How to Get that Dream Job

When I was a little girl, I preferred to make believe I was a secretary rather than playing with dolls as most girls did.  I chose secretary because I loved to organize, keep notes and pretend to work for someone 'important.'

In the 1950s-60s, career choices for women were generally limited by occupations in nursing, teaching, secretarial or as an airline stewardess. 

After high school graduation, every job I applied for I got and quickly realized I could start to write my own ticket.  My first job was for the Veterans Administration, but I found it tedious.  Although my next two jobs for prestigious law firms were exciting, my goal was to be my own boss.

Then I saw it.  The newspaper ad said "Wanted:  Gal Friday/Office Manager.  Must be able to work independently and have excellent skills."  I applied.  I got it.  

The job was an office manager for a construction company and it was located in a lumberyard.  My boss never had a secretary before and he wanted me to set up the offices and run all aspects of the business while he worked in the field. He was a commercial builder of huge projects; apartment complexes, hotels, and office buildings.

I ordered the necessary equipment and set up the office.  When we were ready to move into the new office space, I asked for his previous office records.  He opened the trunk of his big, shiny new Cadillac and showed me several boxes overflowing with receipts and invoices.

Sorting through it all, I came to realize that a lot of people owed him a lot of money!  When I confronted him with this he said he didn't have the time to worry about it.  This was in the 1960s and $60,000 in past due debt was a small fortune.  I told him that I was willing to collect on these and he said I could keep half of whatever I collected.

I knew that I would be dealing with some 'rough around the edges' characters. Then I had a brilliant idea.  I found the biggest and burliest man I could find and offered him $20 a day.  All he had to do was go with me to the various businesses that owed my boss money. He didn't have to say a word. He was just to stand behind me with his arms crossed.  

Do I really have to tell you what happened?  I collected on every single one. My boss was so impressed he told me to give myself a raise whenever and for whatever amount I wanted.  I stayed with him for several years and loved my job immensely.  

I was able to move into any unit I wanted to live in whenever I felt like upgrading.  He gave me a car to drive and an expense account.  My husband and I spent weekends at his cottage or on his boat.  

I stayed with him until he retired and we both cried.  Ours was a great relationship and I had the best secretarial job anyone could have ever hoped for.  

In later years, I started a business teaching office organization to corporation's secretarial pools.  It was not the challenge I needed and extremely boring. These secretaries were only interested in getting a paycheck and not improving their skills. 

I continue to run a tight ship in my office and manage a few businesses.  I have never tired of playing secretary!

If you have a dream, pursue it.  Never let it go.

What was your dream job?  Did you ever get it or better yet.....create it?

If I Only Had Time

"If I only had time!"  Have you ever thought that?  Do you wish you had more time?

Everyone on the planet is given the same amount of time from sunset to sunset.  No one is privileged to get extra time for good behavior.  We can't slow down nor speed up time.

In the last decade or more, people seem to be getting busier and having less time to do the things that are important to them and having to put them on the shelf - until....maybe later.

What is the World's Biggest Con Job? Week 3 - the Dirty Dozen

What do you mean?  The world's biggest con job?  A con job is making people believe something that is not true.  This is what the vitamin industry is doing.  To explain, I will recap the last two posts for those of you who have not read them.

There are three different types of vitamins; synthetic, natural altered and natural unaltered.  Click here to read that post explaining the difference.  Of the three, only natural UNaltered can be utilized by the body.

The next post explains the single most important factor in choosing a vitamin -- is it alive or dead?   You need life to create life.  The con job is that you can swallow synthetic vitamins (many of them are labeled NATURAL) whose source is petroleum or coal tar and build health.  It is NOT possible. How can you tell the difference?  How can you know if the product you are taking is GMO free? There are a couple tests you can do to help determine if your vitamins can be assimilated by your body. Read that post here.  

Here are several stats that should make you stand up and take notice:  A common problem with many pharmacy-grade and health food store products is that they do not make the grade in Consumer Lab testing.  EVEN WORSE:  Many of these multi-vitamins contained EXCESSIVE amounts of lead - INCLUDING (and this is where I get ill) pre-natal multi-vitamins.

Letter of Gratitude from an Old Dog

Dear Important Human:

Before I tell you why I am writing this letter, please allow me to tell you about myself.  I am a 15 year old Black Lab/Dalmatian mix and probably one of the happiest and friendliest you will ever meet. My name is Mercedez and my former owner abandoned me and my siblings when we were only two weeks old.  This awful person took me away from my dog mommy but it wasn't long before I found out I had a new human mommy.  No one could love me more.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Last month I spent a few days at Rochelle's farm doing the usual house/dog/cat/sheep/lamb and goat sitting.  I was unaware she had hired a team to landscape the area around the house.  As I watched from the kitchen window I was shocked at how organized and fast this team worked.

I have never seen any gardeners maintain such an incredible pace. They mowed the lawn, completed the weed eating and pruned the fruit trees and bushes in record time. They had equipment that was so quiet I never would have known they were there if I had not looked out the window.  But the most amazing part was the unique way they fertilized as they worked.

When they were finished, they left as quietly as they arrived and I found out they never charged for their services.  I wonder if they need a promoter....

Oh, and by the way, the sheep do not make that nice "Baaa" sound we read about in nursery rhymes. They sound more like old men burping....or worse.

What is the World's Greatest Con Job - #2 - Test your Vitamins

Is there a difference between types of vitamins?  Most definitely!  Is there a way to determine these differences?  Most definitely! The purpose of this series of posts is to bring some understanding to the choices you have when purchasing vitamins.

First of all, let's recap last week's post.  There are three types of vitamins:  synthetic, natural altered and natural unaltered.

This is the very basic part of deciding what vitamins to buy and there are many other factors that come into play.  Even if the average consumer knows of the three different types there are to choose from, how do you determine which is which?  If you have not read the first post please do so here. It explains the difference.

What is the World's Greatest Con Job?

Last week I was asked to be on a National television show to talk about skin and how to avoid getting those awful brown aging spots.  It is always exciting to share secrets to improve health - inside and out!

At my age, many people expect to have skin issues. Dry rough skin. Skin that has lost its elasticity.  Those fine line wrinkles and those not so fine ones.  Skin that has become transparent and lost its luster.  Skin that bruises easily.  Aging spots.

Then there is our hair.  Thinning hair.  Dry, limp, dull hair.  Hair falling out.  Flaky scalp.  

Any of these sound familiar?

These are some simple signs of aging we all expect and are not surprised when they occur. We slap on creams and lotions or have laser treatment in an effort to prevent/cover-up the inevitable. We buy the most expensive shampoo and conditioner thinking they should be superior.  The whole process becomes a workout and rarely produces the long-lasting results we were hoping to achieve.

Love at First Sight - Can it Last?

I saw him on the other side of the rink and wondered how to approach him.   He had been the guest speaker at my church that Sunday; I was smitten.  

It was announced there would be a roller skating party for the youth on Saturday night and I attended in hopes he would be there.  He seemed quiet and reserved.  I was all over-the-place bubbly but I was drawn to him.

Eventually I got up the nerve to skate a little closer to him and say "Hi, I'm Carol."  He smiled, nodded and sped off.  

Did I say too much?  Did I scare him off?  What was it about this guy I found so appealing? He was in his twenties and balding but extremely good looking with the biggest, softest brown eyes.