The Good News.

Today, I got a job.

Not just any job—one that I worked really hard to get. I look at jobs like a significant other (who you spend even more time with) and the last thing I will ever do is settle. This girl knows what she wants. So when I started my search months ago, I had a laundry list of wants and needs. I was determined to make it happen.

Fast forward to this moment. I feel a lot of feels right now. Mainly, I feel proud of myself. I moved to the bay almost a year ago to pursue a promotion with a renewable energy company and soon found that I did what I needed to do in that industry and it was time to pursue something else. It was an extremely difficult and emotional decision for me to make, as I felt a deep connection to the company and the exceptional people I met there. But I listened to my heart and my gut because it has always led me to where I needed to be.

I left before having another job lined up so I could solely focus on the process (plenty of you thought I was crazy). I wanted to clear my head and take the time to really explore and research the direction I wanted to go. I asked myself one basic question. What excites and inspires you more than anything else in the world? The answer for me is easy and if I really think on it I get the chills.

Travel. The world. Exploring.

Discovering a new field I wanted to delve into was exciting, but it was also terrifying and emotionally exhausting. How much time do I have logistically to make this happen? What if I made a huge mistake? If I can’t make this happen, am I failure? What if I have to move back home and live with my parents? Where the hell is my safety net?! Some nights you can spiral into a meaningless rabbit hole. It is not easy to go cliff jumping– just hoping the water below you is perfect and inviting. This whole process has been a huge mental strength test. I would wake up to several rejection emails, shake it off, and apply for more. Another phone interview. Another virtual interview. Another rejection letter. Another, another, another, another…

Until I got the email that mattered. The one that begins with an important word, “Congratulations.” Your stomach sinks and you have to read it again, and again and again. I just landed a travel specialist role with a leading travel company. HOLY SHIT. FUCK!

Exactly a year ago, I was traveling to Europe for the summer and had no idea I would be offered a promotion upon my return. I moved to the bay from Long Beach knowing no one, living out of Air B&B’s and having no idea where my life was headed. I cannot believe a year later this is where I am. I stared fear and defeat in the face and built my own future. I fucking made it through to the other side.

So the bay is where I will stay and embark on this new adventure. I am going to keep trusting my gut. It is time to go cliff jumping.