Читать книгу Finding the Sun Through the Clouds - Dawnmarie Deshaies - Страница 12

Chapter 7

Climbing the Career Ladder

At the ripe old age of twenty years, I was recruited again by another prevalent company at that time called Rave, another women’s apparel store. The most significant decision that had to be made accepting this new job was my move to Springfield, Massachusetts. So here I was, jumping into the unknown of exciting possibilities. I rented a room in a quaint New England house at that time until I found an apartment and a roommate to pair myself with. Everything was going so well; the move was perfect, and I wasn’t stressed with the crushing workload as I was beforehand. As spring rolled around in the warm month of May, with all the change in the air, I bought a new car to signify the big move and increased confidence in my ability. It was a Honda Civic colored baby blue, and I absolutely loved it.

Most importantly, though, it was my car. I used the money I had been working for the last couple of years to buy this for myself. How wonderful it was to drive with that new-car smell. The sweet scent of change and accomplishment all in one. The job was going great. I was living in what I thought was a perfect life. With increased confidence, I was walking taller than I really was—you know, like the old saying “When a woman straps on her heels, she becomes the queen of the world.” With a cup of coffee in my hand and the biggest smile on my face as I rolled into work in this cute baby-blue Honda, I strutted down my imaginary runway to stardom. The new arrival of passion for life was only slightly hindered by the increasing workload. I knew life couldn’t always be perfect and I had to make the most of it as I went along, but this was the most I could reach for at that time, and I believe I made the most of it.

The change was ever-present in Massachusetts. Seasons increased rain, and my allergies blowing the roof off my apartment caused my asthma to act up again. So living with my roommate and without the guidance of my mother, I went to the hospital. They gave me a new medication, called albuterol. This made things easier for me when I was having trouble. The phantoms began resurrecting within me, and the feelings of my hands and feet falling asleep along with my problems in my vision began to rear their ugly heads again. I just thought this must be my normal behavior when exposed to excess stress. Looking back on my sickly childhood, I thought this was completely normal and just soldiered on.

As the tides changed and the world kept rotating on its axis, I made new friends and really felt like I was making a great life for myself. I became the area sales manager for the second time in my career, having five stores to manage all around Massachusetts, and began to travel a lot more with work just like before. I worked the weekly forty hours along with numerous hours of overtime, and yet I kept my smile strong and stayed positive because I really liked my job. For all those beginning in their career, I hope you find something you love doing, because it makes life so much easier when you enjoy the work you are managing. You will reach your dreams.

Floor plans were changing every week on headquarters’ decision, new marketing campaigns were beginning to float to the surface every couple of months, and new merchandise meant we had to make the store look perfect to a wide range of customers. I also began to work on accounting sales margins per request of the higher-ups. Numbers and margins became the norm for me. I was making sure every store was meeting their weekly and monthly sales goals. My team was easy and fun. Luckily, I was working with all women, so the gossip was continually flowing. Girls, after all, just want to have fun.

I really loved working with people. We managed to work hard and still made the workplace fun. I could sell anything to anyone; if someone asked for advice on what to wear, I could sell them a leaf patch and they would leave thinking it was Chanel. I was that good. Working in retail was a great experience. I believe every person should work in retail once due to working most weekends and holidays. Retail work teaches you how to interact with all kinds of people and gives you confidence when you begin to sell in increased margins. Besides all the numbers and margins, I really cared for all my customers. To simply bring a smile to someone’s face after helping them find the perfect outfit would make my day. I really enjoyed making others feel confident in themselves, and I hope to inspire all women to feel like a queen or a princess even on their worst days. I smiled while handing them their bag of new accessories and clothing, and I always felt the warm exchange of joy piercing our two faces. By instilling confidence in another, I found it in myself.

My teams were amazing, and working with so many different personalities intrigued and fascinated me. As a manager, I would motivate them daily and made work fun to keep up the bravado. I would like to think I was a fun boss but also astute in getting the job done. I guess you could say I was a no-nonsense boss. I worked about sixty-five to seventy hours a week, traveling from store to store, working with my sales teams and really getting to know them and what their lives were like. They were my work family, and I loved every second spent with them.

I remember days when I would collapse into my couch because the phantom fatigue crept in as soon as I stepped from my car and into my apartment. When I wasn’t at work or around anyone, I would wonder why there were so many things wrong with me. Was life really supposed to be this normal? To live with a constant wave of unknown agony? I began to talk to my coworkers about my symptoms, and they would say, “Dawnmarie, sweetie, you are working too hard. Take a vacation.” Following a couple more weeks of enduring pain, I went in for a checkup with a local doctor. In concurrence with my coworkers, the doc said, “Take a vacation, Dawnmarie.” All my blood work returned normal, so the only physically present ailment was my asthma. I continued to lie to myself, encouraging myself that the pains were just the stress of working. That lie only made me worry more, because I knew deep down I wasn’t supposed to be feeling this way all the time. I redirected my focus to work, pushing my own health to the side most of the time. I was a hard worker, and I was determined as ever to be the best district sales manager ever. Even if I wasn’t feeling well, I was never going to let anything stop me.

I never really went out too much due to workload, but one day the girls said, “Let’s go out for a drink,” and my whole life changed again.