WEEK 9 Not Always About the Money

Throwback to last week when I forgot about posting my challenge but actually took the time to focus on me. I have been so out of whack and left of centre that I decided very early on the week that I needed to do something about it and just went along with what I feel I needed to do and that was to ground myself.

I am an August baby, a late august baby thus meaning I am a Virgo. Fun Fact: when I was a kid I thought that Virgo was the Virigin Mary and hated being a Virgo as I am not religious at all! Only later did I realise that this is not true and that Virgo is much more than that. People who are Virgo’s are born between the 23rd of August and the 22nd of September. A basic summary of a Virgo and if you are a Virgo I am pretty sure you could agree with a majority of these values/aspects:

Element: Earth Element

Strengths: Loyal, analytical, kind, hardworking, practical

Weaknesses: Shyness, worry, overly critical of self and others, all work and no play

Virgo likes: Animals, healthy food, books, nature, and cleanliness

Virgo dislikes: Rudeness, asking for help, taking centre stage

Yes, not all two Virgos are the same, but the ones I have come across have been very similar to me in the way they live or approach life haha.

Anyway the reason why I bring up that I am a Virgo (and proud of it) is the earth element aspect- I needed to ground myself! Not the; you are in trouble you can’t leave your room for a week type of grounding, no when I say grounding I mean going outdoors and getting lost in Mother Nature. Some refer this type of grounding to “Earthing” which refers to connecting electrically with the Earth. The simplest way to be grounded is to go outside and place your bare feet or hands on some grass or earth, or to immerse yourself in a body of conductive water such as the sea or a mineral-rich lake.

So after I finished work for the week, I packed a swag and headed down to Lorne and camped the night and then went for a hike the following day. Let me tell you it was amazing and I felt so much better (a little exhausted from the hike) but on an emotional and spiritual level I felt refreshed and centred. Sadly I do not remember much before I went camping besides work, sleep and repeat. So if you are feeling out of it, maybe change your day and go somewhere you have never been before and explore or just head to your closest park to home or work, take your shoes off or sit down on the ground with hands facing palm down on the ground. You don’t have to go on for a hike, you can go to the beach and all you need to do is put your feet in the sand, appreciate the view and breathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 3 and breathe out through your mouth for 4 seconds. You will be surprised how quickly you change on the inside. This sort of change will then reflect on your face, emotions and approach to life.

We all get lost in this world of living up to certain expectations be it at work, life commitments and with family & friends but we need to take a step back and ground ourselves, remind ourselves our worth and that we need to look after ourselves first.

This probably hasn’t set up the right idea of gratitude for this week’s challenge – MY JOB. I love my job, I love who I work for, who I work with and the members I see on a weekly basis but like any job it can take a toll, especially when your personal life is a little chaotic. If it wasn’t for work I think I would be in a mental asylum- figuratively speaking of course.

Not sure I have exactly told you what I do 5 days a week but I am a Food and Beverage Supervisor at a private Golf Club in Oakleigh. I started off as casual and have worked my touche off to be fulltime and now be supervisor- it isn’t an easy job that I thought it might be. It is honestly a little more stressful and challenging but I LOVE IT- i need a challenge, I get bored to quick and am always looking at ways to challenge myself (as you all should know by now haha)

How did I get this Job? Well… the funny thing about Golf Clubs, someone knows someone haha. It was hard to leave my job in New South Wales, as it was like a second family to me. I have never felt so close and welcomed, especially when I was new to Sydney. They took me under their wing and introduced me to the golfing world and I honestly do not see myself working in any other form of hospitality. When I told them I was moving down, one of my Managers, Michael, said he would hit up some of the golf clubs he was familiar with in Victoria seeing if they had any job openings. Some he suggested to me but I stated that they were too far for me but when he offered the one I work at now I was like yeah why not. See the operations manager at my job used to work at my previous job in New South Wales, before my time, but was close to Michael so I knew that I would get along well. The GM at the time when I started working at the Golf Club in Victoria also worked at the New South Wales golf club way back in the day so there was 2 people familiar with my old club and staff which made me feel somewhat more comfortable. First day on the job and it was an event, it was easy work but all new to me. I knew what needed to be done and I did my job well. Second shift was a member’s day and I fit in naturally, which impressed the supervisor (at the time) and Manager and ever since then I have grown and flourished to where I am to this day.

The hardest part about working there is trying to remember the member’s names. I am pretty good and now know their first and last name, some of their member numbers, dietaries and how they like their coffee. The key to working in a private golf club full time is knowing the members and anticipating what they are after. You will find when you work in a Golf Club it is like your friends and family are visiting and you feel lucky to be loved- even though they are really here for the golf and to catch up with their friends haha.

Members vary from young to old, from novices to experienced golfers, from retired to electricians to professional gambler to footy stars. Some are related to famous people and some have changed the world or have helped change the world. Some are not born here but have made Victoria their home and our Golf Club allows them to build on their family and community. It is honestly amazing meeting these people and even more so getting to know them one coffee at a time. Yes there are members that annoy the shit out of you but I wouldn’t want to have them any other way, that is who they are and if we didn’t I would be rather worried- nothing is that perfect.

Now the staff, OMG where do I start haha if you asked me this a year ago I probably wouldn’t really have much nice to say about a lot of things but a hell of a lot has changed in a year and for the good. We now have a strong team both back and front of house. As much as we

joke and laugh we are able to join together and power through events and busy days as one team- yes we have hiccups from here to there but being able to bounce back and stick the aim of the task is mesmerising. Nothing really stops us when we are determined.

I wouldn’t really know where I would be without my Food and Beverage Manager or Functions coordinator- they centre me, they look out for

me and the push me to work harder to be a better person both at work and outside of work. The staff I work with I can happily call friends. One in particular is Jess and she is one of those people who I have just automatically clicked with and it is a great feeling. TBH I think I was girl crushing at the beginning and trying a little too hard to impress her so she would want to be my friend but it was just so good to work with someone who would laugh at and with me, understand my hate and love for things and actually be interested. Sounds lame but I am grateful for her for such the short time I have known you but please get your license and visit me haha.

I am forever grateful for Michael for landing me the job and I am grateful to love what I do and who I work with – both staff and members.

Now on onto this weeks (POPS champagne as I celebrate catching up on my gratitude challenge) Gratitude challenge- THINGS YOU LIKED ABOUT SUMMER.