Only The Curious

Gratitude…

Thank you. I am grateful for the amazing, generous people who have donated to my fund raising campaign for Cystic Fibrosis. It is so touching when people I don’t even talk to almost ever still think of me and throw down $50 for my brother, or when a friend I know who has almost no money gives $10 anyway. We received donations from Peru, Australia, six states in the U.S. and some girl no one in my family even knows who I guess read this blog or twitter or something and gave $100. That is true generosity and compassion. So I am overwhelmed. Thank you.

I knew I was setting the bar high when I said I was going to raise $1500 this year, tripling last year’s goal. But people surprised me, and we’ve surpassed that goal at $1700 and still going. Jon too donated to his own cause, and commented that my efforts are “a testament to [my] character.” Thanks, Jon.

Speaking of, please send him happy thoughts. He’s due for a “tune up” (week in the hospital. Whee.) and we all know that sitting in hospitals sucks. So send him some good energy. Or DVDs. Or cookies. Or something.

And thank you again. It is good to know that so many people care and are willing to show their support in such generous ways. You are all amazing, and if you ever need some good karma sent back your way, I got your back.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

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I am so unbelievably excited to finally get to meet Nicole. Oh, and go to Vegas for the Bloggers in Sin City Meetup. I’ve never been. I know, right? Never.

It’s going to be awesome and amazing and insanely fun.

Except for one thing, unfortunately one of my roommates with whom I was splitting the hotel room can’t go. So we need a roommate. It should be YOU.

If you’re a blogger, or, hell, even an aspiring blogger, you should think about coming with us. We can put one or two more people in our room which will make it ridiculously cheap and fabulous.

Come. Join us. Rock out.

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My Mom is a Myers-Briggs person. By which I mean, she’s certified to give and analyze the Type Indicator test thingy. I don’t know what the official title for such a person is. But she is one. She’s really good at it, too. I’ve learned a lot about type and how to use it in relationships and professional life. It’s really helpful in figuring out how to communicate more effectively, to understand (and therefore avoid) conflict, and why there are some people in the world you just don’t click with.

MBTI helped me make sense of not getting that interview to be a tour guide I had been hoping for. All of the guides I worked with on the Texas trip had a couple of personality traits in common with one another. Ones that I don’t share. So when they said it wasn’t a “right fit,” that’s what they were talking about. Most corporations, companies, and organizations have a certain culture. Some want diversity of types so they have different perspectives. Others want homogeneous types, I guess so that they can expect the same thing of everyone and avoid conflict. Or something. Whatever their reason is, that particular company was looking for homogeneity, and I would’ve rocked their boat.

So I had my month of being bummed out about the fact that I would not be leading cycling tours of Italy this summer. And then I got back on the bike. Or horse. Or…whatever. I kicked through it and am back to figuring out what I’m doing next. Which has meant a lot of reflection and self-evaluation, because I’ve had a lot of periods in my life where I took a job just because, well, I needed a job. The funny thing is, I’ve tended to take jobs that don’t fit with my personality type. At all.

According to the MBTI, I’m an Extrovert, iNtuitive, Feeler, Perceiver. ENFP. Yep. Basically it means I love being around people and am good at communicating with them, I’m creative, I like variety and problem-solving, and I’m very in tune with others around me and concerned with their feelings. I like thinking about the future, about possibilities, and looking at the big-picture. Because of this, I LOVE starting new projects. But I need goals and deadlines, because without them I will just keep jumping from project to project, and may never finish any of them completely. And because I’m big-picture, I need to make a checklist for details, or else I will straight up forget a step, even if it’s a process I go through every day.

One of the keys to personality type is that it can help you figure out your “weaknesses.” But then you have to come up with ways to work with them. Which is why I hate deadlines, but I need them. And why I make lists and write things down, so I don’t forget anything.

A lot of the office jobs I have done in the past loved that I was good with people, great on the phone and jumping in on planning events and running meetings. But they got super annoyed with the errors I would make in, say, a financial report. (Numbers and I are NOT friends.) As I look at job postings right now, I keep seeing the phrase “attention to detail.” I have an ambivalent* relationship with it. I’m GREAT with details when I am, say, planning a party. I will make sure that the food and the music and every last decoration and all have a coordinated theme and it will be seamless. But when I’m doing rote office stuff? Yeah, not so much.

Why do I keep applying for office jobs? Because it’s what’s on my resume. It’s what I know. But I want to do something more than office management.

So I’ve been freelancing. I love that it’s interesting, full of variety, flexible, and I can do it from anywhere. But it can be really hard to motivate, and really easy to procrastinate. Or go start another project. So I need a boss to set deadlines and help me set goals and give me a reason to finish things. Also? I HATE being alone all day. Yes, I’ve gone and worked in coffee shops. Sure, there are people around me there. But I’m not interacting with any of them. So I need co-workers and clients, too. Ones that I go see in person and not just on email and gChat. Oh, and I need an office. Someplace to go. Because if I’m home all day, there’s a guitar, and a workout room, and food I can cook and things I can clean…

I think it’s going to really just come down to finding a balance for me. Either doing some freelancing and working somewhere part-time, or finding a normal day job that still has lots of variety and a little flexibility.

Do you have these struggles? Do you know someone who would like to hire someone like me? Do you need a massage? (’cuz I do that too.)

______

*The word “ambivalent” is often mistaken to mean the same thing as “indifferent.” Ambivalence actually describes more of a love-hate relationship, where you’re always passionate about it, but sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a negative way. English lesson over.

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