Reasons why I got the job:

I am already happy that I took this new job. I won't just have my finger on the pulse of healthcare reform, I'll be monitoring it with an arterial line! This is beyond a fantastic opportunity. I'm getting nervous that I'll be able to bring to the table what they are expecting, and that I'll get out of it what I'm hoping. It was a spur of the moment decision to send in my resume, and last minute timing when I did my interview... but like many of you, I don't believe in coincidence. Of course I'm over analyzing the entire process, and some of the things I've been contemplating are the reasons why I believe they were eager to bring me on board. For your pleasure (or pain), here are my thoughts on the reasons why I got the job:

1) Experience. My resume is good. Really good. I own challenging jobs. This is not entirely positive because this stems from my intense need for control of my life and personal expectation of perfectionism. Luckily, I have all of this amazing experience to claim as my own, and the wisdom to now work it with more balance and less stress.

2) I'm cheap. Because I work in an environment where education is THE determining factor for moving up, I'm a great bargain because my experience allows me to perform well in any project, but they don't have to pay me as much. For example, my current counterpart has her master's degree. We do the exact same job. She gets paid lots more than I do. Don't get me wrong, I do ok for myself, but I'm fully aware of my limitations professionally. The flip side of this is that I land jobs that other people may shy away from, and I get intense intrinsic satisfaction from that. It's about doing what I love, because money does not equal happiness. (Side note, if I could go to school as a career, I'd do it in a heartbeat... I love to learn).

3) I'm not fat. Yup, I said it. When I decided on weight loss surgery, I believed with all of my being that losing weight would help me professionally. I've lived in a world that treats thin people differently than obese people. Maybe it is this stereotypical acceptance now that I'm not fat, or maybe it's that now I have improved confidence, but I'm certain one of the reasons I got this job is because of the way I look... I'm still overweight, but I'm definitely not obese. Does that stink? Yes. Am I going to use it to my advantage? Yes. Even my kind darling Mr. W asked me if I thought maybe a part of the reason I was offered this position is because I'm thinner. Yup, yes I do.

On yet another side note, have you ever had a day where the universe was trying to tell you something? Over and over again? Like it's REALLY serious about a certain concept or subject? On top of everything else going on, I keep having the subject of emotions and how they affect behavior modification keep coming up. From three different sources in a 24 hour period (What universe? Are you trying to say something? I can't hear you... kidding...). I really want to post about this, but it's soooooo much. We're not lab rats, we have emotions, and that plays a huge deal in our attempts at behavior modification, especially with weight loss. This is a complete blog or three or even a book, so I'm holding off, but probably not for long. Hold on tight, the universe is taking me on a ride, and I'm going to share it with you... dang it... I hate rides...