The Truth, & Nothing but the Truth.

When I first decided I wanted to start a blog, I told myself I would be as authentic as I could be. In theory that felt doable, until life happened and sharing the truth was scarier then the actual reality I was living in. But as time passed and I sometimes felt alone in my turmoil. I realized if I took a step back I am not the only one going through something. That is the point of utilizing this platform and being Failing Fabulously. To share my experiences, how I handle them (or don't) and to let my readers know life is hard, but they're not alone. So let's start from the top.

Not too long ago I was laid off from my first, "Big Girl" job. As I walked down Broad street with tears in my eyes and a box of my belongings. I thought about the one big terrible thing that happened to me, and how insanely overwhelmed I felt in that moment. So at 11 am, with my closest friends in the company, I marched to a bar on King Street (Bless you AC's Bar and Grill.) Once I felt as settled as I could in the damp setting I thought, "Wow, this is it, this is how it ends." The long days and nights of overtime, stress, disrespect, and tears. It was all over, not on my terms, and it felt like it was all for nothing.

Flash forward to today. 23 years old, 1 year of full-time experience, "funemployed," and full of doubt, confusion, and stress. As you can tell, everything is fine, I am fine. But seriously, I did learn some valuable things through all of this that might make your experience feel a little less heavy.

The first thing is, honey when it rains it pours, and it's perfectly okay to take your time to sit in the rain, but once you are done soaking up your sorrow, open up your umbrella, dry yourself off, and find that rainbow. I was lucky enough to have the most incredible support system around me and I know I would not be able to push forward with out them. So, to those who know who they are, thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if that is what you need and are lacking, then I will be your biggest cheerleader because I've been there and it sucks. But don't alienate yourself, feel your pain, and then surround yourself with the positivity and encouragement of others, because it makes it easier to believe in yourself again and move forward.

Next, the journey to finding a job is no easy feat. It takes time, patience, and strength. Just like Lady Gaga says, “There can be 100 people in a room and 99 of them don’t believe in you, but all it takes is one and it just changes your whole life.” It's the same with finding a job, it just takes one person to see your potential and give you a chance, and to the others that didn't, I know that rejection stings, but it happened for a reason. I have been rejected from my dream job more times than I can count, but I never give up, and those moments prepared me for the biggest rejection in my career, the day I was laid off. So chin up, it'll happen when it's supposed to happen, just don't give up.

Lastly, you might have thought my Instagram was deceiving, as I posted pictures of me frolicking around, all smiles, sipping copious amounts of Aperol Sprtiz and Champagne. But that's just it, the reason why I've felt like I am going to be okay, is because I looked my failure in the eyes and said, "this moment doesn't define me." Because it doesn't! And yes, I have had to budget differently and I haven't online shopped in AGES and it is killing me, and there are nights where I cry and feel low, but I still am doing things I love with the people I love and that immediately brings me back up. Life is too short to sit around and think about all the things that have broken you. Get up, go out, drink some champagne, and LIVE! Even the tough times can have sprinkles of smiles and good memories. My old company doesn't deserve anymore of my despair, and whatever is bringing you down, doesn't deserve anymore of yours.

So I will leave y'all with this final thought. I strategically chose the pictures in this post to emphasize on the idea that life is a climb. It is okay to take a seat on the steps, find your balance, and breath. But once you are ready, get back on your feet, smile because it will be okay, and keep going. You can do it, no matter how hard it may seem, it will get easier with time, and it will all make sense in the end. Life is hard, no one said it wasn't, but you're not alone and you're not defined by your failures.

xoxo,

Failing Fabulously