Big title. Have you read Part 1 yet? Please, please, please do.

​Career is not something I often write about but these stories have been on my heart to share in a series of posts. I believe them to be important chapters, and lessons, of what's to come and what I'm working towards in the evolution of my writing and work.

​Sometimes it's hard to go back to the moments that feel so far gone. Yet I've always found writing those stories to be helpful in many ways from remembering what went down, to moving on, or to declaring new intentions.

​That's why today I'm sharing my adventures in Network Marketing (or direct sales.) You'll likely have an intrigued "OoOoO" or a eye roll "ugh" towards this topic... and *spoiler alert* I don't believe my days in Network Marketing to be over... but I have certainly learned a whole lot along the way!
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​​My first experience with direct sales goes WAY back to when I was 20 and Stella & Dot was brand new. At the time, I was a Business Administration college student with big (not-sure-what) entrepreneurial dreams. After splurging on Christmas gifts at a trade show I spent months considering the Stylist opportunity and eventually signed up. Long story short this business was not for me. I loved the style, I loved the idea of growing a biz, I could daydream the heck out of my future success but I simply didn't know myself well enough to actually work for it. I didn't have the awareness or confidence to take (effective) action. Part of me kind of regretted it when I'd look back, now I can more clearly see why it just wasn't the right time, place or product.

​Flash forward six years, I was a mama of two, I had "tried" going back to work (read Part 1) and right when I had finally began to explore my 'dream career' option of opening a home daycare, I stumbled upon a new opportunity. Me being me, likes to see things as signs... (Even I want to roll my eyes now.) The way in which I found Keep Collective was sort of random in that I wasn't seeking a business opportunity. I discovered this was Stella & Dot's new baby sister company and it was launching in Canada. I immediately fell for the mission and vision behind the brand to "live happy" and "keep close what matters most." I felt more connected to this line and appreciated the brand's past success and innovation. For those that don't know, KEEP is a personalized charm and engravable based accessory line. I honestly gave this less thought than I had with Stella and jumped in to be a founding Canadian designer.

​Like many learning experiences in life, I have come to realize my intentions were "good" but not totally clear. I still daydreamed the heck out of my future success but was almost more ego driven this time. Thinking oh 'this is new', I'm in on 'the ground floor'... Seeking that quick success... Sort of. I did actually work harder this time... but looking back I see that there was hustle, and even though there was heart, there was a lot missing. It didn't flow and it felt forced. The missing pieces led to other things not lining up. I loved the stories and community behind the brand but was finding many clients didn't connect with that and instead were just shopping. Of course, sales are what you want in business. Yet I wanted my sales to feel better. A huge realization for me was recognizing it was actually the community and the lifestyle I was seeking, not the product and the sales!

​Don't get me wrong, I still love my keepers and wear them to this day. I love what  the company stands for and the success it's brought so many women. Yet, again I knew it was not for me. I realized I dove in to KEEP partly for fear of diving in to what truly mattered and what I truly wanted my career to be. I began to recognize I didn't need hundreds of charms and excess 'stuff' to live happy. I didn't want to promote a product that others didn't *really* need even though I liked it. I wanted to promote happiness and I realized I could do that simply by deciding "what matters most."

​So, I will always credit KEEP for asking me that question and to leading me down the path of tuning inwards and taking chances.
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Today, I finally opened a draft to start typing this post I have thought about sharing for quite some time. A topic I haven't said much about on my blog: Career.

​I'm excited to make 'brands, business and becoming a working mom' in to a series of posts. There's a lot to say on the topic and there's a lot of chapters still unfolding and being written.

​To open up, I want to back track to my return to work after babies... Rather, my attempt to return to work.

​I've got a few tales of how the universe totally has your back and how my first path was clearly not for me. This job did bring a story in to my life though, and it's one I often think about in my pursuit of following my heart when it comes to career and passions.

​Please read (and follow) on if you've ever felt or longed for that 'knowing' feeling when it comes to career paths.
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​If you don't know, long story short, we moved to Calgary from Fort McMurray when I was on maternity leave with Halle. Less than a month after moving, I became pregnant with Autumn. Since I was in a new city, in need of a new job and now pregnant again, there was no point in looking for a job at the end of mat leave, 20 weeks pregnant... So, we welcomed Autumn that Fall and I kept up my stay at home mom gig, without a second paid maternity leave, until Autumn's first birthday.

