Living where I work has been a theme of mine for quite some time. I’ve lived in the back room of a LAN center. No shower, no heat, completely secluded of sunlight. That was one hell of a time. My favorite was working at Thousand Pines Christian Camp. Best place I’ve ever lived and worked. That’s when I fell in love with the forest. I healed from a lot there and experienced a level of encouragement and growth that will forever impact my life.
Thi

I never intended on living in a hotel. I was blessed with the option of staying here instead of being on the street. I haven’t ventured out of the hotel more then six times since December. I would just work then head back to my room and hibernate. I felt ashamed of where I was and now, I am going break the cycle.

I’ve applied to so many jobs that at some point I needed a way to stay organized. I used one of the templates through Notion and revised my cover letters. I was diligent in applying to anything and everything. I was starting to get a little discouraged last week. I woke up Monday morning to a few phone calls and tons of emails. There was a voicemail from a recruiter and as soon as I called her back we scheduled an interview for that afternoon.

That first interview went well and she wanted a second video interview for the next day. I felt super encouraged but this job didn’t seem easy. I was applying for to be a sales rep position but it ended up being much more than that. I watched video after video of this company and the employee dynamic seemed incredible. By my second interview, I was offered another interview PLUS an assignment. I also needed to complete some tests that I ended up acing. They weren’t too hard. I did more research and started to become a bit excited, but also a little nervous. Before the third interview, one of the recruiters called me to see if I had any questions. I wanted to know what to expect. Was I going to present my assignment? Were they going to give me feedback? What kind of questions? He said it was going to be similar to my second interview, but it was far from that.

The third interview was intimidating. Two men were kind, but I could really only see their shoulders during the video. They asked some tough questions and I felt like they were trying to be discouraging. Not to be mean, but to weed out the weak. This job is going to be hard work and demanding. I was honest and I told them where I am at in my life, I cannot afford to just settle for a mundane job. I need a job that will push me and challenge me. I need an opportunity. I told them that I’ve never had the same job twice and I learn quickly. I may not have the experience that they require for the job, but I’ve also never been given a job like this nor been equipped with the tools to succeed.

I ended the interview feeling a little defeated but I brushed it off. I sent an email thanking the hiring manager for the interview and did my best to fight for the position. I stood in the kitchen praying for some kind of confirmation that it went well. I was shaking because I felt like I failed a little. I’m okay with failing, but I just felt lost again. Then the phone rang! It was the same recruiter and he wanted to see how it went. I told him my thoughts and he said that they left the interview office with smiles. I’m sure he says that to all the candidates but I was thankful for the encouragement. After the call, I went to my knees and cried. I just felt relief after so many nights of uncertainty.

Thursday was rough because I had no communication with the company. I had no emails and I had to sit with the thoughts of rejection. I had to be okay that if it didn’t work out then it wasn’t meant to be. I worked a normal shift and tried to figure out what needed to be done regardless if I needed to get a job.

I woke up a little after 7 AM today feeling exhausted from being so overwhelmed. I had a missed call from Cincinnati, OH and I shot up from my bed. I grabbed water to drink so I didn’t sound so sleepy. I called back the number and the recruiter said that one of the men I had interviewed wanted to offer me the job! I was shocked. I said, ‘Are you serious?’ in complete disbelief. He mentioned that they said I was ‘charismatic’ and felt I would be great for the position. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, charismatic is NOT one of them.

Note to Self: You Can’t Afford to Settle

Note to Self: Expect the Unexpected

Note to Self: Heart in Surrender