After these past several weeks, I’ve been pondering the subjects I’ve been blogging about; employment, jobs, interviewing, etc, etc.
Which got me to thinking about the relevance (or lack thereof) of what I’ve been blogging about, considering how many people are out of work, at risk of losing their jobs and how many organizations are laying-off by the masses. Even though I’m passionate about my industry and the things I write about, I wanted to set aside these subjects and offer a word of encouragement for you.
If you have recently lost your job or at risk of losing your job, the anxiety you might be facing is substantial. I’m not going to engage in feeble attempts to sound like Stuart Smalley (or Senator Elect of MN). But all I can say is through these challenging times is that they won’t last.
I recall when I first relocated to Chicago in 1994; things weren’t that great in my life. A couple failed NFL tryouts, being dumped by my fiancé’, broke, in a city which I didn’t know anyone, things were not going well to say the least. And when things seemed they couldn’t get any worse, they did. Recalling 1995, one of the darkest years of my life, every hour felt like a week and it seemed that it would never end.
My Grandfather, who passed several years ago, taught me allot about rising above challenges and what it really means to be a “success.” He knew a thing or two about hard-times. Enjoying a relaxing post with the U.S. Army in Hawaii, he and a few friends decided to walk up a small hill and enjoy the splendor of the coastline. When ones of his friends asked him, “is there an air-drill today?” They had no idea that a few moments later things would never be the same. The date was December 7th. 1941. The place, Pearl Harbor.
Some of the lessons he unintentionally taught me, gave me the little bit of impetus that I needed. Through the turmoil, hardship and challenges, I found a reservoir of resilience deep inside of me that I didn’t even know I had. In time things did turn around, in fact, they not only turned around but my life significantly changed for the better. My life dramatically improved socially, economically, professionally and emotionally. Sounds lovely, but it required me to focus, dig deep down and fight like hell to rise above and turn things around.
I don’t write these things to impress you, but impress upon you that these tough times you’re enduring…..will not last. As ridiculous as it sounds, looking back I would not change anything about 1995, through that season of my life I grew in areas I probably wouldn’t have developed otherwise. If we look hard enough, hints of answers and directions are there but sometimes we have to dig, scratch and fight to find them.
Turn off the news, read a book or rent a movie about an inspirational figure, do some volunteer work at a shelter, your church or other organization that you’re passionate about. Turning focus off ourselves is a powerful way to dissipate the fog that sometimes prevents us from seeing “the road signs of life” that might be pointing us in the right direction. I’m not trying to minimize the challenges you’re facing, but the good news is, when we help people out of genuine motives, we’re the ones that get edified as well.
Connect with that friend you haven’t spoken to in a while, spend more time with friends & family and those closest to you. Even though things might be difficult right now, there is someone out there that needs a phone call, a lunch, an ear to listen or a shoulder to cry on.
My Grandfather probably had no idea the impacts he had on me. Is there someone you can reach out to and impact? Sometimes the smallest things we do leave significant impressions on people, never minimize what an act of kindness can do for someone.
Don
W. Gee
Talent
Strategy Manager
Escendent
Dgee@Escendent.com
Recent Comments