I am trying hard to navigate the waters of “Life After 50 … Because I Ain’t Dead Yet”
I find myself in that position where the kids don’t need me in ways they used to, but just the same, I’m needed in other ways. I want to be there for all of them, now and in the future, but my very existence is not devoted to them 100% now.
I worked full time in my younger days, with much success. After holding on to a career for as long as I could, it became too hard having 6 young kids in 8 years. So, I dwindled to part-time, and then barely working at all.
Through it all, I kept up with my passion of being a certified exercise instructor, which is now something I am able to continue more frequently. It’s nice, I love it and want it to be a part of me for life. In addition to that, I have several other irons in the fire, including a Photography/Videography business, Blogging4Business (writing script and prose for small businesses) a smaller level of Event Planning, and a few other gigs.
When somebody asks “Do you work full time?” , I have to think about it. I don’t have one full time job, but I fee like I am always trying to do something.
I am not big on unproductive time.
So, that being said, I would like to further advance myself out into the world with the qualities and the passions I possess. I can be quite a commodity when I am interested in a project.
I came upon a part-time, flexible job which sounded right up my alley. I could sooooooo see myself doing it, and so I decided to apply.
Doubt set in. Why? Because I have been rejected by no less than 6 job opportunities, some coming right down to the hiring wire, in the past few months.
Honestly, I felt so much doubt about myself. I hide it well, though.
So, I took a look at my cover letter and my resume. B-O-R-I-N-G. And not depicting myself at all.
Instead, this time I took a chance. Because…I don’t want to get busy dying. I want to LIVE…and I figured…I have absolutely nothing to lose.
Please take a look at my cover letter I sent, and let me know what you think:
I am emailing you in the interest of obtaining more information of the job description I discovered through ______________.
Sure, I did read in detail what the part-time freelance job would entail, but what intrigued me most was the boldface print section on the bottom indicating you did not want to hear from applicants who are looking for a temporary gig to tide them over until a real job was found.
I was especially interested in the fact you used the word “gig”, which automatically led me to the decision this would be a company I would fit in with completely.
Let me tell you why:
Sure, I could attach my resume and let you see how successful I have been over the years of my life in the field of Sales, which, as we all know, is nothing much more than how well you interact with a variety of people. I mean, honestly, have you ever met somebody who has had a modicum of success in sales with the personality of a doorstop? Yeah, neither have I.
But the truth is, I have had huge success. I took my college degree and ran out the door of James Madison University with it , finding my first sales job in Tampa, Florida, and then ending up with a higher paid salary in Ft. Lauderdale, still in Sales. All the in-between stuff would just be writing on paper. Probably boring stuff, and most likely little more than perused. We are now interested in the end result and beginning of a new goal.
So, here I am.
I may as well cut to the chase:
I am a 54-year-old mother of six grown children who has remained vibrant, social, politically aware and financially fiscal. I have retained several part time jobs over the years of raising my kids, including remaining a certified group exercise instructor, a freelance photographer/videographer of events and all-around Volunteer Mom.
It’s time to do more.
Have you ever seen “Shawshank Redemption”? One of my favorite movies. My reason for bringing it up here is one scene in particular: There is a character named “Red” who has been in prison for most of his life and keeps getting rejected by the parole board. Toward the end, when they are giving him one more time up for review in front of the board, he takes a different approach. The speech is unforgettable and totally relatable. He informs them he is through playing the game…he is not going to say what he thinks they WANT to hear, that he is rehabilitated. Instead, he takes the gritty, honest path and tells them he doesn’t know, but what he does know is he would take his old self and “talk to him”, teach him right and wrong so that it never would have happened in the first place. He knows who he is now, and that is all that is important and vital. He realizes, in his own mind, he is not the same person, but one that could make a difference in the outside world.
He is granted parole.
I can truly empathize with Red. I felt the power of his speech as relatable to my own situation in this life. It would do neither a company nor myself any good to answer questions with predictable words, the canned answers which perhaps possible employers were accustomed to hearing, like “I am a people person”, or “I am detail-oriented” and I never miss a deadline”, (although all true in my particular case…), nor would it be a good idea to create the person I am not, yet only the person I think you want to hear. To ramble on about the success I have had in my prior life without instead focusing and shining on the supreme qualities I have now as not only a hard-working individual with goals, and a passionate one with differing, yet just as desirable qualities would be not only redundant, but as well not prudent to let the essence of myself be known.
Now, don’t get me wrong. I am no criminal. (Insert a laugh….) But, what I am is a woman who knows exactly who she is and has lived a life long enough to know that fulfillment comes from the gut. I have no regrets, no looking back and saying “woulda coulda shoulda”. All I know is what I have to offer now.
I am not shy. I love to converse, in many different settings. I am not afraid to walk in a room when I recognize not a soul. I try new things whenever and wherever I can within reason, and will take pause and think it through with issues including safety, reputation and possible outcome. I am driven…I am not certain if you know many people who wake up at 4:30 am just to get a run in before the day hits to have a more productive day to look back on. That is I.
I have so much passion to share with the company which is savvy enough to look deeper and see the commodity I am.
So, this cover letter is to let you know, by taking a chance to take one step further with me in your company, you’ll get exactly what you bargained for….and so much more.
Take a chance on me.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Welsh Summe
jensumandthensome 