Nonprofit Expo

I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by amazing, supportive people. So, even in all this unemployment, I can't ever get too down because my friends are so supportive.

Yesterday, one of my friends told me about a Nonprofit Expo at Boston University.  So, I prepared my resumes, put on a business casual outfit complete with my Gentle Souls heels.

Gentle Souls - Fortune Stella

Okay, well, I figured if I'm going to get used to heels, I better start walkin'.  But, I did pack some flats along as well.

So, I had already looked at the list of organizations that were planning on being at the Expo, and I knew that the majority of them weren't necessarily ones that I would apply to.  I also knew that most of the organizations would only be looking for internship or volunteer positions.

Nonetheless, I signed up for a couple of mailing lists, and picked up a ton of fliers and brochures.

Info, info, and more info.

When I would chat up one of the representatives of the different organizations, I would ask if they were hiring or just looking for interns or volunteers.  The majority of folks were definitely looking for volunteers.  However, there were some that mentioned and even had print-outs of some job positions.

I would ask them if they were looking for a specific amount of experience and education.  Weirdly, they would say that they were looking for someone who at least a Bachelors or were in the midst of getting their bachelors.  I then responded, "Well, I have a Masters in Social Work."

I got a lot of surprised faces.  A lot of people who said that I looked so young, so they assumed that I didn't have that much experience.

Even when I would outright tell them that I was a social worker/community organizer, they would try to hand me an internships.

I really don't think I look as young as one of the young ones.  But I appreciate the gesture.

Once I got home, I emailed the folks that I chatted with about specific positions they were offering so that I could have a leg up on the newbies. 

I hope the Expo is fruitful.

Dream Escapes - Team Effort

I've had this dream before, but this time around there were so many differences almost acknowledging that time has past.

The dream was basically about a massive activity weekend, featuring several physical tests and rally races.  In my original dream, my team was the winner.  We had to climb up a massive structure, climb back down, go back up through a different way and slide down a massive ice luge.  Then we had to do a series of physical tests, like jumping jacks and push ups.  Finally, we had to run up a mountain and race to the finish.

In this dream, it was clear that time had passed and our team had gained some notoriety.  We had somehow built a team of 26 members, with each "persona" in a costume that started with a different letter of the alphabet. 

For some reason, we kept being late to the contests.  We would get lost, or we weren't able to find the person who was supposed to compete at the moment.  At one point, there was a frightening incident in the women's restroom with overflowing toilets.

I had a team meeting with my group, and I made it clear to them that the fact that we had grown in such numbers already made us quite a popular team.  I stressed that there was no stress on us to win, but others in the team didn't seem to agree.

I woke up before the official first game.

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Now, what was this dream about?  How did I feel and where could I apply it to my real life?

Well, I felt very proud of my accomplishments and of the fact that people recognized us.  But I conflicted with focusing on having a good time and trying to win again.  It's as though my goals were conflicted.

I'd have to say that I have definitely felt that way about the paths that I'm choosing.  While I am excited and hopeful about find a full time job, I'm also aware that I have my own dreams and goals that I would like to accomplish.  I know that whatever position I end up at, I will use it to grow from and take the lessons I've learned to work towards my own goal.  But should I just go for my own goal now?

Part of it, and part of what I felt in my dream, was fear of losing.  It's almost as though I was so uncertain about winning the competition that I tried to focus on having a good time instead.  But, if I have people who are willing to back me up and really go for the gold, then I should just give it my all as well...right?

I know that it makes me nervous to go for my nonprofit, because I'm scared of failing and I'm scared of how that might affect others in my team.  I'm still working on my business plan, and it definitely needs some tweaking.  I'm hoping to keep having inspirational dreams about it.