State of Mind

There is a whirlwind blowing throughout the land, one of fear and anxiety.  Many spend sleepless nights worrying about their future.  For those who find slices of sleep, they are awakened by thoughts of losing their home, their job, and their retirement.

Although things are not exactly how I would like to see them, I know God is sovereign, He is in control.

There are people who continue to live powerful lives in spite of the circumstances.

While the world is in turmoil, there are those who live in the Peace and Contentment found in their faith in God.

When people do not have enough to eat, there are those whose soul is being filled with the Word of God.

When many families are being torn apart, there are families being held together with the love of God.

When trouble and uncertainty abound, there are those whose faith and trust is secure in the Author and Finisher of their faith, God Almighty.

Make no mistake about it we are living in troubled times, but there is only One who can satisfy every longing, every need, and give you a secure and hopeful future.   He is my rock and fortress and ever present help in times of trouble.  The Great I AM.

All of us have a choice as to where we will place our trust; I choose God.  In whom do you place your trust?

Looking for a Job is a Job

Have you ever uttered the following?

• There are so many people out there with more skills and experience than I have. 
• I hope to find a job soon, but I don’t know if it will happen.
• I have been out of work for so long that I do know if I will ever work again. 
• Maybe I should just give up!

Well let me share with you the story of an operations executive named Raymond.  Raymond has a degree in business administration and has held various positions in Fortune 500 companies during a very successful 25+ year career.  Now at 52 years old he found himself a victim of the numbers game and was laid off.

After all this time he now had to draft a resume and go out into an uncertain job market.  Currently, the unemployment rate sits around 9%, but many believe the effective unemployment rate is about 17% due to all of the job seekers who have given up on their search.  At no time in my life has the job market been so fierce, hundreds of resumes for every one position is the norm, so you better stand out if you want to be noticed.

Raymond, being the business person he is, thought about his job search and put his business acumen into play.  He thought about the position he wanted and the company he wanted to work for and then he went to work.

He developed a job search strategy which drove his search and he stuck to it.   The strategy involved setting goals for his search, establishing new business contacts and tapping into existing ones.  With his strategy firmly in place he went into execution mode.  During his search he ran into various setbacks and in many cases at the end of the day he was frustrated.  However, he realized that just like in business he would face challenges, but for every challenge he could come up with new methodologies for positioning himself for success.

During his search he found that age discrimination was alive and well.   He knew that if he was going to make his age less of an issue he had to brand himself in such a way that demonstrated his energy, passion and his contemporary spirit.   As part of his branding plan he started working off the 10 pounds he had picked up over the previous few years while attending so many business lunches.  Moreover, he started to focus on getting the rest he needed to look fresh and energetic.  He also updated his wardrobe and put a little color in his hair to diminish the grey.  

Raymond realized that just like marketing a product he had to market himself to a potential employer that has the pick of the liter, and he wanted to be the one who got picked.

The last thing Raymond focused on was his attitude.  He understood that you can have all of the experience and skills in the world, but if your attitude is poor no one will hire you.   Although Raymond was always pretty upbeat, he wanted to make sure that he conveyed an authentic positive attitude even when his search was not yielding the results he wanted.

Armed with all of the arrows he needed in his quiver, Raymond faced the job market with confidence and focus and within 18 months he landed his dream job with a solid company making more money than he had earned at his last job.   Yes, I said 18 months!   No one said it would be easy.  When asked about his journey, Raymond said, “Yes, it was tough and challenging, but I would not change a thing, because I learned so much about myself and who I am deep inside.”

If you are one of the many millions out of work and you are tempted to give up your search, please don’t.   Whether you are looking for an executive, administrative or hourly position, Raymond’s example may be just what you need to land your next position.

Through it all, take comfort in knowing that you are not the only one looking for work and if you remain focused on the outcome of landing your next opportunity, you will.  If you don’t ,you won’t.

There is a company out there needing what only you can offer.  Stay focused!  Stay positive!

An Equal and Opposite Reaction…

Recently, I read an interesting story that goes like this:

Two young women working in a community hospital decided to quit their jobs. They were tired of dealing with ungrateful, complaining patients, back-biting between employees, and an apathetic administration. Just before quitting, though, these two women decided to try an experiment. They resolved, just for the fun of it, to bend over backwards for everyone they encountered on their last day of work.

       

So, no matter how someone looked at them, talked to them, or treated them, they overwhelmed people with encouragement, courtesy, and appreciation. Before long, an amazing transformation took place. Patients didn’t seem so miserable, staff even smiled at each other, and the administration seemed surprisingly interested in their affairs.

The two women experienced Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The very situations that caused frustration were reflections of their own attitudes.

You have a choice everyday as to how you are going to respond to the irritants of the day.  Your choice can either make a problem worse or positively change the lives of the people you come in contact with, strangers, family and co-workers. 

The following are a few ideas that will help you when faced with various attitudes you may encounter during the day:

·         When faced with individuals who are ungrateful, show grace. 

·         When someone has a frown on their face, give them a big smile.  Smiling can be contagious.

·         If someone fails to hold the door open for you, open the door for someone else.  Counter the lack of courtesy shown to you, by showing courtesy to someone else.

·         If you feel unappreciated, express your appreciation to someone who does something nice for you.

You may be surprised at the effect you have on others.  A day that started out poorly can quickly turn to one of joy and happiness. 

I remember a story that was told to me a long time ago.  A commuter would stop each day at a magazine stand to purchase a newspaper.  Every day the owner of the stand would curse him and call him names.  One day after purchasing a paper a fellow commuter asked the man, “Why do you continue to buy newspapers from this man who berates you?”  The man simply said, “I am not going to let his ugly words dictate how I am going to respond.”  

Remember you are in charge of your attitude and how you respond to life’s challenges.  You cannot control everything that happens to you or how people respond to you, but you can control your Attitude.

My father-in-law used to tell my son, “there are many attitudes out there, go choose a good one.” 

What attitude will you embrace for the day?

Never Give Up and Never Give In

While watching an episode of Chopped, a cooking show in the Food Network, one of the contestants shared his story of overcoming three bouts of cancer.  Yes, three. That’s incredible!  What a testament of his strength and fortitude.  What’s more amazing is he recently found out that the cancer has once again found its way into the secret places of his body. 

With an indomitable spirit he confidently stated that he would not let the disease get the best of him, and he would beat it again.  He said a positive attitude got him through it before and it will again.  It was inspiring to hear this chef talk about his love for his family and his love for cooking.   He shared his secret on beating the disease, he said never give up and when life tries to knock you down, stay positive and adapt to whatever life throws at you.

I don’t know what you are facing in your life, maybe it’s cancer or some other hardship.  You may even feel like giving in and giving up.  I am here to encourage you to stand and fight!  Armed with a positive attitude you can overcome obstacles that you may never have thought possible. 

You may say “I can’t,” “It’s too hard,” and “The battle is too intense!”  I want to encourage you to stay strong and never give up and never give in. 

When life gets dark and you feel like giving up, focus on all of the things you have to be grateful for.  So many times we get stuck in the negative and all of the good stuff in our lives goes by the wayside. 

Live life to the fullest!

Enjoy the good that can be found in every day, the ocean, the smell of flowers, the companionship of a spouse or a friend.  

Challenges will come, life is not always fair, but you have what it takes to overcome them all.  Never give up and never give in!

Every day presents us with incredible opportunities to Live, Love and Laugh.  Don’t let one day go by without experiencing all of them.