Closing My Lemonade Stand

It was a sad yet freeing day this Saturday when I bid farewell to yet another employer.  I was proud of this one.  Coming home from ships job-less left me a little nervous, but to the rescue was a small Canadian company providing people with any stretchy garment they desired.  Yes, it's true, I worked at lululemon athletica.  

Pre-luon, or pre-oming as the folks would say, I would stroll through the stores as a consumer in Toronto, Miami, New York or Vancouver oo-ing and ah-ing at the latest things I would justify using as a singer/dancer.  When I would go to try something on I would always get the "and what are you using this for?" question, and I would never be gutsy enough to just say, "Watching re-runs of Will & Grace on a jimmy-rigged DVD player while eating Nutella right out of the jar".  So I always went with "Well I'm going to work on a cruise ship and I'll be dancing, well, not dancing but moving a lot and I may decide to go the gym on that ship and if I do I need something for Alaskan cool nights and hot Caribbean days so..." and the person would just write NUTELLA on my door.  They were on to me.

For those of you that don't work under the guise of Dennis Wilson, the founder and creator of Chip Wilson, know this;  lululemon is a great company to work for.  They treat you well, you get to basically wear pajamas's to work, and the spirit of community and fun is ever-present, even with a line of over 100 waiting out in the hall on boxing day.  I was only there for a short 7 months, but really got a glimpse into what a little company can accomplish with a dream, no capital letters, and a logo that no one really knows what it is, but that everyone wants on the nape of their neck or the back of their leg.  Now that's big business.  I met some pretty fantastic people (except Aaron) and was exposed to things I was too chicken to try, but ended up doing in public.  Downward dog in Victoria Park?  Off my bucket list.

One of lululemon's biggest beliefs is that of goals.  It's all over their website, it's an integral part of being an employee, but best of all, it's just an integral part of what they do.  When you are forced to sit and write out your goals, and really be held accountable for them, you really way dreams vs. goals, and start to imagine how the two can ultimately merge together to become a reality.  With setting my goals within my time at the store, I realized I had to leave the job to accomplish them.  I was so relieved when my team celebrated my decision to leave (wait, should I take that personally?) to achieve my goals.  It was a refreshing experience to walk away from a job with no regrets, and no ill-will.

So, I move onto the next stage of my employment life and will continue to be held accountable for my goals.  I will continue to keep community and a fun spirit within my life, and I will refuse to use capital letters at the beginning of sentences.  see?  Nope, it's too weird.  

Now all I can do is hang onto the memories I've stash-taya'd in my mind. 

Namaste lulu.  Peace. 

http://www.lululemon.com/education/goalsetting?sli=1