Today is a sad one as a former coworker lost her battle with cancer today. Today's joy is short and sweet. Your job is not who you are. Don't be defined by it. Your health and your family are your most valuable resources.
Love life and live it with joy.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
No Job Joy # 21 Rejection
You might say this is a "make lemonade when life gives you lemons" post but here it goes anyway.
Hearing that you are not the one may be tough, the reflection of how to move on can be a joy. No, I will not go through the stages of grieving.
First there is the realization that while you were not the final selection you have skills that someone is interested in. Second that you have the network to be able to break through the 400 other resumes and 10 others who bothered to follow up to get to the next step. Third you have the opportunity to learn what you can do better next time. Finally you can look forward and see the things you liked about that job/company and where to find others that may be an even better fit.
I am not saying don't be upset about not getting the job, especially if you were a great fit and you really wanted it. What I am saying is look for the lessons and move on. The quicker the better. Otherwise your disappointment will show up as lack of enthusiasm in your next interview or even your cover letter and possibly cost you another opportunity.
No one likes rejection but the more practice you get at dealing with it the faster you can be ready when the next opportunity presents its self.
Hearing that you are not the one may be tough, the reflection of how to move on can be a joy. No, I will not go through the stages of grieving.
First there is the realization that while you were not the final selection you have skills that someone is interested in. Second that you have the network to be able to break through the 400 other resumes and 10 others who bothered to follow up to get to the next step. Third you have the opportunity to learn what you can do better next time. Finally you can look forward and see the things you liked about that job/company and where to find others that may be an even better fit.
I am not saying don't be upset about not getting the job, especially if you were a great fit and you really wanted it. What I am saying is look for the lessons and move on. The quicker the better. Otherwise your disappointment will show up as lack of enthusiasm in your next interview or even your cover letter and possibly cost you another opportunity.
No one likes rejection but the more practice you get at dealing with it the faster you can be ready when the next opportunity presents its self.
Monday, June 22, 2009
No Job Joy # 20 Summer Heat
People who live in Texas will think that the heat has gone to my head when I say that the heat is a joy. Without the heat of summer we wouldn't have the recharging activities that come with it. We also wouldn't have an appreciation for hard work.
For most of us, sweating in the summer means sitting by the pool cleansing our selves of the stress of our day to day lives. My Grandpa Chester lived on a farm his entire life. When I think about how he spent his summers and how he sweat in the summer, putting up hay in the barn, cultivating crops, building fence, it makes me realize what a sense of accomplishment he must have felt at the end of each day. To be able to look back and see what he had accomplished that day.
Growing up on a farm until I went to college I can relate to some of what my Grandpa did but I really didn't appreciate it until after he was gone. The joy of the heat today is a joy that reminds me that we need to have time to recharge but also time to work hard and accomplish something every day.
For most of us, sweating in the summer means sitting by the pool cleansing our selves of the stress of our day to day lives. My Grandpa Chester lived on a farm his entire life. When I think about how he spent his summers and how he sweat in the summer, putting up hay in the barn, cultivating crops, building fence, it makes me realize what a sense of accomplishment he must have felt at the end of each day. To be able to look back and see what he had accomplished that day.
Growing up on a farm until I went to college I can relate to some of what my Grandpa did but I really didn't appreciate it until after he was gone. The joy of the heat today is a joy that reminds me that we need to have time to recharge but also time to work hard and accomplish something every day.
Time to catch up
Sorry for the gap in my posts. I was off at Webelos resident camp with my son and 5 other scouts. Had a blast getting them through the 95+ degree weather but now it is time to get back to work. I will be posting again this week as usual.
Also I am open to suggestions for No Job Joys. I am by no means the expert so any thoughts are welcome. Have a great week.
Also I am open to suggestions for No Job Joys. I am by no means the expert so any thoughts are welcome. Have a great week.
Monday, June 15, 2009
No Job Joy #19 Making sure I have something to say
One of the joys of being with out a job these days is that it introduces you to new ways to communicate especially those of us over 30. Between blogs, Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, twitter and others there are a lot of people saying a lot of stuff. The question is how much of it matters to any one but the person posting it?
Personally finding something important to say is really hard. For one thing there are so many "experts" out there saying what I am thinking so I have nothing really to add except to agree with them. This is compounded when you are unemployed because you feel like you aren't really doing any thing important.
