So you've had a bad day....

Que Daniel Powter. 

But seriously, I have had the longest string of "bad days" that I've ever experienced. Does anyone else ever have those days/weeks where they feel like absolutely nothing can go right? 

I've had one bad thing happen after another for the past three weeks (roughly— I try not to keep a solid count, as I would more than likely wind up more upset). Between job hunting and constantly being told no, to things that I've had to handle in my personal life, to my nerve racking car accident; I just want to cry. 

I didn't, and still don't, intend for this to be a place for complaints and self-pity. However, I do want to share how I've turned myself into a less emotional person when reacting to bad days, and how I try really hard to turn them into positives.

TIME OUT! 

I know this sounds totally kindergarten, and you can probably imagine your childhood nanny or teacher reminding you to "take a time out" of you're mad or "punch a pillow" if you're frustrated. They were 100% accurate about the time out, but I have bad news about the punching bag. You can't really be in your twenties and carry around a pillow to hit you're mad. As awesome as that sounds for multipurpose use (ie: taking a nap anywhere or having a more comfortable seat than anyone else in the room), there's no way you can be taken seriously carrying a sack of feathers around. 

First thing I try to do is not react at all. When something happens, no matter how devastating, I have learned to just shut my mouth and walk away. My bed, my blankets, and Mad Men have easily become my best friends these last few weeks. 

Once I've given myself time to relax, I try to think about all different sides of the situations and all of the different outcomes. This kind of drives me crazy sometimes, and I think it has seriously desensitized me from a lot of emotions, but I am okay with it. I'd rather be confident in my own conflict resolution skills with myself, so that when I use them with other people I know that they will work....hopefully. 

Once I spend hours sometimes days, thinking about whatever it is I've experienced, I confront it. It may take me a lot of time and thinking. I may even ignore the parties involved, or come off as distant and insensitive, but I need my alone time to figure it out. 

Pressure is something I enjoy. Until it becomes something I know I won't be able to handle without getting emotional or vicious. Many of the things that are going on have caused me to lose sleep at night, and even become sick. I've realized one thing— it's not worth it. So I'm promising myself, especially during this Lenten season, to find the positives in every single day. 

How do you handle your bad days? I need more positive reinforcement! 

The perfect fit that isn't so perfect

Searching for a job. 

One of the most awful and most exciting things that you will ever do.

I know this because I am in the middle of the search for the perfect job right now. 

Now I know that since I JUST graduated from college I have to pay my dues, suffer, and work my way up. I understand that. What I don't understand is why some of these employers are having such a difficult time understanding what it is that I do. 

I went to school and earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication for Public Relations. I have a lot of valuable marketing and branding experience from the five different internships that I held all four years of college. 

My resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, Twitter account, Facebook page, blog, and any other possible social media site I am listed on shows my PR, marketing, and communication experience. GET THIS: I even have samples of my work floating around out there! 

If these are my qualifications, this is my experience, and this is what I paid an accredited university to teach me— then why is it that so many companies looking for entry level employees want to hire me for the ONE thing that I DON'T want to do?.....sales. 

There are those who refuse to realize the difference between sales, marketing, public relations, and advertising. Many of my fellow PR young pro's will understand what I mean. 



If I wanted to do face-to-face sales, I would have written sales on my resume and in my cover letter. I understand that marketing is a function of sales and public relations is a function of marketing. However, it is not my job to sell you a product, it is my job to support the sales team by creating a brand and a presence so amazing that their selling process is made much easier when they are pitching to their potential clients.

Today, I received three separate phone calls asking for me to schedule an interview with a "private marketing firm". Sounds exciting, right? After extensive research I found that all three of the phone calls I received were for companies that have no website and hardly any social media presence. That is a huge red flag as a PR person. Obviously, these places are marked as illegitimate in my book. 

I'm looking for the perfect first job because I know what I am capable of accomplishing, and I refuse to sell myself short by accepting positions that are meant for people who did not work as hard as I did in college by gaining real world experience in my field. 

P.S.A.

FELLOW YOUNG PRO'S: beware of these scam jobs. You are better than that. PHONE CALLS, I've noticed, aren't a good sign. If they are calling, fire questions their way. If it's over an email, make sure you scour the internet to gain knowledge of the company and the person contacting you before agreeing to anything.

Here are the three questions I should have asked on the first phone call, but mastered by the third. Ask these if you are suspicious of a company and their intentions of hiring you. 

