Flying Solo

When the COO randomly called me into his office on Friday afternoon, I walked in with my pen and notebook in hand, completely unaware of the request he was about to make. I was greeted by him and two young children drawing on his whiteboard. My first thought was, “I wonder if he needs a babysitter,” but he quickly interrupted it by asking, “So, you like to travel, right?”

It suffices to say I left his office feeling giddy and pleasantly surprised. But when I got back to my desk, I wondered who I could bring along with me on this trip, as per his suggestion. As I mentally scrolled through my list of friends, I ruled out most and considered a couple of them as potential candidates. While they scored high marks in compatibility, I knew I was looking for something more… something more intimate. Forget Valentine’s Day, this is the moment when I actually felt the desire for a boyfriend.

There, I said it. I’m sure if my Mom ever read this, she’d be glad to know that yes, I am indeed “looking” – albeit not actively, but nonetheless, I am. I guess in a way that contradicts the notion of marriage I’ve been challenging for quite some time now. Is it really necessary? Do people understand the difference between a wedding and a marriage? Why do so many of them end up in divorces? What if he ends up being a Tiger Woods? I came up with more questions than answers, and decided that maybe marriage isn’t for me. (I really hope my Mom isn’t reading this now).

Sure, I’ve had these reservations before too – but let’s face it: I’m a 26 year old woman. That’s roughly equivalent to 36 in Indian years, hence I am way past my prime for what’s considered to be an “appropriate” marriageable age. But regardless of whether you’re brown, female or old, we’ve all been conditioned to seek that someone to join us for the ride. Despite having already traveled thousands of miles, I've learned that the longest distance is really between two people. Ultimately all we're looking for is someone that makes you want to go the extra mile.

Someone whose company helps move security lines at the airport a tad bit quicker, and makes the aisle seat a bit more tolerable. Someone that stays on your mind and makes you feel right at home, even when you’re oceans away. Someone that makes you say “Honey, pack your bags, we're going to... ”

Pray vs. Prey

A friend-turned-entrepreneur who recently started an energy venture, inquired with me about a potential job opportunity as a sales executive. I reminded him that although I eat, breathe, and live marketing, it’s not nearly the same as selling. “Trust me – you can do it,” was his simple argument. So I contemplated wiping the dust off of my good old Sales Management textbook, but decided against it as soon as a saying from a former sales colleague came to mind: “We sell dreams… everything else is monkeys and typewriters.”

OK – so maybe the art of selling isn’t as scientific and methodical as it’s made out to be. Maybe it all just boils down to our ancestral days of hunters and farmers. The question was, which one am I? Luckily, the answer came easily when I took one look at the game plan I had set out for achieving one of my new year’s resolutions (see #2 below).

Allow me to digress for a paragraph (or two) before I continue further: “Once bitten, twice shy” never made it to my list of personal mottos, because quite frankly, I’m really not that shy (or careful). One thing I’ve learned about myself in the past three years is that when I know what I want, I go after it. And by “want,” I don’t mean a limited edition of a Kate Spade handbag. No no. I’m talking about the kind of want that’s all consuming, overpowering, and so-close-you-could-touch-it-with-3D-glasses. Historically, I’ve only felt this way when it came to a couple of men in my so-called love life. I didn’t have the patience for games, and I certainly wasn’t shy in expressing my feelings. Call me aggressive or stupid, but it worked… while it lasted. So this year, I’ve applied the transitive property to focus my energy on a “that” rather than a “him.” That being Cosmopolitan, of course.

If you are one of the 20 odd people I’ve spoken to in the past month, then by now you are probably sick of hearing me talk about Cosmo. You have probably also realized:
- I am pretty damn creative
- I’m very resourceful
- I really am enthused about this
If I didn’t care for the guy to make the first move, then why in the world was I waiting for fate to come knocking on my door? It’s not as if God was going to hand-deliver my prayers to the editor-in-chief’s office – “Yo Kate, I got a special delivery here for you.” That’s when I decided to turn my praying into preying.

This brings me back to my original point: I am a hunter. I finally stopped pressing the snooze button on my procrastination clock. Everyone’s a dreamer, but if you keep your eyes closed forever, you’ll never see your dreams come to life. So wake up and pounce.