And what am I doing in the meantime to keep busy and buy groceries? I work in a restaurant and act like a college kid. My shift ends past midnight then I go out with coworkers to de-stress, end up eating late-night pizza or tacos and come home as the birds are chirping outside only to wake up in the afternoon. Then I repeat. This cycle becomes particularly vicious on weekends when 15-hour shifts are separated by the excitement and anticipation of partying until dawn with friends you don't see during the week because they hold more normal work hours. Luckily, I pride myself as being a self-motivated and diligent person and therefore manage to get emails and applications out almost daily, along with updates on my social media platforms, job search profiles and blog. In the long run, however, living at night while persistently scavenging for jobs are not super compatible activities. And that's what hit me yesterday - I felt tired, sluggish, and not in the mood to send another email that will undoubtedly go unanswered.
Then I realized that this mindset was exactly what I needed to avoid. Yes, I need a job for money and I crave the routine, social interactions and familiar faces. Working in my restaurant fulfills these goals. But I can't lose sight of why I moved here. I need to be focused and motivated, to keep sending emails and applications with a positive outlook, and to stay driven.
A kickboxing class, several steaming bowls of butternut squash soup, a good night's sleep (tucking in before 2am), a yoga class and this broccoli, lentil and arugula salad later and I feel infinitely better. I got started on a freelance assignment, I sent multiple emails and applied to contribute to an online publication focused on the East Village. Now I just need to make the rest of this week as productive and keep next weekend's nonsense to a minimum. I need to always remember why I'm here.
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