At age 14, I started working summers at a family friend's deli. It may sound silly, but I decided I was going to make the best sandwiches of anyone on the line - and I did. They were picture perfect. A determination and work ethic was forged then and there that has followed me every day of my life and career. As Max Ehrmann says in the Desiderata: "Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time."Since that time my life has (literally) taken me from sea to shining sea, with more than my share of detours along the way...My first "real" job began in 1990 in San Diego, CA. I was a Sales Admin for a communications company, and later moved home to Phoenix, AZ where I was promoted to Shift Supervisor.I was first a Lifeguard and then a PBX Operator at The Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.I co-owned a water treatment company based in Malibu, CA that installed custom systems for who's-who in Hollywood. (Gary Sinise is the nicest man on the planet, by the way).I've sold everything from baseball tickets to Hondas. And through it all, I strive to be the BEST at whatever it is I'm doing. I'm a "take the bull by the horns" kinda gal. I tackle a challenge with a smile. I work to be part of the solution, never part of the problem. I encourage others to do the same.And I still make a darned good Dagwood.