Time to get back to work...

​By social norms...

​And well, I was sort of ready...

​By that, I mean I did want a career and I wanted that to be in Child Care and Early Education. (My chosen path and success before Halle was born.) Yet, that was not the path I was headed on at this point.

​Gosh, I'm not one to make long stories short.

​As a couple, Matthew and I made the decision to simply look for a job.

A serving job.

​Waitressing: something I was sure my days were done with.

​Nevertheless, it made sense for the stage we were at and I was definitely carrying guilt for having been home with babies (although an absolutely wonderful time.) I still longed to contribute and support my household financially.

​Back to skipping this story along so I can get to the universe and the valuable lesson I learned...

​I found a job. At a newer restaurant.

​My interview went terrible, so I thought... (Usually I feel great about interviews.) This one was off and I cried my whole drive home. (That's never happened.)

Also, this was sign number 1.

​Anyway, when I got the surprising offer call and started the job, it felt weird.

​Going back to work after kids, I assume, is weird anyway. But starting a new job, especially a job that felt like "two steps back" was more weird.

​Law of attraction working it's magic again. Did I lose you? By that, I mean my vibes were just not lining up for this. I didn't want a serving job, I didn't feel right in the serving job. How was this (EVER) supposed to go well?

​Other signs it just wasn't going to work:
​- My training was super dragged out to work around Matthew's commuting schedule. Training = no tips. No tips = no money as a server.
​- When I did get some shifts, I was hit with a terrible head cold, that I persisted through because I simply did not want to miss my opportunity to work... I should have stayed home.
​- This was all around Christmas. We had company. I had time off. Great, right? The only problem, I was pretty much forgotten about in the New Year. AKA the slow time of year for any and all restaurants. AKA no shifts for wonky scheduled new girls like me. And they totally forgot to call and tell me about it...
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​On top of all that, the nagging phony feeling in my button down shirt, selling wine (at the time I knew nothing about) and just not fitting in.

​Are you picking up on these vibes?

​It just did not work.

​The universe was literally screaming it at me that this was not for me!

​The only good thing to come from this was great food. Seriously, delish. And no hard feelings for this place, staff or experience. (I've gone back.)

​And so, I could officially put the serving days behind me. It simply wasn't meant to be.

​There was a lull that followed. A how do we/I proceed wading of waters.

​During this time, I learned the story I mentioned up there. Read on ;)
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​The chef at the restaurant was a young man. He was their second chef since opening. He took them from a slow start and made them something great. He had a talent for cooking and a passion for house made and locally sourced food. He seemed to be the heartbeat of the restaurant.

​Like most young, kitchen staff, he spent long hours at the restaurant, down time drinking at the nearby pub and always with that raunchy restaurant humour ;)  But the difference was in how much he cared about what he did and that's what made his craft admirable.

​At least I find it cool when people are really good at what they do and there's real soul behind it.

​And that's why when I heard the story of his passing, I was shocked.

​He died in a car accident on his way to a local farm...

On his way to do something for the job he loved.

​A young life, gone.

​It's always sad to hear of deaths. Especially accidents or "young" people dying. Yet, even though I barely knew him, I often think about this.

​I think about how he loved what he did. His passion behind it. That he found something he cared about and did well and it was taken from him like *that.*

​One, it simply makes you step back and have gratitude for the life you have at this very moment. Two, it makes you want to find that passion, that career that means something to you and to make it great.

​And so, sometimes when I'm having off moments about career and moving forward, I think about this story. About not procrastinating or waiting for life to happen, but instead making life happen here and now. Chasing those dreams. Pursuing those passions that light you up. (Even if they change along the way.)

​Because I can only imagine if Chef was here today, he would be proud of the story he left. The connections he made. The inspiration he left behind.

​We never know when our time will end, so let's live our best lives while we can.

​This is just the beginning of a from-the-heart series where I'll be sharing stories about what happened next. I'll be writing about a wide range of things from my experiences with network marketing to starting my dream job and what's ahead for me and my career. I hope you enjoyed this opening post and that you'll follow along for more.

​Thanks, as always, for reading XO