Cont. From last post - off to the job

- here's where I've been manifesting without even knowing it....

The first part of the job took me to Mississippi. At the Burbank airport I encountered my second “challenge.” The airline had overbooked. Once the plane landed in Mississippi, I was to connect with another person on the show, get the rental car reserved for us, and head to the hotel. I had to make the flight. Rather than float to my normal negative thoughts such as, “of course the airline overbooked, they always do that now I’m never going to get on this flight”, I repeated in my head, “I will get on this flight.” I kept this going and going despite the chaos around me of the other passengers twittering with worry. I noticed one prospective passenger threatening the attendant at the ticket counter. “He’s not going to get anywhere with that attitude”, I thought. A group of us were called as standbys. The man from the ticket countered approach us. He didn’t get on the standby list but he wanted to be. Or rather, felt entitled to be. He HAD to make his connecting international flight. The airline screwed up. He didn’t ask any of us if our flights were a priority. I may have fallen for his case and thought, well, can I put myself aside if he really needs to be somewhere...” But I was being paid to be somewhere. Another co-worker counted on me being there. In my mind, my trip was equally important. “So no, absolutely not,” I stated in my head was I going to trade places with this guy. Especially as he became more belligerent and demanding when none else caved into him either. Then I heard an announcement that another flight had opened up. I rushed over to get to the ticket counter, following the herd, worrying that I may have gotten there too late. My worried was needless. I had gotten on my originally scheduled flight and rushed back to board just in time. Truly, there was something to this positive thinking.

I can’t say for certain I know exactly why the belligerent man didn’t get on the flight. Did he hold a belief that the airlines always screw up and therefore, he created a situation where the airline would screw up? Or was it karma paid back to him? I’m getting ahead of myself. These kinds of insights into asks would come later. I was just overjoyed back then that having thought that I would get on the flight, no question, had paid off.

Continuing from last post

One of my main struggles in Reality TV was my low salary. I thought I deserved more than what I was getting but some of my fears about my abilities led to me taking less than what I really wanted. That changed. After having a meltdown on my last job, partly because I was paid far less then some of the other story producers with equal or even less responsibilities I had had enough. During the show’s production, I had asked for more money from the producers to which they agreed because they saw that I added value to the show; however the raise didn’t materialize. I didn’t quit over it, although I became increasingly disgruntled, because I had the mentality that it was near the holidays and no one would be hiring. I, at least, had a job. And since the raise didn’t materialize, I felt entitled to cruise on the internet during the day and add things to my Amazon wish list. Meanwhile, another story producer who envied my position with the executive producer angled into my place. That really ticked me off so I decided that I would never work for that producer again.

And that’s what happened. When he hired for his next show, I wasn’t called. I felt terrible. I had fallen out of favor, so I thought, even though I had already said I didn’t want to work for him. Still, not being called meant someone in the business didn’t want to hire me and that’s a very fearful position to be in, in Hollywood. But if I had gotten the call, perhaps I would have accepted out of fear that another job wouldn’t come along. But one did – an even better one for a bigger and better show. A producer friend from the last show, who respected and trusted my work had recommended me. And my interview with the executive producer could not have gone better. I knew I had the job as soon as I walked out the door. What wasn’t finalized was the salary.

Salary equals self-worth and if I truly valued the work I did, I needed to ask for the salary I thought I deserved. I’d be working for an entire month without necessarily a day off. I would need to leave in 3 days time. I knew from another friend who had worked on the show previously the minimum story producer’s salary. I wanted more and for me, this was a test to see if I could get exactly what I wanted. From coaching with another friend, I worked out exactly what I would say to counter if I was offered the least amount for the story producer position. The line producer called, gave me the minimum salary and I with all the assurance in the world said what I wanted and why. He replied, “I can do that”. Done. Wow. Finally. Now all I had to do was getting everything together in 3 days to leave.