1. Do you have a website that I can visit to research your company? 
• If they give you an answer immediately, visit the site if you are near a computer while on the phone. If there are no links or the site looks bare, you know as a PR pro that they have a hidden agenda. 

2. Is this a sales position?
• Ask straight out if this is a sales position. If they respond with, "there is some sales involved" or  their preferred terminology, "there will be some face-to-face marketing", and you DON'T want anything to do with sales, politely decline and hang up. 

3. What is your role in the company?
• If they can answer with a legitimate title, and not just a recruiting title or a sales manager, then you should be in good shape and should consider continuing on with the interviewing process.  

Any insight to this would be greatly appreciated by everyone. I needed an outlet for this situation because I've never felt so defeated. Thanks for listening. 

The value of my time

"When you are dedicated to something you are passionate about, time becomes irrelevant."
 - Levi Maestro

When I first heard these words in a promotional video of a product I heard advertised on the radio, I was immediately enthralled. 

I was listening to Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on my drive from Cleveland to Toledo one morning when I heard them begin to discuss a symbolic piece of jewelry. Once I heard the idea, I was so amazed and HAD to look it up. And boy did I make the right decision! 

The piece of jewelry is called the Infinity Piece invented by Mr. Levi Maestro. The Infinity Piece is a watch without a clock. It has no hands, no ticker, and no face.

(Sidebar: This would make a fantastic and meaningful gift for the most passionate folks in your life. I called my parents and boyfriend immediately to spread the word about this watch as a graduation present.)

All during that Monday morning I thought about what time meant to me. I wasn’t able to think about it as deeply as I wanted to, so I started small. I wrote down and counted how many times in one day I said the word “time”. I wrote down the context that I used it in, and kept a tally for the count.

I couldn’t believe the results.

I used the word “time” in 18 separate occasions that day.

I don’t know about you, but that seems like a lot of use of a word that I am not quite sure the magnitude of.

As ridiculous as this sounds― I was quite emotional over this whole realization.

I realized that I spend a lot of time wasting time. I started taking more time for the things that deserved my time, and I cut out the things that did not. I try not to say that anything was a waste of time because everything you do is considered an experience. I did, however, realize that I could be making my time more valuable.

I work hard. I am a very passionate person in every aspect of my life. This beautiful piece of jewelry (which I will hopefully receive very soon with my big graduation approaching) will remind forever that when it comes to being passionate, time will never be wasted….only valued.

Thank you, Levi. 

Read more about Levi Maestro and the Infinity Piece here! You will not regret checking it out. I am sure you will be moved just as I was when you see the beauty and symbolism of these watches. There is a lot of information I wasn't able to put in here, so click the links below to learn more about everything that Becomb and Levi do. He has an amazing movement in place with these watched and other philanthropic efforts.

"Excuse me while I kiss the sky"

So I went skydiving this April...what did you do? 

Ha. Ha. Ha. I jumped from a plane that was 14,500 ft. in the air. 

Don't ask me if I was scared. I wasn't. I've never been more sure about anything in my whole life. I was more scared of losing my brand new Nike's than jumping.

I can't describe the unbelievable feeling of a freefall so incredibly fast and thrilling, so I'll share with you my visuals. 

This experience allowed me to forget my struggles for a while, enjoy the company of some amazing friends, scare the hell out of my entire family, cross an item off of my bucket list, get some amazing views, fall for one minute at 120 mph into the air, and feel completely and totally alive for the first time in my life. 

You'll never know unless you try it. But my video footage has been known to give people butterflies. Watch it and decide how you feel. 

I wanna know your reactions. But watch out, cause I'll convince you to join me on my next jump!

For an unreal skydiving experience visit skydive.com to find a drop zone close to you.

I jumped from Skydive Tecumseh, and it was perfect. This company has it all figured out for sure!

Taxation Without Organization

The last couple of months I have been super organized. Which is totally not a bad thing. 

I'm taking a total of 25 credit hours this semester, so I definitely have to be at the top of my game - like all the time. In most cases, this requires waking up earlier and a higher Starbucks bill, but you'll sleep better at night.  

I've also found that I spend more time writing my to-do lists, check lists, and organizing myself than actually doing these tasks. I think that's how it's supposed to be...with some exceptions. 

Because of my new found love of hardcore organization, I carry a lot less stress. I find myself being tired at a decent time, sleeping better, and waking up feeling more productive every single day. Who DOESN'T want to feel like this?! It's quite satisfying! 

