No one who achieves success does so without the help of others.

The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.

-Alfred North Whitehead

I have a lot to be thankful for this year! As always I am eternally grateful for my giant family and all of my friends, colleagues and mentors who've contributed positively to my life. I can only find success knowing you are there for me. I am healthy and have a wonderful home. I count my blessings every day for this beautiful life!

I am thankful for social media. What started out as a fun hobby has turned into my most powerful networking tool; has brought me a ton of new friends who I would've never met otherwise; and has also opened doors I never would have known were there to open had I not put myself out there on Twitter, Facebook and here on my blog.

Now, I can add that social media has officially gotten me to my next chapter in my professional life!

I wasn't actively looking for a job. Knowing what the job market is like for a lot of people out there, I didn't think it'd be worth my time when I was still in a job I got a lot out of. You can imagine my surprise when Banyan Branch approached me about joining their team. Come mid-December, my time at the Chamber is coming to a close.

I have learned so much in my ascent to events director for the chamber, meeting so many different kinds of people in every kind of business you can imagine. I was given an incredible amount of creative freedom and independence to grow the Chamber's body of networking events and professional development programming thanks to a fabulous boss who really believed in my potential. I've grown immensely in my public speaking, networking and problem solving having had every type of problem and public speaking situation thrown at me there. Countless opportunities have been afforded me through my work and the network I've built there. I got a lot of praise and a lot of criticism too - both have helped me grow. They say to never forget where you came from and I have the Chamber forever imprinted in my life. Thank you for shaping a part of me!

I'm SO excited to make a career change into a field I LOVE (marketing & social media), with the skills I've honed at the Chamber to help me excel in what I've been brought on to do.

I don't talk about work much on FreshJess.com but making this transition has dominated my mind the past few weeks and I'm delighted to share the decisions I've made with you. Not to worry, FreshJess readers; though I know I'll be puttin in work in my new role, I'm going to do my best to keep this blog updated with fresh content as much as possible.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Peace, love & happiness to you & yours.

xo

Jess