Hey, guys! I know it’s been a while since I’ve made a post, so I want to give everyone a little life update. In November, I interviewed for a new job and got it! Starting next week, I’ll be working for the Sarah Cannon Research Institute. Sarah Cannon’s mission is to redefine cancer treatment around the world through clinical trials and research. To say I’m honored to be working for this company is an understatement, and words can’t describe how thankful I am to have been given this opportunity. I’ll now be working on a typical Monday-Friday schedule, which will be so nice! The past 4 months were a little difficult at my previous job. I was having to travel a lot, and my schedule was really inconsistent. I started feeling kinda drained, and honestly Simply Niki just wasn’t a priority. My sister (and personal photographer haha) moved to Memphis for medical school, so I used that as an excuse to not post much. Also, I’m trying to save enough money to move to downtown Nashville, so saving money became a bigger priority. These aren’t meant to be excuses, I’m just trying to give you a glimpse into my mindset over the past few months. Now that I’m going to have a more consistent schedule, I really want to make Simply Niki a priority again. I love sharing all my favorite things with you guys, and I appreciate every single one of you that looks at my blog/instagram/facebook!
I also wanted to take the time to encourage any of you out there that feel lost or frustrated with your career search. It can be so discouraging to put time and effort into application only to receive a rejection email within 24 hours….trust me, I know. Before I was accepted for this position, I had applied to another position with a different company that, on paper, looked like the perfect job for me! I got an interview, felt pretty good about it, and even had an inside connection. Things were moving really slow, and I remember praying one night asking God why He wasn’t allowing me to move forward. He knew my heart, and He knew how bad I wanted that position. But week after week passed, and I still heard nothing. I didn’t understand why God was shutting this door. Now I know He was just telling me to be patient…He had another plan for me…a BETTER plan for me.
It’s so easy to think we know what’s best for our lives and plan every little thing out, so we can take it to God and say, “Look! See! I’ve got it! This is going to work out just perfectly, if you could please follow these steps.” I have to think that God probably just chuckles to Himself, because just as He says in Jeremiah 29:11
“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Isn’t that incredible?! We have someone on our side fighting for us to PROSPER us, fighting to give us HOPE, fighting to give us a FUTURE! In the “wait and see” periods, which I’ve talked about in a previous post, it’s easy to forget this. But even when we forget, God is there patiently waiting for us to come back to Him. I’m so thankful that we have a patient God, because Lord knows I can be pretty impatient!
My advice to you is this: don’t give up (cheesy I know). In all those moments of frustration when you don’t understand why opportunities aren’t coming your way, run to God. Talk to Him. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that you’ll feel better immediately, because you probably won’t. But the more you talk to Him and take your worries to Him, the less weight you’ll feel. There’s a certain calmness that only comes from knowing God has it under control, and I pray you all come to know and feel it!
