Not An Average Day Job!

• October 3rd, 2007
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Currently, I spend most of my time in a bland cubicle. This is something I would have never predicted for myself in a million years. One thing I have known about myself my entire life was that I didn’t want to be “ordinary.” By “ordinary” I meant I didn’t want a conventional life like a cookie cutter. At a very young age my mother enrolled me in ballet. Later, I also became interested in theatre. In addition to those, I also took up singing. I came to realize I had some talents! What I ultimately wanted to do in life was to utilize these talents. If I could make a living doing things I enjoyed, BONUS!

The talent I decided to pursue was my dancing. I started when I was just 4 years old. My first stage performance came 2 years later at age 6. By the time I was a junior in high school I was determined to be a professional dancer. In my senior year I joined a pre-professional company. I danced 40+ hours each week. Monday-Friday I danced from 1:00-9:00 p.m. and on Saturdays I danced from 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. I didn’t even get paid! But it didn’t matter. I was loving what I was doing.

Dance became my identity. If I wasn’t home, I was more than likely rehearsing, in class, or performing. Don’t get me wrong, I had a social life, too; but dance was what defined me. I had a burning passion. A desire. I worked hard to perfect my skill. My family and friends would never miss a show. Students in our school looked up to me as a role model. People recognized me around town from my performances. I’ll admit I enjoyed all the attention.

In 2002 I was ready to hang up my pointe shoes and start a new chapter in life. The politics in dance were overwhelming. I wanted to be a full-time member of the company and it wasn’t happening. I had auditioned for many companies in the U.S. with no luck. I don’t doubt my abilities one bit. The dance world is filled with hopefuls. The actual dance community is small (as far as professionals who make it). In order to get a job, one must really stand out. I can accept that I simply did not. What bothered me was that the director where I was dancing preferred to hire dancers from outside our area rather than promote the local talent she had right in front of her. She would rather keep us paying for classes than pay us for our talent. That was it for me. I was done.

It shocked people that I didn’t want to dance anymore. That was how they identified me. I was well aware of this fact. It was another reason I wanted to stop. I wanted to explore other hidden talents that I may have overlooked. I wanted to be more than a dancer. Not that it was so bad, but I wanted to live what I considered a “normal” life. I took up drawing and learned quickly that is not one of my hidden talents. Another thing I was quick to learn was that I absolutely did not want to work my current mundane office job the rest of my life! So much for being “normal!” At that time I was part-time. Ah … if I’d known then how great part-time was…

In 2003 I became acquainted with Mary Kay Cosmetics. I knew very little about the company and never considered selling it. I had no idea what it took to be a consultant with any direct selling company. My assumption had always been it required experience and knowledge. I had no idea you could just sign up. When I found this out and then realized a friend of mine was a consultant; the wheels began spinning!

It quickly appealed to me because I could see it was a way to generate an income and it was different. Unconventional careers appeal to me. Any opportunity to be set apart excites me. Dancing made me feel special because it gave me something to identify with. Mary Kay seemed like something that I could easily transition to …

(To Be Continued …)

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Tags: High Profile Careers, Home Based Business, Is Direct Sales Right For Me?, Unconventional Careers, Where I'm Coming From