There is a saying whose origin is unknown that has often been attributed as a Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Every day we read more bad news about people loosing their jobs, loosing their homes or both. With never-ending wars, corporate crimes and political greed and corruption, it seems like every day there is a new reason to give up hope.

We are the people who feel the sting of these troubling times and many people are finding it ever more difficult to keep their heads above water.

I know how fortunate I am to have a job and make a point to never lose gratitude. So, I cannot say that I know completely how it is to be looking for work in the midst of this economic crisis but I am well aware of how that could change at any moment. Plenty of my friends have been caught in the wave of layoffs in my industry.

I do have some experience looking for work when I was younger. During the Dot Com boom I looked for a job for two years. I remember well how the frustration, anxiety and depression I felt. This was before my “spiritual awakening,” so to speak, and I was still caught up in my “victimhood”. In spite of that, I was well aware of how my survival depended on not giving up, so I kept moving forward in spite of myself.

It’s funny how sometimes, when it is absolutely essential, we can pull ourselves out of our distorted mindset and take action.

For instance, I always remember a friend of mine who had been unemployed for a very long time and finally landed a job. Throughout his unemployment, I sat on the phone with him many days and long nights as he cried about his woes.

His first day of work finally arrived. I called him at the end of the day to see how it went and he told me he didn’t go it!
“Why not!” I said in disbelief.
“I had a panic attack.”
“You can’t afford the luxury of panic attacks.” I responded.
He didn’t like my response and I was rightfully accused of being “insensitive.” I guess I was but frankly, I just saw it as another example of how we set ourselves up for failure.

I said, “You’re REALLY going to have a panic attack when you get evicted for not paying rent!”
Every day we plant seeds. It’s so important to plant the seeds of success rather than failure. We do that whenever we nurture our strong points rather than indulge our shortcomings.

During the two years I looked for a job, I don’t know how many interviews I went on. It was ridiculous. Every time I would go interview I would feel really good about it and think that I definitely got the job. I would get my hopes way up and then they would be crushed.

My incessant negative thinking would get the better of me and I would get very despondent but every day I forced myself to get up and take another step towards my goal of gainful employment.

I purchased a loose-leaf binder and kept a log of every resumé I sent, every phone call I made and the names of every person I spoke to. I would cut out the ad or write a synopsis about where I got the lead. This was so when someone called me back I could just flip through the log and find all the information right there so I knew whom I was talking to.

So let me tell you what happened. As I said, I went on so many interviews to places that I thought were awesome. During the Dot Com Era everyone was offering all kinds of perks and benefits. I would get excited, thinking my ship was coming in and then it would pass me by right on the dock.

One of the countless ads I answered was from the New York Times. I got a letter back basically saying, “thanks but no thanks. We’ll keep your résumé on file.” Of course, I thought they meant the circular file they keep next to their desk.

By now, I was well used to rejection but I had no choice but to keep looking.
One day I came home and there was a message on my machine from the people who had put the ad in the Times six months earlier. They said they wanted to see me. To my surprise, they REALLY HAD kept my resume on file!

To make a long story short, I went in for that interview and FINALLY landed a position. I was with that company for eight years and they were still going strong as all those “Dot Com” places I lamented about went out of business.

The trick to job success or any success for that matter is to never give up. Every day, plant a seed and keep moving forward.

I recently received an email from Claire, a reader who just completed her fourth decade of life and is currently looking for a job in Philadelphia. I know it’s tough, Claire, but please don’t give up. One thing we can rest assured of in life is that we will all have challenges – no one can escape them. If that’s the case, there’s no sense rallying against fate by not enjoying life. Choose a positive attitude, hold on to gratitude and keep moving forward.

So just one more thing…
I belong to something called “ButterflyReports.com” which is a site were people who have websites can get reports and eBooks that they can distribute to their visitors. I pay for the service, but for you it is free. These reports have some links to resources and sites that I hope you find helpful.

In honor of Claire, please accept these free reports.

Resume Writing Tips

and

Job Interview Success Tips.  Click those links for immediate download.

I hope there’s something in there that will help you in your search and also… here’s another report for you that I hope will help you motivated and positive:

Your Daily 13 Step Life Changing Guide For Understanding How To Achieve Greatness In Everything You Do!

Again, click for immediate download.

Enjoy!  Thanks for reading!