Don't Stop Believing

So my life took an interesting turn about 2 weeks ago. I got a call from a production company I interviewed with over 6 months ago offering me the job of my dreams. I know. It's nuts. I basically wanted this job more than anything six months ago, and was devastated when I was not the candidate they went with. I had never felt more comfortable and sure about a job as I did when I was interviewing for it. I loved everything about the place and the people. I was convinced that I had it in the bag. But then the email came letting me know they had to go with someone else. It was so painful to let go of the image I had of myself working there. I was really looking forward to getting back into the production world. I felt my eclectic skill set would have been fully utilized, and I would have gotten to wear JEANS! It was my own personal paradise. I wallowed in self-pity for a few days, then plugged ahead with the other job leads I had going. I made a point to keep in touch with the production company and even emailed my interviewer asking for advice about finding more production gigs like that one, and got some great leads from him. I reiterated that he should keep me in mind if anything did not work out with his chosen candidate.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. I am about two months into a great new job. It is interesting, moderately creative, and has great benefits. I can tell the culture is not the best fit for me, but everyone is kind and I have a lot of freedom to get my work done on my terms, so I am planning on staying a while. Then I get a cryptic email one weekend. It's from the production gig guy asking if I had time to talk on the phone. My heart skips a beat. I am in shock. Could it be that my staying in touch paid off?

We talk on the phone and he confirms what my heart was hoping. The candidate did not work out and is leaving the position. It is an amicable split so I don't get the feeling she hated the gig or that the place is terrible to work for. She just wants to do something else. And they are desperate to get someone in there as soon as possible. They remembered me because of my thank you card and my emails keeping in touch. They want to offer me the position first before starting the interview process all over again. I am in shock. Stuff like this just does not happen in real life. Only in movies. An amazing production company just called me to offer me my dream job. Of course I said yes. It was an offer I couldn't refuse.

I had to go through the very awkward process of quitting a job you have only been at for two months. My new(ish) boss was shocked. Everyone who I had bonded with already was sad and confused. But everyone could relate to the seemingly fated chance to work somewhere that I absolutely loved. If any of them found themselves in my shoes, they would have dropped everything and ran to daylight as well. So despite it being painfully weird to give notice to my very new employer, I was well-wished and sent on my merry way.

So now tomorrow begins a whole new adventure. I just went through a difficult two month transition to get used to my new job. Now I begin the transition into what I have been calling my NEW-new job. My confidence is high after accomplishing so much in so little time at the last company--let's hope it stays high as I throw myself back into the shark tank once again.

I feel like this is all a dream but it is definitely really happening. I have never been one to fully trust in hard work paying off or the universe guiding you to where you need to be. It is nice to think about, and I try to believe it, but there is always a quiet little cynic inside me saying, "Yeah right, that is all a bunch of crap and you know it. People just get lucky." And I know that often times it is luck that lands people in situations like I am in now. But I also think that when you work extremely hard with only the pure hope that it will get you where you need to be, you will be rewarded. I worked harder for this job than I ever have in my life, and I did not get it right away because it was not the right time. And I was crushed. But it came around still, at an even better time than before. And the things I went through to get to this point all needed to happen to make this the right gig for me right now.

Don't stop trying. Take risks. Shoot for something you aren't sure you can handle. Apply for 10 more jobs than you think you are qualified for. Train yourself on the things you want to be good at, or that you need to be good at in order to get your dream gig. The universe will reward your efforts. And it may not be the direction you ever imagined you would go in, but it is all part of the journey of your life. The adventure is yours for the taking.

I am still reeling from the craziness of it all, but I hope I can inspire people to believe that awesome things really can happen to regular old people like myself. You just need to be ready to dive in when the awesome opportunities come around.