Hi, I'm Diana & I'm Unemployed

If you haven't heard already, I'm now a part of the league of unemployed. I was one of 400 let go from the quasi tech, daily deal selling , LivingSocial.

When I got that phone call from my boss and my HR rep telling me that my position was being eliminated, I didn't really know how to react. My face looked like this:

But inside I was numb. As information and questions were fired off through my receiver, " Do you want to arrange to pick up your belongings? Do we have your updated address so we can send you your severance information?... It's not you, it's us", all I heard was "mwa mwa mwa mwa" just like when the adults speak in Charlie Brown.

I'll be honest, I've never been let go, fired or anything... ever. I didn't LOVE what I was doing but it paid the bills so I definitely wasn't planning to leave without a more fulfilling option presenting itself. I didn't know whether to feel panicked, happy, sad, disappointed. But I will tell you what questions popped into my mind first, "how the heck am I going to pay my rent? and, will I need to return that handbag I just bought for Black Friday? maybe I should finally look into egg donation?".

I guess you'd call that panicking, but calmly so. After hanging up the phone, I dialed up my mom and texted a few friends to share my shock & awe. I guess I felt that if I told someone, it'd be like pinching myself and I'd wake up from what I was sure was rapidly approaching nightmare territory and instead be sitting at my desk having one of my usual tyrannical fits over a sales rep not heading one of my requests. Wait...

THIS is a quarter life crisis!

The phenomena I had given up writing about in lieu of  focusing my talents on my other projects: my lifestyle blog The High Life, my 9-6 and baking; was now staring me right in my face. Or better yet reading me my last will & testament as a LivingSocial employee, over the phone.

I'm 27, no longer a kid but surely not what I envisioned a true adult being... somewhere wading around in what I've come to call extended adolescence and now is the time for me to figure out what my true career path should be. Time to take my passions and run with them. Turn those dreams into a reality. But where do I start?

Yeah, filing for unemployment is definitely a great place to start, but what next? What is my next step? Where's the next adventure? I love the retail industry and have been searching for the perfect opportunity to get back into the corporate side of things whether in buying, advertising/marketing or branding. However, DC isn't exactly a hub for retail or fashion. So will I need to return to NYC or maybe this is the push I need to move to London or Dubai. I don't know. But what I do know is that I'm ready to do what I love.

After the initial panic subsided, I felt an odd sense of freedom. There's a blank slate before me and only time will tell how the slate will be filled.

Do you know of any open opportunities that align with my experience? How do you know what my experience is? Well I've conveniently posted it below. If you don't believe in your abilities no one else will right? Right.


WORK EXPERIENCE
LivingSocial July 2011 – December 2012
Market Programmer
 Was responsible for the deal quality and scheduling for 8 selling markets located in the US South East region
 Partnered with my counterparts in the production, editorial and photography departments to ensure that deals are produced accurately and to the merchant’s satisfaction
 Worked with Account Executives and Sales Managers on a daily basis to maximize revenue potential
 Guided the sales' team in each market to ensure that they were securing adequate inventory to sustain their market
 Evaluated all inbound contracts from the sales department to ensure that each deal is of an excellent overall quality
 Used empirical data in order to identify sales & market opportunities, as well as understand the buying behavior of our subscribers
 Managed the deal queue for my markets across all verticals (dailies, families, At Home) in order to maintain a competitive mix and diverse selection of concepts

CUSP-Neiman Marcus September 2010 – July 2011
Selling Stylist
 Cultivated and maintained customer relationships in order to drive business
 Maintained top sales for my location from November 2010-January 2011
 Grossed over $700,000 in sales for the store during the eleven months I worked as a stylist
 Worked in conjunction with my team to maintain the visual aesthetic of the store
Macy’s Inc. June 2009 – September 2010
Advertising Coordinator – Fine and Fashion Jewelry & Watches
 Acted as the main point of contact between the merchant and advertising worlds
 Maintained ad proofs, merchandise for photo shoots, and sign-offs for all ads
 Compiled and configured layouts for storewide direct mailers and ROPs
 Scheduled and facilitated weekly advertising presentations to the production department
 Collaborated with the Advertising Director and marketing department on a daily basis to ensure ads were completed in a correct and timely manner

Macy’s East July 2007 – June 2009
Assistant Buyer – Fashion Watches
 Ran weekly reports and analyzed sales’ trends in order to drive the business and maximize sales opportunities
 Maintained open to buy as well as weekly ROF for respective brands (Fossil group, G-Shock, private label brand)
 Compiled styles for advertising mailers and ROPs in order to strengthen brand awareness and increase revenue
 Was responsible for a $26.0 mil business within a $55.0 mil buyer-ship for the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 seasons

