How Did I Get Here and How Do I Get Out?

Life is to be lived deliberately, not by chance

You have gone through high school, maybe college.  You entered the workforce and worked in a job for 15 to 20 years.   Recently, you were laid off and now you are faced with the prospect of finding a new job.  The job market is tight and finding a job is not what it used to be.  (Remember the days of looking in the newspaper classified section?)

Yes, you still need a resume, but now a resume does not get you a job, just an interview.  Depending on the position you are looking for, you now need to be Linkedin, signed up on Monster, Yahoo, Career Builder and the numerous other job boards if you ever hope to land a new position.  Oh, don’t forget you need to start networking and attending job fairs.  Looking for a job is now your job.

Each day you sit in front of a computer for hours looking at the various job postings and you have sent out what is now hundreds of emails into the space of the internet. Now you wait to hear back, and after weeks you still have not received as much as an email note from a perspective employer.  Frustration begins to set in and fear soon follows.  Will I be able to pay my bills, will I ever get another job?  Will I lose my home or my car?  All of these questions fuel anxiety and hopelessness.  Many of the unemployed have given up and have fallen off the radar.  If you are one of the many thousands of unemployed who have given up, I want to encourage you to get back into the flow of life.

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “How did I get here and how do I get out?”  I know I have.  Over the past several years I have implemented the following powerful steps that have helped me during the trying times in my life.  I know they can have the same impact in your life and help you to get back into the flow of really living life to the full:

• Live life deliberately.  Each day have things you want to accomplish.  Life should not happen by accident.
• Set realistic goals and stay focused on accomplishing them.  Write them down, you have to see  it to achieve it.
• Be grateful for the good things in your life – Don’t let one bad thing outshine the 10 good  things that happen in your life. 
• Serve others and not yourself.  Helping others takes life to a different level of living.
• Enjoy Life!!  Don’t let circumstances dictate your happiness!
• Motivate yourself, (if you could do one thing each day that would motivate you to achieve your  dreams and goals what would it be?). 
• Think about what it is you want and go for it.
• The most important step to living a powerful life and having a real and sustainable breakthrough is having a POSITIVE ATTITUDE!

Put these key steps to practice for 30 straight days and you will find that your life and mind will be transformed.  Remember that you are in charge of your thinking--what you think about yourself--and how you respond to life’s challenges.

It's a dog eat dog world

“It’s a dog eat dog world out there and I am wearing milk bone underwear” - Norm from Cheers

Do you feel like Norm?  That the world is out to get you, that life is not fair?  Well I want to encourage you today to think differently about the world you live in. We may not be able to change the things that go on in our world, but we can be a change in the world we live in.  You may not be able to change whether good or bad will happen to you.  You may not be able to change the way people respond to you or what they may do to you.  But one thing you can control is how you respond to what happens.  So many of us let life happen to us instead of letting the world feel the weight of who we are.

Each of us was born in a home that either encouraged us to live a life of possibility and to take advantage of the opportunities that exist or to settle for a life of mediocrity.  Our world view is shaped by our experiences and beliefs about ourselves and the world we live in.

Recently, I gave a talk about “How to stay positive during your job search.”  During my talk one of the participants raised their hand for what I thought would be a question.  However, they proceeded to express their frustration with an interview with a recruiter that did not go the way they had hoped.  As a result, her whole day was ruined.  She came with a chip on her shoulder, which she dared anyone to knock off.  During this troubling economy many job seekers feel like the world is against them, that the system is not fair.  She was no different.  We talked about her skills and her experience and that there was a place for her.  I shared with her that she had a choice to make.  She could either choose to believe that she was worthless and to give up, or she could choose to take the positive aspects from the experience and use them as a learning for the future.  The jury is still out on this one.

When the world seems to be closing in on you, push back with a positive attitude.  You have the strength to choose a better way!

Jewel of Great Price

During one of my speaking engagements I was talking to the audience reminding them that they are valuable, and that their life matters.  There was a young lady in the group with tears in her eyes who said, “No one thinks I am valuable.”  As she continued to fight back the tears I tried to remind her again that she was indeed valuable and that she matters.  I could see that she continued to struggle with the concept.  It amazes me how many of us allow what others think to affect our view of ourselves and how we live our lives.


If you do not think you are valuable, I want to challenge you to have a different view of who you are and what you can become.  


Believe in yourself — believe in your abilities.  We all have different gifts and talents that can positively impact the lives of the people we come in contact with.  


Accept yourself — accept who you are today.  This does not mean that you don’t improve on the things that can help you be a better person, but accept who you are today and who you can become.
Give of yourself — giving of yourself can bring so much joy and satisfaction in knowing you are helping someone other than yourself.  Simple acts of kindness and service enhance the lives of those we serve.


As I continue to share the message that each one of us are valuable in the eyes of God our Father.  We are “fearfully and wonderfully made…” Psalm 139:14 We were all carefully knit together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).  So many people struggle with this fact.  They get lost in what people think of them or how they view themselves.  People make certain judgments on what they see in us even when they don’t know us. 


What gives you value?  The fact that you are alive and have something to contribute to this world gives you value.  You do not have to be an intellectual giant or a great orator to have value.  Simply being who God created you to be gives you value.  

An Attitude of Gratitude

Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.
~George Herbert


Zig Ziglar—how many of you know the name? Zig Ziglar is known by many to be one of the greatest speakers of all time. Many who knew him said that what made him great was his enthusiasm for life and his positive attitude. Those close to him said that they never saw him in a bad mood. Most, when they hear that, would say that they do not believe anyone could live life and never be in a bad mood or have a poor attitude.


Someone asked him his secret and it was quite simple. He said he possessed an “Attitude of Gratitude.” Each day, when challenged to give in to a poor attitude, he simply looked around and gave thanks for all the good things in his life, (his family, the rain, his health and much, much more). As a child his father died when he was 6 and he grew up in poverty. His mother taught him the value of hard work which carried him through life.


We all can learn a lot from Zig Ziglar and people like him. Living a life of gratitude positions the mind for success and happiness. When you are focused on negative circumstances and pining for the things that you don’t have, it can be torment. Not having what you think you need and not being able to have it will leave you in a constant state of discontentment.


Zig Ziglar filled his heart and mind each day with an “Attitude of Gratitude” and he was able to power through life in a constant state of joy. The impact of his life and who he was is still felt today.


When your happiness and joy is not based on your circumstances you can live a victorious life!