And They Said it Wouldn't Last

So yesterday was my 10 year anniversary at my company. It's kind of hard to believe that it's been 10 years. A decade. Diez anos. Half a score.

Crazy.

Some co-workers took me to lunch today to celebrate and we ended up at my favorite Mexican joint in town. Someone asked if it felt like a long time and I kind of laughed when I answered no because of course 10 years is a long time in some respects. But if felt like it went really fast. And I realized I'm at a point in my life - an age in my life - when ten years feels like it went by in a blink. It was also a little scary. Like, holy shit...what happened to those years?!

When I started my job I was 23, broke and pretty unsure what I wanted in life. I went out with my friends all the time, drank a lot, didn't sleep much and spent money like I had some. When I started my job I was so excited to have a job where I got medical and dental....from day 1. I remember hearing something about a 401K match during new hire orientation but I paid little attention after they said the funds would be deducted from my check. How dare they! Baby needed new shoes so there would be no deductions for several years. I didn't have a lot of "work clothes" so my outfits consisted of khakis, button downs and loafers. And jeans on more days than just casual Friday.

I walked into the building on my first day and was so excited to see a brand new computer in my cube. One of the women in my department took me over to the supply closet and I almost lost my mind with excitement when I saw the choices of pens and post-it notes. My boss took me to lunch that day and told me I needed to order a Palm Pilot when we got back. It was clear I was going to be doing important things if the company was going to get a Palm Pilot. I started files in the little file cabinet in my office and I went to meetings. I got coffee in the breakroom and I spent half an hour perfecting the outgoing message on my voicemail.

About six months in I figured out what I really wanted to do. And I started working on ways to get the job I wanted. At the time, it seemed kind of impossible. I had no real experience, no clue how to get the experience, and no idea where to start. But I was lucky because I found a mentor who really believed in me and always supported me. And then I found another. And then a few more.

So I had a great group of people who supported me (and still do) but I was young and dumb and thought that my wanting a certain job should be enough. I learned quickly that I was going to have to work. A lot. I took every developmental assignment they threw at me. I took classes. I came in early and I stayed late. I jumped on planes at a moments notice and where they needed me to go.

I can't complain much about the travel as I work in a fun industry so I was able to travel all over the country to places I might have never been able to see on my own. I've been to half the states in the country. I've stayed at gorgeous resorts. I've played golf on courses I had no business being on. I've met actors, musicians and athlethes. I've been to concerts and every kind of sporting event you can imagine. I have friends all over the country thanks to work so if I ever miss a flight or get stuck because of weather I almost always have someone to call for drinks or a meal. I work with great people and even on my worst day, I can't imagine working anywhere else.

I've had all of this fun and somehow, I've managed to build a pretty great career. And just recently, that job that I set out to get a decade ago...well, I got it. I feel so lucky. I know I've worked hard and all but I also know so many people who worked just as hard and have been out of work for a while. Sometimes hard work needs to be accompanied by a little luck and I've been fortunate enough to have had a good mix of both.

If the next 10 years are as rewarding and as much fun as the first 10, I imagine they'll go just as fast.