Oh. My. Goodness. Talk about overwhelmed!! After my last week as a 'yogi,' getting back into an office environment was more stressful than I anticipated!!
But, to carry on with the yoga-mindset, here are some things I have to be grateful for:
1. I have a place to stay with my friend Krista and her boyfriend Kyle. They have VERY kindly taken me into their home, and Krista even walked me to work on my first day!
2. I am reallly close to the Event Planning office! Like, a 20-30 minute walk. Across a bridge. Over the ocean. With a beach underneath, and the Rocky Mountains in the background. Can it really get any better?!
3. Karen, the event planner/marketer extraordinaire that took me in, is SO patient with me! She answers all my questions, constantly encourages me to think outside the box, and is the first person to remind me that it's okay to make mistakes - but that the most important thing is to learn and have fun.
So, this week has seen me travel once again! I'm now on the west coast of Canada, in Vancouver. In total, I've traveled approximately 5,623km!
View Toronto to Vancouver in a larger map
But - I should start at the beginning of Week 5...
After my flight (short and sweet, just the way I like it), I was greeted by Krista and Kyle. *A quick note: I actually met Krista in the Australian Outback about a year and a half ago...we were both traveling and she happened to be sleeping on the top bunk of my hostel bed. After a 20 minute conversation, we were friends! We met up in a few other cities during our respective Aussie trips, and reunited in Toronto last fall. I love that about traveling - actually meeting and staying in touch with these people! In a way, I feel as if Krista is an older sister of sorts...and I always did want a sister...;)
Anyway! Krista, Kyle and I had a great supper on a rooftop patio, with the sun setting on a bright Vancouver day... *Another quick note: I absolutely LOVE Vancouver - the way the base of the mountains grow out of the Pacific Ocean, and then somehow manage to snuggle a city in between. The air is fresh, pine-scented, and moist. People seem healthier here than in other large cities...probably because the ocean wind helps wipe any grime away...(I'm sure that's gotta be a scientific fact).
But, once again, I'm falling away from my actual job experience here so far!
Focus, Amanda - focus.
On Monday I met Karen Milde, the Founder and Senior Marketing Consultant of Reframe Marketing. Reframe helps companies brand themselves successfully in order to reach their specific target group, and then advises them on how to market themselves more effectively. Reframe also provides search engine strategies, sales strategies, competitor research, marketing campaigns and business plans. A lot of ground to cover in just one week!!
When I came in, Karen gave me a lot of choice: I could learn how to write web copy, conduct research for Government grants, assist in internet marketing, and variety of other tasks...or - I could plan and execute an event - all in one week.
I've always been curious as to what it takes to be an event planner, so I automatically was drawn to that task - little did I know what kind of trouble lay before me...!
Planning an event takes TIME. This is something I obviously have very little of in regards to my One Week Job. Monday was spent brainstorming - What kind of event should I plan? What was the objective of this event? Who should we target? Where would these people be located?
To be honest - I was exhausted. I was so overwhelmed by choice! Starting from scratch is exhilarating, but also debilitating... I was also very well aware of the time-crunch, and that made me nervous.
I'm also realizing that I don't work very well in an office environment - my muscles need to move, and I don't enjoy the way my back gets all cramped up from sitting at a desk for hours at a time.
But - we decided on an project: The One Week Job Street Team.
Sean and Ian (the OWJ filmmaker) both live in Vancouver, so they have very kindly agreed to be great sports and help me out with this! I'm going to create a 'pop-up event' in downtown Vancouver, where Sean, Ian, and I will take to the streets to create some hype about the One Week Job program, book, and film! It's definitely still in the planning stages right now - but Vancouverites: consider this your warning! Thursday, July 29, we'll be shooting interviews downtown with anyone and everyone who has something to say about finding their passion. You could even WIN an autographed copy of the One-Week Job Project and/or a coffee-date/meeting with Sean!
It's going to be a busy next couple days...so I guess I'd better grab some sleep!
Talk soon, and keep your fingers crossed for me...
-Amanda
Visit Reframe Marketing and Check out Karen's BLOG!