SECURE the Job Journey - Day 40
Plan for the Day
Have a rest day!
What I Actually Executed
ERRYTHAAAAAANG!
Results/Updates
Rest was HAAAADT!!!
Reflection
I had my GIS Analyst interview this morning.
CONFIDENCE RESTORED!!
Also, the interview was cute ‘n short (like me). I articulated my thoughts well. I didn’t try to overcomplicate things. I used simple words and took breaths. I know MY experience, work, and skills. I had to go in excited to share my experience, not go in like I’m a criminal being interrogated. I just needed to shake off the nerves. The first interview this week was my practice with a data-type role interview. I need to give myself grace since I’ve never interviewed for a role like that before.
Just make things simple in my explanations. My story is interesting, my combo of skills and experience are cool AF! I don’t need to overcomplicate my language to impress anybody. Let me stop using English to choke myself.
Taking this rest day feels great! Like I don’t feel behind. I ACTUALLY feel very productive lol. There was nothing to fall behind on. I actually woke up feeling light and went into reading my book and doing my Pilates easily.
Speaking of my book of choice, I have been digging into Kobe Campbell’s book, Why Am I Like This? How to Break Cycles, Heal From Trauma, and Restore Your Faith. I think it’s obvious why this book is perfect for me lol. This book has really helped me during this Job-Securing season and spending the day resting allowed me to finish up the book and uncover these two quotes on page 184:
“The dreams of your heart are not God taunting you, but are personal prophecies of better days to come, no matter how old you are and no matter what’s happened to you”
“The story God is writing of your life is one of redemption, of healing, of rest, gentleness, tenderness, and abundance. God hasn’t forgotten about you.”
Everything really feels divinely lined up. From day 3 of my devotional last night saying that worship is my weapon and that rest is a form of worship (one that I barely engage with). Then feeling nudged to take a day of rest. To then relax into this book and come across THOSE quotes. Having a rest day gave me everything I needed. I felt productive. I felt accomplished. But most importantly, I felt genuinely refueled. Also, I got a call about ANOTHER job opportunity. It’s a data analyst role based in Houston, but they don’t offer relocation assistance (BOOOOOOO). But outside of that, the fact that a day I wasn’t pushing myself hard to get as much done as possible and just relaxed and allowed myself to have an empty calendar STILL produced a call from SOMEBODY shows that rest is just as important as work. It’s actually PART of work. It pushes me forward, not pulls me back.
Work and rest are INTERTWINED!!!
It showed me that rest allows me to actually SEE the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor. Constantly pushing myself and berating myself until I see more fruit takes away from the joy of the journey. YES, I’m still job hunting, but I’m a PERSON that’s job hunting, not some robot. I can’t go into a new job tired. I need to go in well-rested, refueled, and at my best self. I want to bring my best self into a new role, not a beaten, worn out version of myself.
Honestly, I need to take more days of intentional rest. I’d say that it was the most productive day of this season.
I didn’t feel rushed.
I didn’t feel behind.
I didn’t have the feeling of not having done enough, creeping over me and standing on my shoulders.
I got to take in ALLLLLLLL the fruits (and veggies) of my labor these past weeks because I STILL have these interviews. I didn’t feel like I messed up opportunities. I feel like this day of intentional rest helped me exercise my faith a bit better. God is still working things out for me in the background even without all my pushing, striving, and beating myself into perfect productivity. This day showed me that He wants me to take rest days as seriously as my working days. I can’t go on how I was. I’m not lazy for having a day with an empty calendar. I’m refueling. I didn’t miss out on ANYTHING. I got to see the fruit of my work. For a period of time I allowed the world around me to just stop as I recalibrate. I feel like for the remainder of my journey to securing my job, I’m gonna be moving from a place of rest and not from a place of dragging myself around like some carry-on luggage going through Hartfield Jackson’s airport security listening to TSA yell at people to take off their shoes. Yes, I needed to provide the specific visual lol.
Yea… we’re gonna take more of these INTENTIONAL rest days.
Side Note: that airport reference REALLY makes me wanna get that TSA precheck or Global Entry. Whatever can help me be able to avoid that airport security line at the airport. Because… is it me or do you also feel like them TSA folk be talking to us like we’re on our way to serving time in federal prison instead of vacation…?
Side Note (Part 2): This is sooo random but this song just popped into my head and now I gotta get type it out for someone else to hear it because it can’t be just me that hears this lol
*to the Tune of Respect - Aretha Franklin*
R-E-S-T he hee heeeeee
Find out what it means to meeeeeee
R-E-S-T he hee heeeeee
GetToBed and SLEE-hee-heeP
