Well after yet another extended hiatus from the blogging community I am back. I probably should have read my previous post as to not risk repeating anything but I think so much has occurred since then that I needn't worry about using old material. Let's get to it, then.
Well first of all Winter is already almost over. This is weird because Winter was supposed to be the season I set aside for myself to do the bulk of my writing. It helps with anxiety and all that. While there were a couple anxious moments peppered here and there I largely was able to get through them by simply bugging those closest to me until I felt reassured! While it is still cold outside I know that the Vernal Equinox is right around the corner.
The biggest change in terms of dominating my thinking, however, came in mid January right before classes started back up for everybody here and the new semester of work was about to begin. The student loan company upped the amount per month that they want from me and even though I technically can afford it on my budget, I can't sustain it over the long term and still afford those important things like food and gas. With a quick discussion with family I made the decision to start the wheels turning towards getting back to Fort Wayne to save some money. I didn't just stop at that. I got in contact with my District Manager for Purdue and set up a meeting to get a recommendation and see what kind of doors could be opened. Turned out she was fairly close to the DM's in Fort Wayne and put in a very strong word for me and now they are excited to meet me back home. I have already set up an interview with a Starbucks near the downtown area with the Store Manager AND District Manager at the same time. I was not officially told what the interview was for but I like to think they wouldn't bring in both heavy hitters unless it was for an Assistant Manager spot (which is what I specifically said in the emails I was interested in going after if at all possible). Late this month I have the interview set up and then I have a little getaway to Florida the day after for a week so that's not a bad set up. This is proof that when I turn on my focus and really go after something I really want I can really close in on it quick.
Here's the happy byproduct of all this: once I had the meeting with my DM now and then set up a meeting back home and heard how much I am needed in stores anywhere in the state (I was told I should be a Store Manager and if I was hired as a shift supervisor like I am now and I'm kept at that position it would be a major waste of potential and I would be the most underutilized supervisors my DM has seen) my confidence shot up. I noticed when speaking to my store manager I still defer to her as usual and run the important things by her but I started feeling more like an equal skill wise. I feel like now even though I am a shift supervisor it's like having a manager in the store almost every day. Long story short I guess you could say I am finally believing more in my own abilities after 7 years with the company and now I feel like maybe I can actually manage a store like people have been telling me I could for a while now!
Other than all that I am trying my best to manage the relationships in my life here while continuing to work hard and play even harder. Still continuing to self-assess and learn exactly how I work in order to better relate to others, I feel a very worthy goal and one more people ought to strive for. Over the last three months I believe a big piece that was missing has been discovered in what has come to be dubbed a "Writer's Personality". My feeling of being on the outside looking in is merely my proclivity for observing everyone and everything around me in order to better understand things. I may well be part of the group but I hardly ever feel like an important piece of the group and that is why. I am studying in order to re-tell an account of the fun nights out later. Once I can internalize this fact it will solve a long time problem I've had with myself.
Well gang I think this pretty well covers most everything new that I can think of. A lot to digest I know, definitely the most movement I've had in my life in quite some time! Hopefully I can remember to come in and make more entries now, maybe not every day or every week but hopefully more than one every 3 months! Thanks for hanging around and, as always, thanks for reading.
