Secret to a Happy Life...Not so Secret

Goooood morning everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, as I most certainly did!

So I have a little nugget of news...I NOW HAVE A SECOND JOB. Yes. I kid you not. This is actually pretty funny since when I started this blog all I had were somewhat vague leads on possible positions, and now, four posts in, I have acquired not one but TWO jobs! And I don't mean to rub this in anyone's face who is still out there pounding the pavement unsuccessfully. I'm just genuinely relieved and excited at this sudden turn of events.

So again, I won't get into details, but I'll be working for a certain beverage company that has known to provide the public with a certain vehicle for caffeine...I won't say anymore. Anyway, I know lots of people who are employed by the same company and they're very happy with them, so I'm really excited to begin my training!

Speaking of which, that reminds me of a conversation I had with someone recently, who made the point that I could just as easily have gotten these types of jobs without a degree. This was obviously somewhat upsetting. Although for anyone else thinking the same thing, or anyone who is concerned about "settling" for these kinds of positions, consider the following:

1) We don't know that my degree didn't affect me getting these positions. In this incredibly competitive  job market, if you're down to a final group of people up for consideration of one position, and you're the only one who holds a degree, chances are that will give you a leg up on the others. Never regret the time and money you put in your education - what's better to invest in than yourself and your future?

2) This is a means to an end. This isn't and will not be my career for the rest of my life. I'm not starting these jobs thinking "well this is what it's going to be from now on" because I have goals and a focus, and I don't intend on sacrificing those for anything. If working these jobs means I'll be able to move forward in order to achieve my goals, then I think it's a pretty smart move.

3) Doing this sort of low-commitment work (and by that I mean once you finish work, you've finished working for the day, there's nothing you need to take home with you to take up your own time) will allow me to continue working on my voice on my own time. I realize I'll be tired, and working will take a lot out of me, but this is bigger than all that. I know what I need to continue to do in order to achieve my goals, and like I said, nothing is going to get in the way of that.

4) One day when I look back at this time in my life I'll be able to say to all those people who had their doubts: "Sure, I worked a crap job for a few years before I was able to actually go anywhere with singing, but look where I am now. I do what I love and brings me true happiness everyday for a living -  can you say that much about yourself?"

My fellow artists: never give up on your dream. It's the most precious thing you have that no one can ever take from you, no matter how jaded they are and no matter what they tell you. Everyone who has ever succeeded as an artist never gave up, and none of it came easy to them either. But those people did succeed and so can you or I, as long as we hold on to our dreams, work hard, and never give up.

People really give "starving artists" a bad rap. That whole term is full of negative connotations which is why I hesitate to use it at all. As my boyfriend, who is also a singer (a baritone!), said "there are tons of people out there who truly want to achieve careers as artists, have a goal, and they work their asses off for it. But it's those other people who wake up one morning, decide they can play/sing every once in a while, while sitting on their parents couch the rest of the time, not even trying to work for it, and use the excuse that they're a 'starving artist', that give the rest of us who are actually trying a bad name." And I find it so funny because there are so many people out there who are well off, and financially "successful" and think they have it all figured out, because they have money, when their job sucks the life out of them, and they feel no passion in life whatsoever. To me, that is a poor life decision.

We're only here for a short time; a blink of an eye in the scheme of things. It seems like common knowledge to me that we should be living our lives to the fullest, filling it with things that make us happy, and make those around us happy. I know that money is important (hense why I am about to start working two jobs for who knows how long), but there comes a point when you have to ask yourself "am I truly happy with my life? If I died today would I be satisfied with what I've done and accomplished?" Even though I'm only 21, I would die happy. I've spent my life thus far working towards a dream and passion I've felt my whole life. It has filled my world with joy, and lead me to people without whom I don't know where I would be. If I were to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing, because I feel true happiness. To me, if that's not in your life, there's something wrong. The person who has all the money but feels nothing? That's the person who's missing out.

Alright. That's enough intensity for one day.

To all you dreamers out there, keep on truckin'. You won't regret it.





Photo: qthomasbower - flickr

HUZZAH! SUCCESS!

Today has been a great day so far, and it's not even noon! I have found myself a job, and I feel great about it! I won't disclose details, but it's a new specialty food store opening soon. I AM SO HAPPY AND EXCITED! I won't be starting until the end of next month, so I'm going to keep looking for some  possible supplemental things, but at least it's there waiting for me. So. freaking. happy.

Just goes to show that hard work does pay off in the end. Once I start, I am going to work so hard, and stay so positive, because I really want to love this time of my life. The time when I really don't have too many commitments to hold me back, but I definitely have my share of responsibility to focus on. I have this ideal image in my mind of the kind of routine that I hope to have in the coming weeks: get up nice and early and have the whole day ahead of me; head off to work listening to some great music; spend the day at work, working hard but having fun with it at the same time, talking to customers and co-workers, possibly making some new friends; come home, tired but satisfied knowing that I've contributed a little something to other peoples' days; practice a bit, maybe listen to some new repertoire I'd like to look at; and end off having a relaxing evening, watching a movie with the boyfriend.

Of course, it can't all be blue skies all the time. I know that. But I really think that with a positive outlook on life and hard work, one can accomplish almost anything. I know and always have known that I'm here to share my love of music and singing with the world, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that a reality. This is just another stepping stone that's going to help me get across to my goal. 

