I went back to work and you can too!

Yes, my friends, I did land. It wasn't till a lot later than my last blog though. I was unemployed, out of work, displaced - my particular farvorite, NOT - or looking for my dream for two years and three months. So my point is that if I can do it, you all can too.

I had dinner with a friend the other night, who is still looking. She shared a thought with me, that we have all thought during this time; she doesn't really want to go back to work. I mean, who does? But that's not the point, unless you're independently wealthy - and that's up for interpretation - we all have to work. One just had to find that piece of inspiration that works for you. You can equate this to quitting smoking.

I have to say that it was nearly as hard for me to land a job and go back to work, as it was to quit smoking 25 years ago. I think I may have used the same techniques in a way, that I used back then. There's the old "one day at a time", which has worked for me in all kinds of situations. Then there is the finding something to take it's place. Instead of chewing gum, I sat here at this computer every day and made looking for a job, my new job. Then there is the reason; I guess that's what I'm really trying to get at. Anyone who manages to quit smoking has to have a very good personal reason for doing so. The same goes for landing a job.

Reasons for landing a job can go from "I need a fn job - benefits" to "I can't stand being by myself all day" to "I miss the sense of accomplishment" to "I really need to take care of my family". All are valid, but do they resonate with you? I know that I personally "shot myself in the foot" with several jobs because I just couldn't stand the thought of working there. There was the job on Long Island where I thought driving back that I would rather live out of my car, than take that job. But, there were other jobs, that really weren't that bad, I just couldn't face doing it. That, my friends, wasn't a really good idea. I only bring this up so that if you see yourself doing it, think again. All jobs will be pretty much the same. The money may differ, the people really don't.

My personal focus was on getting a job that made me interested; where I would learn something. That was my trigger. What really happened though, was that when I interviewed for this job, I was praticing for another. I had always dreamed of joining the State Deopartment. When it finally came down to it, I was so excited to go to Washington and be interviewed, and I used my interviews at my current job to practice my answers and asking the right questions. How funny, I got to DC and reallized I really didn't like these people and that I would never fit in. I'm a corporate kind of girl, not a bureaucrat. Oh well, then I came home to a new job. TA fn DA!

It really was a bit of a miracle wasn't it? I can't help but feel that way. However the one thing I never did was give up. You just keep trying different things. If other people are giving up the hunt, let them. If they aren't close to you, it reduces the competition. I have no time for people that just give up. That accomplishes nothing.

My final words are; enjoy every moment of being out of work and keep working it. You will find something. I promise you.