Hey friend,
I kept doing this funny thing while I was in Berlin all week. Something that feels very... well, frankly, it feels on brand.
Basically, I kept accidentally confusing people.
All week long, I was running into friends and acquaintances left, right, and center (queen of Berlin, what can I say!) and they would do the polite thing where they'd say, "Lex! Great to see you, what brings you to town?"
Me: Just hanging out. Working on the book, happy to be here, you know, the usual."
"Nice. So, are you like... working remotely, or—"
Me: Oh, no, no, I'm on a break.
"OMG, is everything okay? You're didn't lose your job, did you? Are you on sick leave?!"
Me: Oh. Uh. No. I mean... I'm on... I took vacation days?
"Ohhhh! Got it. Lovely! Are you having a good vacation?"
And everytime I was... just like... But... I....
Look, here's the thing.
I mean, real talk, I've got nothing against nobody. I should probably take a normal vacation, like, to a beach somewhere. That sounds nice. And I do also actually love having a full-time job right now. Not only has it been a wonderful growth experience (June will be a year!) for me, but it's also actually really important for you.
It's crucial that I understand the nooks and crannies of full-time employment in 2018 so that I can continue to better serve YOU in navigating your own career—not just today, but five, ten, twenty years from now.
Which is why the concept of me taking time to write the #ENTRYLEVELBOSS book proposal being 'a vacation' from work is like...
You guys, no. I mean, I've been working towards this book for four years, and I've only been with my employer for one!
Whether or not you also work on side projects, or have some secret business you want to start outside of your 9-5, whether you're even employed right now at all...
The takeaway for you is the same as it is for me:
You'll be somebody before your next job, and you'll be somebody after your next job. And that's not to say your next career step is not crucially, fundamentally important. Of course it is.
But you're still just... you. The whole time.
Me? I'm the girl who writes these emails (or book proposals) from my trusty MacBook Air, wearing lipstick before noon in an un-airconditioned Berlin café. That's who I always am. Not just when I'm on vacation, or when I have a good job, or when I'm doing well, or when I'm freaking out. That is my constant.
And you'll still be your version of constant after this next career hurdle.
You'll still be you.
(And isn't that wonderful, when you think about?)
Big love,
xxA