One Day at a Time...

Sometimes inspiration can come from the most unlikely places...

My quest for a new job has been pretty encouraging so far, and it's only been a few weeks. I have gone on several interviews, connected with amazing contacts, both old and new, and learned a lot about myself and my goals in the process.

This week, I had a few days where I started to feel sorry for myself, and considered stay in bed all day long. But someone wise told me to take advantage of this free time and to use it wisely. I have been forcing myself to get up, get dressed and go out and experience the world, if only to keep my sanity. As I sit here in my absolute new favorite place, Subtle Tea in Murray Hill (shout out--love the chai lattes, potato bacon soup and friendly employees), I realize that my journey is just beginning and my dream job awaits me. This place is filled with people trying to live their dreams and they don't seem to be deterred by unemployment, the economy or anything else. I've heard people say that if you are passionate about something and love what you do, you will be successful. I think that greatness awaits me, and one day (hopefully soon!) I will be writing or publicizing for a living, mingling with fabulous and creative minds, and working at an amazing place in NYC doing what I love. Until then...I am enjoying the free time to catch up on my reading, surfing of the interwebs and soul searching...

Until I'm invited, I'm boycotting the Oscars!

There are certain TV events that as an informed citizen who likes to keep up on current events, I feel it is my duty to watch. Obviously the Oscars (along with the Grammy's, the Superbowl and the season finale of American Idol) is one of them.

So last night, I settled in for a night of red carpet delight. If I'm being brutally honest here, I found it dull. Boring, dull and just not worth my time. Sorry Hollywood. Sure I liked watching the red carpet interviews along with the mandatory and oh so stimulating "reporting" that consisted of the same two questions over and over. "Who are you wearing?!" and "Whose your date?" Umm, can't you think of anything else??

The awards ceremony started and I did enjoy Hugh Jackman's opening skit, it was creative and funny and I thought it might be a good show after all. But no, it was boring and not worth all the hype in my opinion. I could have just as easily found out the winners via Twitter, which I did towards the end of the show when my boyfriend couldn't handle it anymore and switched to ESPN. At least on Twitter, each award and presenter was described with snarky commentary and made it much more interesting!

Also, I saw all these news stories prior to the Oscars about how celebs were going to "tone it down" and not flash their diamonds and pearls to all the unemployed, homeless people who were watching the Oscars on their rabbit ear TV's and eating Ramen Noodles. Maybe I missed something but no one seemed too dressed down to me. I especially thought Angelina Jolie's Emeralds said "these are tough times."

Sure, if I was sipping on some Moet and watching the Oscars from some fabulous Hollywood soiree, it may have been entertaining, but until someone personally invites me to the awards, or at least a really good party, I think I'll make it a Blockbuster night next year.

Good Karma

Since my last post, I have received a lot of love and support from friends, friends of friends, colleagues, and even people I have only met a few times or haven't talked to in years...so first off, thanks for reading!

I am completely convinced that I am on the track to greatness and have had a lot of good things happen already since "the lay-off." I have several leads already, have been meeting with people and finding that there is definitely opportunities out there, you just need to set yourself apart from your competition by being smart, sassy and persistent! I'd like to think I am all three :)

I feel a sense of freedom and a new beginning because to be honest, I was ready for a new challenge anyway. I can't wait for my next adventure to begin. I am ready to work hard and conquer the world, somewhere great where I can write, be myself and be associated with people who are revered in their industry, whether it's writing, blogging, online or in PR. I want to be part of the social networking extraordinaire and be encouraged to utilize my sites to further my influence and grow my community.

So today, even though it is Friday the 13th, I am feeling optimistic and once again telling myself that everything happens for a reason. This time, I think I already know what that reason is :)

On two final notes, I just wanted to say a quick prayer for the victims of the Buffalo plane crash and the community of Buffalo. My boyfriend is from the area and it's sad that this week's plane story didn't turn out as good as the last one :(

Also, I promised a friend I would mention the devastating disease that is affecting her close friend's 16 month old daughter. Spinal Muscular Atrophy(SMA) is a really horrible disease that she will eventually die from. The life expectancy is usually 2 years old, it is really heart wrenching... There is a petition which will enable non-profit and research organizations to help find a cure Check out these links if you want to help!
http://www.petitiontocuresma.com/
http://www.gwendolynstrong.com/

The Official Anouncement

So it's been almost a week now and I am finally in a mostly non-bitter, non-angry, minimally bummed place where I can let the world know of my current employment situation and not write anything I will later regret out of anger or shock. Yes, as of last Tuesday, I became another victim of "these economic times" and got laid off from my job of two plus years as New Media Director at a boutique PR firm. Since getting the news, I took some time to reflect on my life and evaluate what to do next.

Ironically, I sensed the end was near. Through what I believe was no fault of my own, my place of work was simply not doing well, and although I'd like to believe that I was indispensable, a part of me knew my days were numbered and that I would be the next victim.

I now plan on concentrating my efforts on finding the kind of work that will motivate me day in and day out, that will challenge me to be better, smarter and more creative than I ever thought I could be, and that will provide me with opportunities to meet new people, learn new things, build new communities, touch people's lives with the written word (or at least make them laugh) and rise above the glass ceiling. My first real job in the industry taught me a great deal, gave me a good basic knowledge of the PR industry and the corporate world in general, taught me what I do want to do and what I don't, showed me my strengths and weaknesses, and showed me that I am capable of being a lot more than just a waitress with a passion for writing.

So onward I go, to the next chapter of my life. As I may have mentioned before, I am a strong believer in the "Everything happens for a reason" mentality and am confident that this little "bump in the road" will lead me to a better place (Manhattan address) and a better job (six figures). A year from now, I hope to look back at this post and say, "yup, you were right!"

All that being said, friends, foes and random readers, please feel free to contact me at allie.herzog@yahoo.com if you know of a job I may be a good fit for! I can write, set-up blogs, set-up social networking sites, build online communities, do publicity, marketing and more. And if you're willing to pay me to do something I may not have mentioned, well just ask, because I'm a quick learner :)