Trust a curve ball

I'm not a baseball fan, but I do believe that life has thrown curve balls in my direction for the past 8 months. I think I was even dinged a few times. In August of 2011, I made a decision to leave a hostile work environment which caused great anxiety in my work life. In October, my father passed away the day after his 55th college reunion. In December, I starting working for a health care system, which seemed like a good idea at the time, even though I had been transitioned twice before when the industry became too chaotic. I hoped this would be a different experience but ultimately it wasn't meant to be. Everything went well for the first few months, I was exercising my enthusiasm for project management and preparing the site for opening day and then........my sister passed away in May of 2012. You can always sense when there is change in a work environment or in my case an oncoming fast ball, that will hit you in the head and knock you unconscious. In this case, it would not have been a bad thing then I wouldn't have heard how unpopular I am and that my position was being eliminated the day after my 6 month review. My boss said to me he thought I was a square peg trying to fit in to a round hole and this position wasn't my "sweet spot." He's probably right, as much as I tried to fit in, it wasn't happening. I had nothing in common with my co-workers by education or experience and they had nothing in common with me. Teams are built with trust and a commonality and in this case there was neither. I was trying to become a key member of a group that had worked together for years, bonded and established a deep trust that could not be denied. Because of these negative experiences in the health care environment, I have decided that these temporary stop overs were small blips on my life's radar. For a short period of time, I was in that position to do something, not sure what, but something that would matter to someone or make a difference in that corner of the work world. There was a lesson to be learned from the Master Teacher and whether I learned it or not remains to be seen. Since reading a daily meditation book called, Jesus Calling, I face the future not with despair but with a sense of trust and hope. One page says that if you are in control of your life all you will have is worry, but if God is in control of your life, all you have is Peace. "Let trust and thankfulness stand guard, turning back fear before it can gain a foothold." I encourage you to grip the hand of Jesus tightly and stay in close communication with Him. He will keep you in perfect Peace if you stay close to Him because those curve balls might be a sign. Jesus knows you will duck just in time because you found trust that he will push you out of the way before you get dinged.

In Between the Business Cards

Networking seems to be a full time job but what happens "in between the business cards," when you aren't distributing information, selling yourself in 30 seconds, or trying to remember if you met all the important people that can help you expand your network?

On the off days you may be attending a workshop, researching companies on the internet, updating your profile on LinkedIn; but when do you take time for yourself? When is the last time you exercised your body or read a good book (other than Power Packed Resumes)? So you can't afford a gym membership, that's no excuse,you can walk around your neighborhood, meditate, read a mystery or cook your favorite dish.

By taking care of your body, mind and spirit you will be more prepared and energized when the next interview happens. Some of the things we dismiss as "it's worked for me in the past," don't work anymore. If you are mentally exhausted or physically out of shape, your first impression will be your last.

Remember to take some time for you, if you can't seem to find energy for the next interview or event; contact a HOPE team member, we're great listeners and cheerleaders!

Is Your Iceberg Melting?

"Handle the challenge of change well, and you can prosper greatly. Handle it poorly, and you put yourself and others at risk." John Kotter (author of Our Iceberg is Melting) This fable is about a group of penguins who are resistant to change, face obstacles that threaten their existence and then discover clever tactics to solve the problem. Thinking differently and feeling different can definitely change your behavior and help you to achieve better results.

A job search is not a fable, it is a real experience that challenges us to overcome the resistance to change (updating a resume, personal appearance, accepting that job searching is not the same as it was 10 years ago). Too many of us are "stuck in a rut", we think that if our method of job searching worked in the past, it will work in the present. Simple changes such as buying or borrowing a new suit, getting a haircut, visiting the dentist (it's inexpensive to whiten your teeth with the many toothpastes on the market), are enough to get started on your journey as a "penguin." Sometimes it takes an objective person to point out that we do need to change in order to compete with other job seekers.

Losing a job can threaten your existence, financially, emotionally and physically. Are you going to let the problem of job loss overwhelm you, or are you going to find clever and resourceful ways to eliminate the problem and achieve great results? Identify that there is a need of urgency and the beginning of change is imminent. Looking within yourself (with the aid of a listening counselor) can help you to recognize the strengths that will help provide immediate success and the weaknesses that will keep you from change or achieving maximum results.

Surround yourself with a team of support professionals who can assist in helping you develop a vision and then a strategy for your job search. This job search will be different from all others you may have experienced. You and your team professional will communicate your vision and strategy to others who will be able to assist with professional advice and mentoring. This part of the penguin's journey is called networking, developing relationships that will help you achieve success not just an accumulation of business cards which provide no value.

The penguins needed to experience success to find credibility and confidence, the journey is the same for you. This is not a one time workshop experience, but a process that will give you the personal and professional resources you need to find the success you are looking for.

With the resources available to you, listening and discussion and a few tips; you will find the courage to stay the course. The penguins learned a great deal from their journey,they discovered they could change old habits, overcame their pride to change their behaviors, and discover better options for the future. You can too!
WHEN YOU DISCOVER HOPE, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.....

LinkedIn Etiquette in Networking

In today’s culture, having social skills is not only the ability to interact and communicate with people but also how to behave and interface in the digital world. When you are job searching, this becomes extremely important. LinkedIn can be a valuable tool when used for networking, research, business development, and transitioning into a new position. However, there are rules of etiquette which we should all keep in mind as we navigate our way along the job search journey.

