Why I didn’t get that job…

Hi, so I have spent the last 2 months looking for a new job as we recently moved to Dubai. I went for a few interviews during this time. Of these, there is one that will stay with me for some years to come.

So this particular company found my details on LinkedIn, I applied for the position and they phoned me almost immediately. I for the first interview and it all seemed good but nothing major. Within a few hours they phoned to say that I have a second interview.

After my second interview, I walked out of their offices and I couldn’t stop smiling. My husband was waiting outside and as I approached him he could see something was going on.

So the first words out of my mouth was “That was the best interview of my life!!!” It was not 30 minutes later and the company phoned me to tell me I have the job and I need to come back the following day. I was beyond myself. I remember it felt surreal walking out of the building and being on top of the world.

I spent the whole evening recapping the interview. I met with the CEO and I can remember he kept saying how perfect I was for the position, and they interviewed so many people and they couldn’t find the right fit, but he can now stop looking. He kept saying that there is something about me and he knows his search is over and that I am the person he is looking for.

He called in one of his partners, and together they made this position sound like I would be working for the next Sir Richard Branson himself. (No, sorry that is not right, he made a comment about the legend himself being a has-been, clue number 1)

He was so eager to have me on his team that he “created a position just for me” (clue number 2) and wanted to know there and then if I will be accepting the job. With hesitance, I said: “Yes”.

As the evening went by I tried to think what the following day would hold. I mean could this be the start of a whole new career for me?

I phoned my mom that evening and as I told her everything about the interview I could hear myself saying everything out loud. Suddenly doubt started to sink in. Is this all sounding too good to be true? (Clue number 3)

I went in to the offices the next day to find out that it was a negotiation. They asked me what my salary expectation was. I did my research about the position so I was ready with the answers, but I was not expecting them to low-ball me quite as much as they did. So they came in at a very low offer and extensive hours. After about 15min we came to an agreement. I agreed that they send me the offer and I will be available to start in 2 days’ time after I have received and reviewed the offer.

Now for the best part…. I never heard from them again. Yes, I know!!! After telling me I am exactly what they were looking for; Bla bla bla bla!

I spent the next 3 days looking at my phone anxiously. Every time it rang, every time I got an email, every time I received a message. My heart was constantly beating in my throat. By the 5^th day I realised all that was wrong with the firm. All the red lights that had me worried but were concealed by all the wonderful words from the CEO and his partner. My favorite aunt always says: “If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck…. It probably is a duck”. And this guy was trying to conceal his duck walk with a swan swim, and it was too good to be true.

About a week after the interview, I had an ah-ha moment, a light bulb going off on top of my head like in the movies. Right then and there I realised what I want to do with my life. I had a brilliant idea for a new business venture.

I was writing down ideas, steps, to-do lists, every time I got a chance. I found myself working on my website, Facebook Page, Logo and anything to do with this new venture, I was working 24/7. I was even dreaming in my sleep about it.

I finally realised that I needed that interview to show me what actually gets me excited. I finally saw myself 10 years down the line in a new career path that I loved. I realised what I wanted to do, what I feel like I was meant to do with my life.

I realised that once you find what you love, give it your100%. I know that I am in the very fortunate position that I have a clean slate. I have a lot of time on my hands and a loving husband that works really hard and really long hours to pay all the bills by himself. But whether you start that new business venture on the side, and work on it every free minute that you have, don’t stop dreaming, don’t stop working and if you want it bad enough, you will make a success of it, because once you put your mind to it, no one will be able to stop you.

Keep dreaming and keep working for it!

Love,

6 Steps to success and less stress!

Sooooo, just need to catch my breath for a second! This is the first time in a really long time that I managed to go to the gym, be home early, start dinner and still have time to lie down on the couch and open my computer for something other than work.

Classes started, personal life was a bit hectic but nothing we can’t handle. With that said this blog entry kept me on my toes as I am starting a new blog entry after writing the previous one all the way to 700 words and decided; “Nahh I am not feeling it”. Yes yes I know I need to get the writing thing under control and start speeding things up. I get a lot of comments that I am not pushing out content fast enough, I promise I will try my best. For now this will have to do.

So, in my previous blog I spoke about procrastination and I think that it is one of my worst qualities. One of my best qualities I believe, is being ambitious and having a constant drive to better myself and my situation. Yes I do believe that I sometimes take things too far. It was exactly this thought that made me think, “When is enough, enough. When do you stop thinking about the future? When do you stop being ambitious?”

Conclusion?  You never do. You never stop thinking about tomorrow and wanting to better yourself. You should never stop chasing your own personal form of success. You should never stop trying to be successful. There are so few people who actually reaches the “Self-actualization stage” of Maslow’s hierarchy. Well I am one of those ambitious people who think that I can make it to that stage.  I believe that the day you stop learning and stop growing is the day you stagnate and your whole “being” starts to fade.

So before this happens to you, here are 6 steps to ensure that you keep your eye on the prize.

6 Steps to success!

1. Start a new project.

Do something you love for the love of it, not the money. You know you are in the right place if you would rather be doing what you are doing for free, than not at all. Your passion might just be contagious and in process you start a new business venture. You will be willing to put the hours in to make it work. So start an online course, something creative or maybe a new sport. Just do something that takes you out of you comfort zone.

2. Start aiming for extraordinary not ordinary

“The greater danger most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short: but in setting our aim to low, achieving our mark” This is something I tell my students on a daily basis. You need to aim for a 100% mark. There is no glory in aiming for 50% and receiving 40% but if you aim for 100% the chances are that you will achieve 80%.

3. Set a goal for yourself.

Life is just made up of thousands for small goals. Whether you want to participate in a 10km run this year, learn how to make 2 new dishes for dinner or improve you relationships with friends or colleagues. Set a goal for the next month. Make sure your goal is SMART, (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relative, and Time-bound).

4. Make it permanent

Write it down, tell it to someone and stick it somewhere you will see it on a daily basis. My cupboard has four A4 pages inside and I need to open it every single day before I can get ready for work and before I can get in to bed in the evenings. It is a constant reminder of where you are heading.

5. Act as if you already have it

I am not saying spend R2 Mill because you aimed that you will be winning the Lotto. Remember the SMART guidelines. I am saying, before you go to bed you tell yourself “There is no need to worry about money as I already have more that I can spend” Before you know it you will receive that what you already imagined to be true.

6. Be thankful

This is the most important bullet for me. This makes the difference between being “arrogant, always wanting more and never being satisfied with anything” to “anything that you receive from this point on would be a blessing in your life”. Maybe you could alco be thankful for the people in your life and make a difference in their lives. Have you noticed that the day you are in a good mood everything else seems to be going right but the day you are in bad mood or in a hurry everything seems to be going wrong?

“Most places in life are continuously telling you that your dreams aren’t possible or practical. You don’t want to hear that when you are under the age of 30, what you want to do is race after them.” Steve Jobs

Whether you are under the age of 30, or you can still remember that stage, it is important to be young at heart and follow the fire that is ignited every time you think about making a change in your life. Thank the people in your life for what they have done, and aim for greatness. 

 As I am starting to doubt my life and everything I do, my amazing husband leans over and shows me the following quote; “Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being excited about what could go right”

Love,