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For the past couple of years, I have really struggled with the feeling of being lost and directionless. I have thought about and talked about what I might want to do with my life. I have searched for meaning and I have wondered what (if anything) I had already accomplished in my short life.

Well, dear friends, in this past week I have finally figured out what it is I want to do with my life. It kinda hit me like a frisbee to the face or a 2 x 4 to the knees. For the time being, there are some things I would rather keep to myself seeing as I don't have all the kinks worked out yet. I've decided that I don't want to create a very specified plan on how to accomplish my goals, because I feel like that has been my downfall in the past. I try to plan too much and then when things don't go exactly right I start to feel like I've failed. I've finally realized that you can't plan out life down to every detail because things happen that you don't plan on.

Anyways, I'm feeling pretty confident about the goals I have in mind. I've already started taking steps to accomplish them.

I can tell you that my biggest goal right now is to buy a house. I have already started working towards this goal by being more careful with my finances and paying down my debt. I'm really excited to start putting some money away. I have a new coworker who sells real estate who is really excited to help me start this process.

She's been great because she understands that I'm new to this process and she wants to make sure I get something I love, something I can afford, and she wants to make sure I do this the right way. She loves working with buyers because she loves getting excited with them as they start looking for a new home.

I really want to pay down my debt. I am 24 years old now. I want to be completely debt free by the time I'm 26. I have less than $12,000 in student loans left and that is the ONLY debt that I have. I do not have a credit card and I never have. I plan to never have a credit card in my name. I have adopted the philosophy that if I need a credit card to purchase something, I can't afford it and therefore don't need it. The only debt I plan to have at age 26 is a mortgage.

So that's my big news. And all I have to say at the moment. :)

lindsayallison

the end is near

Ah, the end is coming!

No, no, no, I'm not talking about the end of the world. I'm talking about the end of all the long hours and hard work we've been putting in at the store to get ready for the opening next week!

I can hardly believe that tomorrow is our LAST day of fixing things up and cleaning before we start bringing "outsiders" into the store next week!

On Monday, we have other businesses in the area coming to tour the store. After that, we have the media coming in to tour the store and take pictures and all that. After all of that, we have a few hours to get ourselves all prettied up before our families get to come in for family night! It's going to be so exciting because so much of the support staff will be there! And our families will get to see all of the hard work we've been doing for almost two months! Plus we get to be the first ones to shop the store and that's gonna be so awesome!

Tuesday we get the day off. There is a big gala that night for big wigs from the city get to come and look around. The managers are going to work that one so us regular kids get the night off.

Then wednesday morning is the big day! Ribbon cutting will happen first thing in the morning and then we are OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

So all in all, I guess the hard work is really just beginning!

lindsayallison

leadership

I haven't written in this for quite some time. I just haven't had much to say lately because while I've been keeping busy, it's pretty much the same old, same old.

We've been working really hard in the store and this week, the product starts coming in! I'm so excited because this is where I will be especially helpful. I'm really good at merchandising and setting up displays. It's going to be so pretty once we're all done.

It's been a pretty awesome experience for me so far. Last tuesday I decided that I was sick of working in the downstairs, so I told all of my coworkers that we had to finish up the downstairs that day because I refused to work down there on wednesday. Well, the goal was accepted as a challenge by myself and everyone else who worked that day. And we accomplished the goal! We were all so excited to finish up the downstairs.

Because of my success in the downstairs on tuesday, when we got into the store on wednesday, everyone turned to me for direction on what to do in the upstairs. I was stunned, but I rose to the occasion and took charge of the work that day. It did not go unnoticed. One of my managers thanked me for taking charge and being the leader that day.

The next day, I was ready to get back into the hard work and finish this stuff up. Twenty minutes in, a higher up (similar to a district manager) came and said he wanted to reassign me. He had me help out an employee from another store who was setting up our antiques. That was pretty neat, being able to help decorate the store. I was a little concerned that I had been pulled from the harder work because it was unsatisfactory. I talked to my manager and it turns out that, nope, it was not because my work was unsatisfactory. It was because I have an opinion and I'm not afraid to voice it. Which is seen as a very good thing.