Building quality relationships is a goal of networking. Beginning with current or former colleagues and friends is a great way to build your connection list. Adding people that you’ve met at meetings can also increase your connection number. But, inviting people who you do not know or have no other relationship with is called blind networking and should be avoided. Concentrate on quality connections - not quantity. When researching someone on LinkedIn, don’t focus on the connection number. The person with a LinkedIn profile of 500 or more connections is no more educated, experienced, skilled, or connected than a person with 150 connections.

Once you’ve established a network, be a considerate connection. Don’t ask people to recommend you for something they have little knowledge of. Recommendations should be from legitimate sources - those you give and receive. Ask former colleagues and managers to endorse you. Friends and relatives who are able to comment about your work can also give their support in the form of a recommendation. When you are writing about a connection, make sure you have first-hand knowledge of the person’s work. Remember, not only do the recommendations you receive reflect upon your profile but those that you give do as well. If you give a recommendation to someone who ends up not being a credible connection, your reputation may be at stake. Recommendations are a valuable component on your LinkedIn profile and should be taken as seriously as your reference list.

Use common sense and consideration when networking on LinkedIn and respect your connections. LinkedIn is a professional tool we all use to communicate with one another. Whether you are a job seeker, employed in a position, recruiter, or a hiring manager, it will behoove us all to use basic etiquette to ensure that the profiles we view today are relevant and legitimate.

Hitting the Wall

No matter how well you manage your job search, there are times when you "hit the wall" emotionally. Out of nowhere, this feeling creeps up on you and then all of a sudden you are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, angry, and frustrated. Worry becomes the feeling for not only this day but every day. What happened to the hopeful, confident person you were last week? The longer the job search, the stronger the chances are you may "hit the wall" once again. So how do you overcome these negative feelings and find your way back to HOPE?

I read a book by Wayne Dyer where he quoted, "I can choose peace, rather than this." The most important word in this statement is CAN not maybe but CAN. When you are faced with circumstances that cause you distress, say these words to yourself over and over again. Make the decision that you CAN turn this around and find the courage and strength you need to continue the journey. Mr. Dyer also writes that we need to look at our lives as if it were a white canvas. From the moment of our birth, we are surrounded by the ultimate light, God's presence and grace. Throughout the years, small blobs of shadow drift across the landscape and stick to the canvas. Your shadow blob may be job loss, financial issues, struggling relationships anything that needs a place to land. When we let these shadows stick, soon there is more shadow than there is light (liken to an eclipse of the sun). After a while, the presence of God's light is diminished so it is merely a pinhole. It takes a conscious effort to mentally remove these blobs from the canvas, pulling one by one and tossing them back to where they came from. Soon the canvas begins to look differently, there is more light and the presence of God once again returns.

You CAN choose to leave the shadows on your canvas of life and live in the gloom, it's an easy choice to make; it takes no effort, or you CAN choose to remove the shadows which takes a great deal of work and live in HOPE. When you can't handle the blobs on your own, seek emotional and/or spiritual support through the Discover HOPE listening team. Lean on us and we will be there to help you carry the burdens of your journey.

Finding happiness in the small stuff

Recently I read a book that listed thousands of personal moments from childhood to adulthood that brought happiness to the writer. I didn't think it would be that difficult to create my own list which is what I did while waiting in a doctor's office. No it wasn't that long a wait because my list was only 4 pages long. I started to think about my job search and the frustration, anxiety and worry that are present everyday. Then I concentrated on the moments when I remembered feeling happy and every time I experienced that particular thing whatever it was; the feeling of happiness came rushing back. I challenge you to write your own list, while you are having a cup of coffee or sitting on the deck, think about your life and relive those happiness moments. Reflect on that list, read it again and again. It is more difficult to be happy that it is to be unhappy. Don't be surprised if you end up with more than 4 pages, maybe you will be the next one to write a book how to find happy moments in the small stuff. Here are a few of mine:

Sled riding on cardboard
Learning to blow a bubble
Riding a bike with no hands
Drive in movies $1 night
Eating brownie batter out of the bowl
Seeing the space shuttle launch every time
A perfect hair day
Jumping in puddles
Passing a drivers test
Scent of a baby
Holding your child for the first time
Seeing your child graduate from college
Paying off college loans
Receiving an unexpected gift or award
Listening to the sound of your child's voice
Walking through the woods in the fall
Penny candy
Being picked for a sports team
Finding a job after losing one
Helping someone get a job
Watching a sunset with your spouse and a glass of wine on the beach

Peace vs. chaos

Today 1,500 employees of the West Penn Hospital system received confirmation their jobs were being eliminated as a cost cutting measure. Administration may have said, "it's not personal," while handing out the pink slips, but as we all know it is definitely personal to each individual affected by job loss or change. Everything changes as we know it, the immediate things are income, medical coverage, and pensions; but the emotional side of our selves changes too. We may feel a sense of grief, losing something that was important to our existence, something that made us feel that we had a purpose or that we were making a difference in our little piece of the world. Health care is like no other field, despite the chaos, stress and loss of life; these dedicated employees are committed to the welfare and healing of the patients, the mission of the hospital, and to the community that makes up teams of people dependent on each other to get the job done. From the maintenance staff to the physicians, each person contributes their gifts and talents for the greater good.

It may difficult to find any peace in this time of chaos, but hopefully most will discover their inner peace through this journey. Peace is between you and God and can only be discovered within. When the time comes that you discover that peace within yourself, remember all that you have experienced in your life and all that you have accomplished. Remind yourself as a job seeker that you needed all of those experiences to help you become the person you were always meant to be. Take this time to discover new things about yourself and connect with other job seekers, find support emotional and spiritual, and remember there is HOPE.




Anyone who has become a HOPE participant knows that "hope" is only a phone call or email away.