11.29.2009

Giving Thanks...Making Transitions (Allow me to reintroduce myself...)



No one who achieves success does so without the help of others.
The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.
-
Alfred North Whitehead
I have a lot to be thankful for this year! As always I am eternally grateful for my giant family and all of my friends, colleagues and mentors who've contributed positively to my life. I can only find success knowing you are there for me. I am healthy and have a wonderful home. I count my blessings every day for this beautiful life!

I am thankful for social media. What started out as a fun hobby has turned into my most powerful networking tool; has brought me a ton of new friends who I would've never met otherwise; and has also opened doors I never would have known were there to open had I not put myself out there on Twitter, Facebook and here on my blog.

Now, I can add that social media has officially gotten me to my next chapter in my professional life!

I wasn't actively looking for a job. Knowing what the job market is like for a lot of people out there, I didn't think it'd be worth my time when I was still in a job I got a lot out of. You can imagine my surprise when Banyan Branch approached me about joining their team. Come mid-December, my time at the Chamber is coming to a close.

I have learned so much in my ascent to events director for the chamber, meeting so many different kinds of people in every kind of business you can imagine. I was given an incredible amount of creative freedom and independence to grow the Chamber's body of networking events and professional development programming thanks to a fabulous boss who really believed in my potential. I've grown immensely in my public speaking, networking and problem solving having had every type of problem and public speaking situation thrown at me there. Countless opportunities have been afforded me through my work and the network I've built there. I got a lot of praise and a lot of criticism too - both have helped me grow. They say to never forget where you came from and I have the Chamber forever imprinted in my life. Thank you for shaping a part of me!

I'm SO excited to make a career change into a field I LOVE (marketing & social media), with the skills I've honed at the Chamber to help me excel in what I've been brought on to do.

I don't talk about work much on FreshJess.com but making this transition has dominated my mind the past few weeks and I'm delighted to share the decisions I've made with you. Not to worry, FreshJess readers; though I know I'll be puttin in work in my new role, I'm going to do my best to keep this blog updated with fresh content as much as possible.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Peace, love & happiness to you & yours.

xo
Jess

7 comments:

knitpurl said...

You are amazing & deserve everything amazing in life!

<3
Jen

nadine said...

i am so proud of you. i cannot think of a single person that deserves these blessings more! you exude such positivity and bring so much love to people's lives, its no surprise that all of these wonderful things are happening. congratulations, my sweet- its your time to shine! :)

tris1978ton said...

Good luck!

Veronica Sopher said...

Congratulations, Jess! What a great move! I'm looking forward to hearing more about your work at Banyan Branch!

Andrea said...

Jess - Congrats! This is exciting news! Wishing you the best of luck in your new venture...

Sara said...

I have already told you how I feel via email but just a quick shoutout....you have no idea how proud of you I truly am. You are an exceptional person and a wonderful friend. I'm also thankful for social media as it has brought me to you and the other lovely ladies in my life. I'm glad that you have found the next chapter in your life and am glad to be going along with you. Thanks for everything you do and most of all, your friendship. xoxo

Felice said...

Very inspiring. It was fun to find out how you landed your next gig. Congrats and good luck! =)