Twitter brings a new dynamic to communicating, forcing you to say what you want in 140 characters or less, which can be a real challenge for some. Others have no problem saying what they want in that space. The real question is should they say it at all. I don't really care that any of my friends are doing laundry so why would I care that a total stranger is doing theirs?
So while new ways of communicating can be challenging, it can be fun to find out who is doing interesting things, connecting with them and learning more about the world and other people. For those who are watching paint dry and feel the need to tell the world about it good for you but don't expect me to pay attention. Thanks to all of you who are interesting and relevant. You are my No job joy for today.
Personally finding something important to say is really hard. For one thing there are so many "experts" out there saying what I am thinking so I have nothing really to add except to agree with them. This is compounded when you are unemployed because you feel like you aren't really doing any thing important.
Twitter brings a new dynamic to communicating, forcing you to say what you want in 140 characters or less, which can be a real challenge for some. Others have no problem saying what they want in that space. The real question is should they say it at all. I don't really care that any of my friends are doing laundry so why would I care that a total stranger is doing theirs?
So while new ways of communicating can be challenging, it can be fun to find out who is doing interesting things, connecting with them and learning more about the world and other people. For those who are watching paint dry and feel the need to tell the world about it good for you but don't expect me to pay attention. Thanks to all of you who are interesting and relevant. You are my No job joy for today.
Friday, June 12, 2009
No Job Joy #18 My Mom and Clippings
Last week I posted about my Dad. In the spirit of equal time I will make this week about my Mom. My Mom is great. She has always supported my brothers and I in all of our endeavors. Whether it was attending almost all of our football, basketball, wrestling or track meets, supporting our choice of college, or even supporting my rugby habit, Mom was always behind us.
Today now that my brothers and I have all flown the coop, we can still count on our Mom for support. Today she shows her support in different ways. It could be keeping our Dad off of our case for choices or opinions and always asking what we are up to.
My favorite way is the the newspaper clipping. No matter what we are up to my Mom always sends us newspaper clippings about it. I will never forget the first clipping she sent me after I moved to Dallas "Local shot in Oak Cliff Red Lobster" with a little note on it saying stay away from this part of town. For those who don't know Dallas, parts of Oak Cliff are not the safest place for a kid from Iowa and you didn't have to be in Dallas long to figure that out.
So my joy today is that my Mom cares enough to send me clippings. If nothing else it is something in the mail besides bills.
Today now that my brothers and I have all flown the coop, we can still count on our Mom for support. Today she shows her support in different ways. It could be keeping our Dad off of our case for choices or opinions and always asking what we are up to.
My favorite way is the the newspaper clipping. No matter what we are up to my Mom always sends us newspaper clippings about it. I will never forget the first clipping she sent me after I moved to Dallas "Local shot in Oak Cliff Red Lobster" with a little note on it saying stay away from this part of town. For those who don't know Dallas, parts of Oak Cliff are not the safest place for a kid from Iowa and you didn't have to be in Dallas long to figure that out.
So my joy today is that my Mom cares enough to send me clippings. If nothing else it is something in the mail besides bills.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
No Job Joy #17 Spending Time with Family
As I have met with people who are looking for work I have found a common joy among many of them. This is that although they are unemployed they are getting time with their family that they never would have gotten otherwise. Personally I have gone through the frustration and joys of spending more time with my boys. This includes all the conversations, fights and fun that go with them. Regardless these will be times they remember.
I will be spending most of next week sleeping on the ground, swimming and getting sunburned with a bunch of 10 year olds. I haven't missed a baseball game and shouldn't miss any swim meets this year. All because I will be here and not on an airplane.
More than one person I have met during my search has had a father or mother with health problems. While this may seem like they are getting a double shot of bad luck they all see this as a blessing in disguise that they have the ability to spend more time with their family. Others have enjoyed time they never would have had with young kids.
One of my new friends said when we will look back on this time in a year we won't remember the rejection letters or blown interviews, we will remember the good things that happened because of the time we have with family and the new friends we made.
I will be spending most of next week sleeping on the ground, swimming and getting sunburned with a bunch of 10 year olds. I haven't missed a baseball game and shouldn't miss any swim meets this year. All because I will be here and not on an airplane.
More than one person I have met during my search has had a father or mother with health problems. While this may seem like they are getting a double shot of bad luck they all see this as a blessing in disguise that they have the ability to spend more time with their family. Others have enjoyed time they never would have had with young kids.
One of my new friends said when we will look back on this time in a year we won't remember the rejection letters or blown interviews, we will remember the good things that happened because of the time we have with family and the new friends we made.
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