EDUCATION
Spelman College Atlanta, GA
· Major: Psychology Minor: Economics
· Graduated: May 2007
· G.P.A.: 3.77 / 4.0



~ D

The Importance of 'Y-O-U'

For the past two months, I've been on a journey of sorts. My downtime has been filled with meditation, prayer, yoga and church. And it all started with this:

Maybe you can tell what that is, maybe you can't. It's a charred, black ass piece of paper. A piece of paper that once contained all of the things I hated in my life. All of the things that were currently causing me stress and pain at the time. Out of the blue, I decided I would take up meditation and during my first session, I wrote all of those things down and at the completion, I set it on fire. As I watched the paper turn orange and then brown and finally black, I seriously felt as if weight was being lifted from my shoulders. As dramatic as that may sound, all of those things that were written down on that piece of paper had been weighing me down and hindering me from being the best me possible, and the truth is that I hadn't even realized it.

Over the past couple weeks I've been indulging in reality TV shows, Basketball Wives and Love & Hip Hop, in particular and I've been able to sort through the ratchet behavior and pick out a common theme. Whether it's Gloria deciding to get space from Matt Barnes or Emily B attempting to distance herself from Fabolous, I'm witnessing women embark on a journey of self-rediscovery. Often times when you get entangled into imbalanced, needy relationships and also when you have children, it is easy to begin living your life for others. Women are emotionally giving by nature, so that's understandable. And it's not really a bad thing, but what tends to happen in those situations is that we lose sight of who we are and what we want from life. And when you can no longer remember what is important for you  to continue to be YOU, it's time to take a step back and evaluate things.

I remember when Jada Pinkett-Smith came to speak at Spelman during my senior year. One story she told really stuck with me. She recounted an interview she had where she was asked who the most important people in her life were. Her response was 1. herself, 2. her children and 3. her husband. She went on to explain why she had put herself as number 1 instead of somewhere further down the line.

"In order to be there for everyone else in my life, I have to make sure I'm the best me possible."

This was 5 years ago, so I may be misquoting, but what she said was extremely close to that. Her response sounds so simple, but it truly is something so many of us forget.

If you aren't happy and healthy, how can you be the best girlfriend, wife, mother (or boyfriend/husband/father) or even just friend, possible? You can't. If my life has me down in the dumps depressed, how will I be able to support others and be there for them when they need me? While saying that "you" are the most important person in your life may at first seem selfish, it really is essential to being in a position where you can even think to make anyone else a priority in your life.

It's unfortunate that many of us don't realize how important we need to be to ourselves until we get to a breaking point. And once that point has been reached you're forced to either fall over the edge or pick up those pieces and work on putting them back together. I know that was the point I reached right before I was moved to meditation and setting that paper on fire. I had gotten to a point where I felt backed against the wall and didn't see how I was going to make my way out. And sometimes you need those moments to show you that, enough is enough, it's about time you put yourself first.

Deciding to put myself first is the main reason why I'm on the dating sabbatical I mentioned in previous posts. I realized that I wasn't making decisions that showed how important I was to myself. I was putting other people before me who wouldn't do they same if the tables were turned. I was slowly but surely wearing myself thin (literally if you ask some folks).

Learning the importance of me and how to love myself all over again has been one hell of a process, and I know it's not over yet. But I'm glad it's a journey I was compelled to take because I know when I get to this journey's end, I'll be ten times more fabulous than before :0)

If you haven't done so today, tell yourself "I love you". Seriously, say it. And throw in a self-hug while you're at it. You may be surprised by just how good that feels.

9125 Days

On July 9th, I turned 9, 125(give 5 or 6 for leap years) days old, aka 25. Sounds old right? Actually, calculating the days made me feel much younger. For some reason I thought I was going to end up with some sky high five digit number(shows you all how rusty my math skills are). I also want to thank everyone(roles both small & large) who has been a part of the experiences that have made me the woman I have come to be... the good, the bad, and the ugly.

This whole time since my birthday I've been trying to come up with something witty and thoughtful and deep to say, and you know what I've got for you all?? Nada. The only thing I could think about is how thankful I am to have been blessed with the opportunity to make it a be a quarter century. I'm even more excited about the things that I have planned for my future and definitely anxious to see where life will take me.

In the next two weeks, I have to make one of the most important decisions I've had to make since I decided on which college to attend. To be quite honest, I think this decision is even more important than that. And I am petrified. My nights are sleepless and my mind is always contemplating the 'what if'. But if there is one thing that I know, it's that if(as my motrher always likes to remind me) I actually have the word which is tattoed on my wrist, "Faith", I will be able to achieve and excel in whatever it is that is in store for me.