Defying Convention with Champs Reebok Sole Fury #AD

This blog post is sponsored by Champs Reebok Sole Fury. All thoughts, ideas and styling are my own. See this page for full disclaimer. #ChampsSoleFury, #SplitFrom #sponsored @reebok @champssports #AD
Years ago, I was reminded of that saying, You Write Your Own Story, and it is still one that resonates so deeply within me. When I finished university, I immediately took a job offer from an old employer I’d worked for in the summer during my studies. I was so excited about being offered a full time position so quickly that I took the job, even though it wasn’t related to what I had studied. I chose what was comfortable instead of what wasn’t, and that in itself gave me an unsettling feeling. I felt the thirst most new graduates felt when they first finished completing their university education. I wanted to put my education to the test. While I loved the people I worked with, I wasn’t passionate about the work, and it wasn’t the type of challenge or company I was looking for.
I felt myself fall behind everyone who I studied with, and while no one had put pressure on me, I was incredibly disappointed in myself. I don’t know about you, but when I get really stressed out, the only way it goes away is if I take action. That horrible feeling ate at me and changed my life. I tried a role that i thought would be a great fit afterwards, but failed horribly at it. I started to question myself, and needed to think very clearly of what it was I truly wanted to do, so after some soul searching, I decided to check one of the things off my bucket list while killing two birds with one stone. I applied for a Assistant Language Teacher role in Japan. This decision would me a chance to travel, live in a foreign country while directly impacting the lives of my students for the year. It also meant I could rediscover who I was and figure out what I really wanted. To this day, it remains the best decision I had every made in my entire life (next to marrying my husband!)

By the time I ended my contract, I felt a fire lit inside of me that was stronger than I remembered. That time away was exactly what I needed. I was unstoppable, and excited to chase after my dreams, but I knew with my experience and lack thereof, that I would have to defy convention and go the extra mile to do what others were unwilling to do. I was inclined to take ahold of the situation and push my boundaries. I felt Empowered. Strong. Unstoppable.
I set a 2-year goal of becoming a Marketing Manager in a fashion retail business. I started taking multiple short-term contracts with long hours learning various types of marketing positions in short periods of time. I was accepted as an inventory intern at a fashion jewelry business and decided to offer as much as I could in that role. I created extra work for myself outside of what was asked and built a marketing calendar for the business. I proactively asked my colleagues for additional work and spent extra time with my teammates to learn everyone’s responsibilities and even asked to help them with their work just so I could learn more. At the one year mark, I interviewed and accepted a unique marketing coordinator contract role with a lot of responsibility helping launch 2 new brands.
I was getting closer and closer to what I wanted.

There is nothing like feeling like you are getting close to achieving your goals. When you’re just so close, you look for new ideas and inspiration.

By the 18 month mark, I had taken on at least 3 or 4 marketing contract roles and had worked over 75 hours a week for almost non-stop. On my final step to reaching my initial goal, I landed an interview for a role, but wasn’t sure it would be the right fit. Even though I scoured the web to find information about the company and its brands, I found very little available to me because it distributed and designed, rather than retailed direct to consumer. My thought was, this could be the role I really want… but it also might not be. Regardless of how little I knew of the business, the truth was, I didn’t want to have any regrets in case it was the role of a lifetime. The job description requested that the applicant have 3-5 years of management experience and a portfolio of any marketing plans should be brought to the interview.

Having just finished a contract role of 6 months replacing 2 brand managers who were each away for school and maternity leave, I didn’t want to know that I hadn’t tried my very best for what could potentially be a dream role, so I cancelled all my plans that weekend and I used my education and experience to create a mock up marketing plan for one of the brands I assumed I would be the Marketing Manager for. That Monday, I walked into the interview with that 17 page plan tailored for the business feeling confident. I was the underdog, but I was thirsty to succeed and had no regrets for doing the everything I could for the role.
They were impressed, and appreciated how direct I was in addressing concerns about my experience and background. In the end, I landed the job. This was the start to everything that I am now.

I choose to defy what’s common.
So, if you ever want something so badly you would go the extra mile, where there is a will, there is a way. Put the time in, and your efforts will not go unnoticed. If you want to travel and have very little money, you absolutely can. If you want to learn a language but have little time, you can make it happen. In life, everything you do is a choice, even when you feel you have none. You define your terms.
This is how I relate to Champ’s Reebok Sole Fury, which encourages us to be daring and defy convention. The Champs Reebok Sole Fury sneakers I’m wearing uses a modernized Split Cushioning from their 90’s shoe. It is incredibly comfortable, and also highlights the neon trend, and pairs perfectly with the utility / boiler suit this season.
Tell me… what is your way of defying convention?

For more inspiration on style and travel, follow me on Bloglovin♥, Twitter and Instagram. Don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list for special announcements and exclusive content.

Xo,

Miki

This blog post may contains affiliate links. For full details, click here.