Enough of this philosophical mumbo jumbo for now. How are you doing? Are any of you in a similar situation? I'd love hear from you guys! I've heard from a couple of you and it's nice to know I'm not alone in all of this. Is it sad that I'm ecstatic at the fact that I've had over 100 hits since I started this thing? Not really, I guess, considering that that's over 100 people reading what's going on in my life at the moment. It's a pretty cool feeling, I have to say.

I don't really want to force anything out, so I think that'll be enough for today. I'm looking forward to a great weekend with my family. My brother is coming in from out of town, so I'm really looking forward to seeing him! We're also having a family get together, so I'm hoping the rain will hold out until afterwards. Regardless, those parties are always fun. 

TGIF and stay positive!




Photo: free.clipartof.com

Let the Search Continue!

You know the old saying "give a man a fish, and he'll eat for a day; teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime"? Well I've been taught how to fish for the past four years, but after almost two months living at home, I still need to rely on my parents for more fish. Why? Because the job market is terrible.

I don't use that as an excuse, mind you. I've sent out probably over a hundred and fifty resumes online, in person, and every other way you could possibly apply for a job, but there are just so few opportunities out there for someone like me. Out of those dozens and dozens of applications, I've had leads on two, one of which was just a temp job (better than nothing, of course!), and the other one is now seeming to be a little unsettling as well because they're apparently also going through a transitional period (between managers, that is). Nevertheless, you never know, so I'm staying optimistic, and I just may have found something through a family friend (fingers crossed!).

It's just so funny the way the world works. You work hard your whole childhood through grade school and high school in order to get into a good university. Why? So that you can have a higher education and hold a degree that you can show for your work. Why? Because it will help you get a job. With the job market more competitive than ever, I can honestly say that if I hadn't gone to university, and started working straight out of high school, I'd not only not be in debt, but I would have been able to save up a lot of money by this point. But, would I have been happy with my life like that? Probably not.

Knowing myself, I would have probably regretted not going to university everyday of my life, not only because I'd have known that I would have been capable of greater things, but I'd have given up on my dream of being a singer as well. That is one thing that has been crystal clear to me for as long as I can remember: if I follow my passion and my dreams, I will lead a happy life. I know that I'm going to need to work a lot of crappy jobs before I'll be able to support myself on just singing and teaching voice alone. I know that things aren't going to happen for me overnight, and I know that I'm taking a huge risk by choosing this path. But as I look around me more and more, the older I get and the more people I meet, that philosophy just makes more and more sense.

If I hadn't gone to university, I wouldn't be who I am today. I wouldn't appreciate my parents and my family as much as I do; in fact I'd probably resent them because I would never have had the opportunity to live away from home, and I would have been forced to stay at home instead. Not to mention, I would never have met my wonderful and supportive boyfriend. It was really a great time in my life, and I don't regret it for a second, even though I'm paying for it now. I'm happy to pay my dues, and work for a while. It's just the next step on my journey, and I'm excited to see where it'll take me!




Photo: peopleplusconsulting.com

So...now what?

Greetings, infinite void of cyberspace that I am sending these words into. I'm not quite sure where this whole thing is going, or who other than by immediate family might read this, but for one reason or another, like so many others, today, I decided that I would start a blog.

I've considered it before, but I was never really sure what I would write about. I'm a singer, primarily, so that naturally came to mind, but I feel as though I'm still growing and learning in that area of my life, and I couldn't really devote an entire blog to that. Also, I want this to be somewhere that anyone would be able to relate to and enjoy. Food is also a huge passion of mine, but I'm not a chef or critic, and I don't want to be just another Julie Powell (although I do like her).

Finally, yesterday, I'm not ashamed to admit, I had somewhat of a breakdown. Let me explain:

My name is Claire, I am 21 years old, and I live in Toronto. I've lived here my entire life, with the exception of the 4 years I spent away earning my degree. I've always had a passion for music, and I've always known that I wanted to be a singer - a classical singer. My life has also always been very structured, as most fortunate children's lives are; school, extracurricular activities, sleepovers with friends, family time, etc. Even after high school, I knew that I wanted to go into music, and that I wanted a degree in vocal performance, so that's what I did. For four years, I studied, and practiced, and performed, and everything was laid out for me, because I knew what I'd be doing the following year. Until it all ended.

(Now, I should admit, that I technically have not graduated yet, as I'm still doing some coursework over the summer, but I'll be done in the fall, and I consider myself to be in very similar circumstances to most recent graduates anyway.)

So I finished school, moved back in with my parents with a hefty debt under my belt, and now I ask myself: "Now what?" I'm looking for work, I'm doing these courses, I'm still taking voice lessons, and I have a general plan for what I'd like to be doing for the next 5 years, but at the moment it still feels like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff that's crumbling under my feet and nothing but a black hole in front of me.

This is why I started this blog. I had a breakdown yesterday, because I finally had to come to terms with the fact that I didn't know what I was going to be doing in September, let alone next week. I had to realize that for the first time in my life, it's all up to me. My life is in my hands and no one else's. And I have to admit, I've felt like Dustin Hoffman floating around in that swimming pool more than once, and it's not a nice feeling.

I actually consider myself to be an optimist, so I really feel as though I'm generally keeping quite a positive outlook on everything. I try take everything one step at a time, tell myself that I'm doing well, and that all this is going to lead to greater things, and most importantly, still enjoy life as it is now.

For anyone who is going through a transitional period in your life, or anyone who is going through awkward, difficult times, I invite you to come along on my weird and wonderful adventure with me, and maybe we can help each other make the best of a so-so situation.




Photo: bluefieldhighschool.wordpress.com