Well gang, we did it. Following 6 long months of rejection, 350+ job applications, 25 weekly unemployment filings and frustration beyond measure, the perfect opportunity was gifted to me by the universe and I am again gainfully employed. Even better than that, it’s back where I want to be in the world of wine. Timing truly is everything and sometimes we have to stop forcing things before they’re ready for us.
When this came along I had truly reached the end of the road financially. On Sunday, September 27th I exhausted my final unemployment payment and had no idea what I was going to do. On Tuesday the 29th, my former boss forwarded me a job posting for an entry level wine and craft beer sales position within a very large distributor and assured me she would personally call and give me a reference if I applied, as I was a perfect fit. On Thursday I interviewed, feeling comfortable and confident for the first time in job interview history, like I was already part of the team. And by Friday I was offered the position. I literally cried in the parking lot of Nordstrom Rack when I got the call with an offer. All these months of doors shutting in my face finally made sense, because if I had taken some mediocre job just to get by, I wouldn’t have still been seeking employment and would have missed this opportunity with an amazing company and endless vertical growth potential. Everything just had to line up perfectly.
I will say, this first 2 weeks has been overwhelming. I am by no means complaining, but it’s definitely exhausting to go from doing nothing for 6 months to getting up at 4:30a and working 12 hour days. In the world of beverage distribution, the last 3 months of the year (or OND as we like to call it) are obviously our busiest time. Holidays equal lots and lots of booze consumption, and now working for one of the top 3 distributors in the state is an entirely different ballgame from the small business I was working with before. There is not only the stress of trying to learn a new portfolio of over 12,000 SKUs as well as learning your routes, but also the added pressure of giant global suppliers breathing down your neck with incentive goals and trying to muscle out the competition. I’m coming in with a fair amount of experience, but this is a whole other playing field. But hey, sometimes when you’re feeling this much stress you’re actually leveling up and I am here for the challenge.
When I made the move to Nashville and started my prior job, I was so wildly underqualified. I re-read a journal entry this week that I’d written during that time. I was crashing on my friend’s couch down here because my apartment wasn’t available for 2 weeks. I felt like a total idiot surrounded by people who were literally and figuratively speaking a different language about wine varietals I’d never heard of and was brand new in a city of 600,000 people from all over the globe which, having lived in our little corner of Tennessee the entirety of my life, was intimidating as hell. I was feeling the same overwhelming exhaustion I am feeling now, but this time it’s different. Unlike then, I’ve faced and conquered those fears. I know I am capable of learning things that seem impossible and I have faith in my work ethic that I will master them quickly. I was uncertain and floating at that time, unsure this path was where I wanted to be. A year and a half later, I fall more in love with this city and more passionate about wine every single day. For the first time in my life I have a 5 year plan, which makes the fact that this is an entry level job less scary. I can deal with the lower income, because I know my path is going to take me higher soon. Plus, after 6 months of financial uncertainty, I am grateful for any income. All this is driving me to work harder and reap more blessings, like a domino effect.
Following my column about manifestations from a few weeks ago, I’m sure some of you have written me off as a wack job. But I think it’s no coincidence that once I replaced my sourpuss attitude with one of peace, gratitude and positivity, it was less than a month before the perfect position landed in my lap. I cannot stress enough the power of being present and positive thinking within your life. Try it and see! What do you really have to lose?
I am happy to report that I have about 4 more hours of work on the computer tonight following 12 hours on the road and get to wake up at 5a and do it all over again, so this will be a short article today. I wish you all a fulfilling week and I’m glad you can now switch to listening to me complain about having too much to do instead of not enough!
