In The Weeds

Just when I thought work couldn't get any busier...it did. And to make things worse, I was pulled out of the office for 4 days of training last week with no access to email. In the restaurant industry, we called this "in the weeds." It's been difficult to get my inbox to below 100 emails, and return even half of the voicemails that have piled up. But the good news is that I can finally see the light again (and also have time for Facebook/Pinterest/Blogging).

I inherited nearly 65 new accounts a few weeks ago, and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to scale the new workload to fit into my 8 hour work day. I have to find a way though because I cannot continue to function the way these past few weeks have been. I'll figure it out...someway, somehow.

There is a good story here- I promise! Our entire education sales force spent all of last week on the beautiful property that is Hyatt Lost Pines Resort. If you haven't been there before, it really is spectacular. Unfortunately, the location in Bastrop made for some really long days for me. I left my house at 6am, and didn't return before 10pm pretty much every day. But for once in my life, I got to attend a training that was engaging, interactive, and very informative. I actually walked away with a ton of information and inspiration, which made that time totally worth it.

I also walked away with two awards. One was slightly expected, and the other was a total and complete shock! I have worked my arse off this past year, and was able to surpass my sales expectations that at first seemed impossible. My main motivation was simply that I like to be successful. Give me a goal, and I'll do what it takes to meet it. There was also a shiny carrot (besides a nice commission check) dangled in front of me...a trip to the island of Nevis! You may remember that I attended the club trip to Hawaii earlier this year. But stakes were higher and they made the trip more exclusive by limiting exactly how many people would be invited this year.

I remember being at the final dinner in Hawaii when the new "Circle of Excellence" program was announced, and thinking how hard it would be to make it. Going in to last week I knew that I had met at least the main criteria (obtaining sales quota), and thought I had a good chance to be awarded the trip. What I did not plan on was also being awarded Inside Sales Account Executive for my region. I had not even given a moment's thought to it. So imagine my excitement at the final awards dinner last week, when my field counterpart was announced as Field AE for our region. And when they begin describing the Inside AE....and I realized it was me....I just couldn't believe it. The two of us as a team really beat the odds and had such an amazing year in a territory that was notoriously difficult to crack. I couldn't have done it without her, and it was so rewarding that we were able to win the honor together. All of the frustration, stress and headaches were totally worth it at that very moment.

My shiny, beautiful award

Accepting our awards on stage.

So...in just two short months, Hank and I will be basking in the sun on what appears to be heaven on Earth. I absolutely cannot wait to get away for an extended time, with no email or work calls, and just relax and enjoy a true vacation. I thought Hawaii would be hard to beat, but I think this trip will be spectacular.