Being laid off was one of the hardest days of my life. It didn’t help to have people tweeting joy at the fact that I was unemployed. Social media had turned into high school, and I wanted no part of it anymore.
Calling my dad in a haze, I remember stating, “I’m not one to fail.” My dad’s words always stuck with me: “It’s never a failure until you stop trying. An obstacle, sure. But you’re smart. You jump over it. Just how high are you willing to go?”
How far was I willing to go? Did I want to go back into PR? Did I have the chops to really get this stuff? What type of PR? Could I move away from my family? For the first 30 days, I couldn’t publicly talk about it. I spoke with some great people, such as Beth Harte, Jeremy Pepper and Arik Hanson. Bless them, because I needed more cheering on than Jay Cutler when he got sidelined. You stop believing in yourself. You question every decision you make, and if the smarts are really there.
The pivotal point was Kellye Crane inviting me to go to PRSA, where I could blog for them and stay with her for free. All I had to do was hop on a plane and get there. I used a 1/3 of my frequent flyer miles for a RT ticket to DC, with $100 to spend from my bank account. That first night, KC took me to the hotel bar and we sat there for hours, just talking. She listened, never pushing me or telling me exactly what I should do.
The second pivotal point was the 2nd day of the conference, and Dave made me walk the exhibit floor with him so we could scope out the competition for BlogDash. He promised me a free shirt and a drink later, and when you’re unemployed, come on: that’s gold. Dave had tweeted that we were walking around the exhibit hall floor to see if anyone was around. Our first ping was from his friend Jim Reynolds, who I only knew as a competitor from my former life. He told us to swing by, and I remember Dave being so gung ho and telling me, “Man, this dude is awesome, he’s really smart, you have to meet him!”
In my head, I literally was having a minor anxiety attack. In Spanish. I had come pretty far from not believing in myself. Now, I had to be around former competitors who probably didn’t care for me, who had probably had some interesting blog comment conversations with me?
My first mistake: telling the other two guys that I was a huge Packers fan, as a game was going on right then. My iPhone wasn’t getting the score, so they pulled it up on the computer for me. As hardcore Bears fans, I remember thinking, “Dude. Really? I’m about as far opposite from these people as you can get.”What struck me the most about Matt, Kyle and Jim was that they didn’t care who I was a few weeks ago. They cared about who I was now. The thoughts I had. They made me feel valued without ever pressuring me to buy a product. I did fill out a survey for the free coffee (sorry guys) but that $100 I took with me to PRSA? Part of it was spent buying them drinks later at a meet-up.
Anyone that can start building the foundation for a business relationship/friendship through my Packers love has me hooked. It didn’t stop there, and it still continues today that I get articles shared, asked how I’m doing and jokes made about my sports fandom. THAT is relationship building. Those are the type of people I want in my corner.
After returning from PRSA, my future boss Justin called me and let me know that he wanted me to talk to the SVP at FH who headed up the consumer team. I think I watched Rocky movies for two days straight in preparation to pump me up. I talked with Mandy, we hit it off, then I was flown out to Kansas City. 2 days later, I had a job – and two weeks later, I moved away from everything familiar. Everything I knew in Texas. A family that supported me, and friends that had stuck by me even when there were others trying to take me down. FH took a chance on me.
It was worth it. Every step. I have an amazing job, colleagues and friends here. I still have everyone in Texas. My team works together as just that: a team. We have mutual respect for each other, and authoritarian tone isn’t used to convey ideas. We aren’t ridiculed if it’s not right. I’m never scared to share an idea or think on something for a client.
It will be 6 months of living in the Midwest next month. Coming from a born and raised Texan, it seems like a big feat.
So tell me – how do you get through obstacles? Who is your support system? Let’s talk.
