Employed vs Unemployed: A jobless hobo's perspective

After one full week (and a day or two) of having a j.o.b. again and I am pooped! Mostly, because of the long (temporary) commute and the fact that I am learning all kinds of new things! My last job did not have any formal training and on my first day, I remember going to see Dave Matthews Band right after. I don't know if its because I am older now (sigh) or what, but I definitely didn't do anything exciting after day number one at the new job. I came home and that husband of mine, made me a tasty cocktail. I will admit that  was pretty nice!

As most of you know I was unemployed for a little over four months. Mostly, this was my own doing. Hubs and I had booked an anniversary cruise months before I knew I would lose my job and I didn't want to cancel the trip and/or tell a new boss that I would need a week off right after starting. Plus, I did get a nice little severance package so I had some time to find myself a good fit.

The job I had before last, I was also laid off from (and also received a great severance package). I thought the people who took six months to find a new job and live off their severances were quite frankly, dumb. But that's what happens when you assume, isn't it? Shame on the younger me of 2008. While I did take my last, last severance and pay off my car, I took the first (and only) job offer I got and had four days between jobs. I got burnt out fast and there wasn't much direction. I knew early on that it wasn't the place for me but didn't really do much to change it.

...You all know how much I love planning parties and helping out on the weekends with weddings. I still hope to do this full time one day (maybe once we have a lawyer around here to pay my bills! I kid, I kid) but in the mean time I did/do need a job to pay the bills and you know, eat. And I am happy to have a job again. And the company I started at seems (so far) to be a great place and they say they like to promote within. While parties excite me; any kind of success in the workplace has always been something I thrive on as well. If there are goals, incentives and bonuses, I am motivated to do my very best (I know you're probably thinking, "aren't we all?" but you know some people could care less about that stuff).

I took four months to give myself a mental break, be a tad more selective in my job findings and take some vacation. A bonus for all this free time was that I got to spend lots of time with my Gigi girl (and felt ridiculously guilty leaving her all day last Monday).

But about two months in my unemployment, I became way antsy. I was going on a lot of job interviews (basically anything and everything and trying to keep an open mind) but started to get lazy everywhere else...

I don't think I'm cut out for loads of free time. I seem to be a person who really soars under pressure (both in her personal & professional life) and with all the free time in the world, I became complacent. LIKE big time, ya'll.

Pros of unemployment (with a severance package)

• Sleeping in! (Duh)
• Working out when the gym is empty
• Snuggling all day with Gigi
• Making last minute lunch dates with friends and family
• Hanging with my mom or sisters' all day
• Running errands while the stores are virtually empty
• Driving less/saving more money (on gas)
• Blogging all day/every day

OKay, so you're probably wondering why the hell I would have any cons, right?! Look, at first it was freaking AWESOME. But once we returned from our cruise at the end of March, and I was flat out bor-ed. Jason would come home from work and both the dog and I would jump all over him starved for attention. There were some (bad) days when I didn't even shower or change clothes for the day. Ew...right?

But once I got bored, I was lazy. I stopped working out mostly. I sat around more, too. All those "errands" I said I ran got put off because there was always tomorrow, right? I think I was honestly a tad depressed. I stopped feeling like myself (I still don't necessarily feel like the old me, either). After being in the house all day, I didn't necessarily want to leave, either. It got sort of weird for me...I started to get annoyed with the hubs because he couldn't relate to me (even though, prolonging the job search was my doing and not his). This is once again where we are so different! To Jason, a job is a job (is a job) and to me, it's where I spent a huge chunk of my day so I better find a place I'm excited about.

I guess what I'm saying there can be too much of a good thing, sometimes. The first half of my unemployment was seriously great. Ending it with a kick ass cruise was the icing on the cake. But once the party was over, it was sort of like beer goggles the morning after. It was great...until it wasn't.

I was truly fortunate to have been able to financially take four months away from life, but its time to get back to the real world, folks. So I'm working again, trying to find out who the hell I am, and what I want out life (professionally, anyway).



XOXO,
Nichole