because of this job, nay, opportunity, and I've been entrusted with the responsibility to help build a brand-new office.  It'll be challenging.  But it'll help me grow even more because I do happen to love a good challenge, and it'll help me stop knocking on doors and start running my own office sooner than would happen if I were to stay here.  I will miss Greenville, South Carolina, a city that's given me so much, but I'm also glad I have the chance to move again, without needing to change jobs, on someone else's dime.  Because I've earned it.  I've earned the trust and respect of my co-workers, of the next guy out of the office.  Because I've worked so hard for this.  That's something I always need to keep in mind.

Jacksonville, here we come.