My biggest problem― I forget to eat and go the bathroom. *sigh* It's the little things in life...

Since I am becoming more organized and writing things down all the time, I am giving myself the privilege to say...I'm officially growing up. I no longer have to wonder "what I want to be when I grow up" because I am currently morphing myself into that person every single day! Super exciting what organization can do for you, isn't it? 

Being stressed out and procrastinating is a thing of my past. It's incredibly taxing on your mind, body, and soul; and it's absolutely not worth a single bit of anyone's time. But once you are organized, ahhh....the tranquility...

Here are some of my best practices for organizing: 

• Write absolutely EVERYTHING you need to get done no matter how mundane or menial the task. 
• Have multiple types of lists for all different aspects of your life. 
• Try At-A-Glance and Erin Condren planners (they've saved my life), dry-erase boards, Post-It's, and unnecessary amounts of highlighting. 
• Your brain will love you for using a color-coding system.
• PRIORITIZE! If it has a due date, DO IT FIRST! Don't wait until the last minute and risk the irritability and stress. No one likes you when you're like that, and a Snickers bar won't work for this. 
• Make a to-do list, and a today-list. Prioritizing is involved here too!
• Schedule time for the bathroom, food, sleep, friends & family, and beer. 

I've noticed myself not wasting as much time, and I spend my time more wisely since it's become so incredibly valuable (more on that soon). 

What are some of your best practices for organizing your life? I'm always willing to try something new! 

What I learned from Gatsby

I watched the new Great Gatsby for the first time this weekend. While I loved the remake and the soundtrack SO MUCH, I definitely have to say nothing beats the book― as in most cases. 

However, while I was watching the movie, something occurred to me in a different way than it ever had in the numerous times that I've read the book. 

“Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald 

You will only catch lightening in a bottle once, nothing is ever the same the second time around, no matter the effort that someone puts into a second chance, nothing will ever compare to the first. Going after one solitary desire will only drive you insane. And once you've been consumed by that desire, even if you fail, everyone and everything else will continue to move on. 

These are things that are prevalent in everyday life. You'll never play high school sports again, you'll never have another first kiss, you will never have another first love, and you will never have another first car. Firsts are a one time thing, and that is what they shall remain.

As I was sitting there thinking about how J. Gatsby lived the last five years of his life trying to recreate a memory, I thought about all of the really great things that happened to me only once. The memories are so bittersweet, I wouldn't trade them for anything. 

I have a tendency to be a control freak in certain situations. Because of this, I don't enjoy when things just come and go. I claim determination and drive as personality traits, but sometimes I use them as an excuse to be relentless in getting what I want. 

I've had friendships and relationships fail. I've had family, or people I assumed were family, just go away. I've had a few trials and tribulations in my short 21 years of life. I don't regret a single one of them. 

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

I think what it truly comes down to for me is that when a chapter in your life is over, you have to accept it and move on. There will be other opportunities for greater things and "firsts" to come along. I'm starting an entirely new phase of my life, so leaving those "lighting" moments in the past is the only remedy for a healthy future.

So, don't get too caught up. I've learned in these last eight months that the future is always brighter, and I am so much stronger. 

 

“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come such a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. But he did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning—So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

The World Tour of Kayla

Hi! I'm Kayla. 

I am 21 years young, a senior at the University of Toledo graduating this December.....finally! My major is in Public Relations, and I love it more than anything. I'm currently interning with the American Red Cross, and it's the most incredible experience. Ever.

I love the sky, and anything having to do with it. Music (of literally every kind) and movies are my favorite forms of relaxation, preferably anything Disney related. I am currently on a World Beer Tour at the Winking Lizard Tavern in my hometown; which I am positive you will be hearing more about. I am in love with craft beer and Cabernet. Food is my friend. Pizza and ice cream are my favorites, but I'm not picky. 

For a few months now I have been contemplating starting a blog. Today I realized that I finally had enough topics jotted down to start talking about some of things I just casually think about while showering ― which, incidentally is where most of my deep thinking occurs (don't deny it, you are a deep shower thinker, too).

While completing my last semester of college, and my entire academic career, I am trying to live these last four months to the absolute fullest. So, if you're interested, follow me on my journey through this exciting stage of my life. Hopefully my experiences stay totally awesome so no one gets bored....including myself. If I can't keep you laughing, I hope to at least make you smile :)  

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