I'm so excited that I have been able to set myself apart from the others and step out as a leader in my store. I always strive for the best and it makes me happy that within a month I have already started showing myself as a strong personality and an effective leader.

In other news, Melissa and I are having another sale on saturday at the flea market. I think I'll be lucky to break a hundred bucks out of this, but whatever I make will be more than what I had before.

lindsayallison

workin' hard

I have been so busy the past few days! My new job is totally awesome! It's been pretty interesting being on the construction site where the store will be. Things are really coming together and we're hoping that the bottom floor will be ready very soon for us to put the finishing touches on fixtures and what not. The top floor still has quite a ways to go.

I got my first battle injury today! We were sliding two by fours down a chute we have and the girl sliding them down lost control of one just as I was turning around to grab the next board. I wasn't expecting it and so it slid right into my left knee and rebounded on my right one. I have a technicolor bruise the size of a half dollar (maybe even bigger!) on my left knee. It's all kinds of blue and purple, lol! But I don't mind. It only hurts if I put pressure directly on the spot.

I'm also very actively working towards trying to unload some of my things. My very good friend, Melissa, had a great idea. Sell the crap you don't need and start actively paying down your debt! She went through her things and found a bunch of stuff she wasn't using. Then she talked to her friends who donated items for her to sell so she could keep the profit to pay off some bills. She actually did very well at the sale.

So many people wanted to donate so much stuff that we're going to have another sale at the end of the month and this time, I will have some stuff at the sale too. I want to make a few extra dollars, but more importantly I feel like it's time to lighten the load.

I am holding on to so much stuff and most of it is just trinkets from the past ten or fifteen years that really don't mean anything. Sure, there are items that have sentimental value, but most of what I have is just crap.

My next big goal is to buy a house. I'm very excited about this idea. I really don't want to rent again because I feel like it's a waste of money. Anyways, when I finally get to the point where I can buy a house, I want to be able to start over. I want to have only the possessions that mean something to me and then I want to rebuild a home from the ground up.

The best way to do that is to throw away, sell, or donate the things I'm not using or are just plain garbage. This plan is really killing two birds with one stone because before I can buy a house, I want to be 100% debt free. And with this sale, that will give me a boost to getting there!

I'm really excited about this new direction I have. I've been drifting for so long and now I have a goal, a plan, and a hell of a lot of motivation to get there!

lindsayallison

back to work!

I am so excited about my new job! Orientation was on Friday, April 1, and I was just stunned by the information I learned about my new company.

They are 100% dedicated to employee and customer happiness and to giving back to the community. They are green in every possible way they can be green. This company is not about the bottom line, it's about the people. I wish more companies understood that to make the bottom line, you can't worry about the bottom line. You have to make your employees and customers happy and that will take care of your bottom line.

Panama City was fantastic. I had a glorious time! It was so nice to have five whole days with absolutely nothing to do! Unfortunately it was raining most of the time so I didn't get much beach time. But I had a fabulous time anyway.

Not much else to report. Just excited to go to work tomorrow.

lindsayallison

panama city

Tomorrow is my last day at Staples. After that I have five whole days off and I am headed to Panama City to see my bestie, Felicia for a few days. I can not wait to get out of here and not have to worry about a thing for a few days.

I am super excited about starting my new job, but I realized today that there are some people that I really am going to miss at Staples. It's been kinda rough saying goodbye to everyone, but everyone has been super sweet to me and some have even said some really nice things to me.

Today I got to meet my Dad's new girlfriend. She was super nice and sweet. My Dad seems to be really happy these days and that makes me happy.

Gah, I'm super sleepy now. It's bed time for me!

lindsayallison