It's raining-but not cats and JOBS!

While watching the rain in Oregon I was thinking of the phrase "It is raining cats and dogs". Remembering how that phrase came to being (cats and dogs used to bed down in the old thatched roofs and when it rained hard they would fall through) it reminded me that it rarely rains "jobs" when we want them.

Sometimes we wish too hard or even look to hard only to find out later on that we opportunities right beside us. Or we couldn't see the "jobs" for the "opportunities. The game is to be out and about, seeing people, making personal relationships, helping others. In doing so we tend to be more inclined to look around and see more than when we stare directly.

Ever notice that when you stare directly at a star sometimes you can't see it yet when you look to the side in comes into your peripheral vision. The same phenomenon can happen when looking for those hidden opportunities,

Are you really listening?

Listening is an art. We are not taught how to listen. As children we are "told" to listen, remember the "You better listen or else" or "How many times do I have to tell you?" You have the opportunity to learn to improve your listening by attending Toastmasters.Your ability to listen will determine your growth, accomplishments, success in life. To actively listen and pay attention will empower you to respond with full understanding and an accurate response.

Backlash

Lately some folks have been returning to the Support Group. Their story is they had recently obtained an opportunity then the economy has continued to sink. Thereby requiring the new company to make layoffs. Those folks have seen first hand the reason why we must continue to network albeit not as much as when not working.

We need to make the most of all our events, travel and gatherings. It isn't always about looking for the opportunities but once again making those personal relationships.

Once again:
Have fun
Meet people
Learn something

Time change

By now you have reset your clock for daylight savings time (DLT). you have been readjusting to the new found light in the evening.
Have you thought about readjusting your approach to your search? You may want to give it some thought. Others have returned to the group and shared that "things" changed when they changed.

Just a thought!

Hitting the Wall

Have you ever hit the "Wall". It seems all your work, searching, return calls aren't going anywhere. You work hard to develop your next opportunity and you feel you aren't going anywhere?

Welcome to the reality of life. While talking with a friend of mine, that indulges in Psychology, it seems that many times we need to hit the wall. Maybe even fall down and feel bad or hurt. It seems to jolt our brains and when we get back up we can see a different side to the situation. Once that happens we can move forward.

You've heard the adage that when you can't solve the problem to go to bed and sleep on it. I can remember in my youth when I was learning to tie down loads on trucks. My mentor was showing and teaching me how to do the tie down knot. I just couldn't quite get it. The day was over and home I went. Went to bed and slept. Upon returning the following morning I walked up and immediately tied the load down. As though I had been doing it for years.

When you find yourself in that dilemma and can't seem to move forward that may be your signal to take a break, a total break and stop thinking and worrying about it.

If that doesn't work seek out a friend and talk with them.

Current Fiasco

Is it looking bad to you? Are the papers and news media telling you how bad it is? Do you believe them?
You should, it is an ugly picture. Yet we have been through rough times before. They are never exact duplicates but they cause havoc. As a nation we always get through with lots of hard work and perseverance.

A big change over the "better" times is you need to be more focused, work a little harder and look for more rocks that need to be turned over. Think outside the box. Each week I hear interesting and new and innovative ways to look for contacts or opportunities.

Don't forget all your friends and those like you that are also unemployed, get together with them and have coffee and talk.

People Trails

This past week there was ample discussions about leaving people trails instead of paper trails. Accountants like and want paper trails and that makes excellent sense. Yet people tend to like people. When we are out there looking for the next opportunity, what better to do than to meet other people. Not for the purpose of finding that opportunity but more so to build more personal relationships. That in turn can and will turn to opportunities if we pay attention. Along the way you will meet some fantastic folks and in turn learn something.On the other side of this is that you in turn leave your knowledge and sharing with the "people" you come into contact with. This is a two way proposition so don't feel you have nothing to share.

Remember to "Have fun, Meet people, Learn something".

Walk Good

Mindfulness - Connecting to Excellence in the Moment

No generation of people has had more things available to get in the way of finding excellence in the moment.
We are so busy and distracted by our lifestyle that we are never in the moment. We are always somewhere else.
When we are at work, we are thinking about dinner. At dinner we are thinking about the game tomorrow.
On vacation, we are thinking about work. Watching TV we are thinking about vacation.
Our cell phones and iPods and game stations all create a pseudo-reality around us and take our attention away from where we are and what we are doing. we don't attend to the food we are eating, and jam calories down our throat. On the exercise bicycle we are distracted by earphones and TV screens so that our heads are effectively disconnected from our bodies.
We talk AT our children like objects at a distance, and are advised by experts to schedule time for family meetings and get together's.
Should I need an agenda to talk to my kids about anything?
I was in line to get a sandwich when I experienced excellence in person in a very visceral way today. It reminded me to seek connection in each and every moment to what is going on, to turn off the chatter and the attention traps that divert the senses.
The nice lady at the counter in our college cafeteria was not very well educated, nor very polished in appearance. She was surrounded by movers and shakers of higher education studying deep, profound theory. They were so caught up in thinking elsewhere they had no time to see her and the quality of her work. She was eager to please and was committed to providing the best customer service she could possibly provide. She was fully engaged and committed to her task. She knew what questions to ask and wasted neither words or motion in preparing sandwiches. Her skill and economy of motion were art in motion.
Not wanting to engage with a member of the great unwashed, the ladies in line in front of me made it a point to blurt out their order in a single complex thought-paragraph, fighting to get their words in edgewise so that the lady would not have an opportunity to intrude into their head space. They couldn't wait to get back to their own conversation. The sandwich maker was un-fazed and was perfect in creating their sandwiches which they took without a hint of acknowledging they just shared time and space with another human being. They never saw her.
When it was my turn, she had the opportunity to ask me every questions she want ed to ask. I let her guide me through our process of building a sandwich together. When it was done I thanked her and remarked that she'd done one heck of a job during this lunch hour madness and that I appreciated her service. We shared a smile.
I never enjoyed a sandwich as much as I did this afternoon. I turned off the monitor, unhooked the phone, and just ate the sandwich and attended to every bite and taste. It was perfect.
The nice lady in the sandwich shop reminded me today about where to find excellence in the world. It's all around you, if you will look. Where is your excellence? How do you express it everyday and in every way? Are you open to it in the here and now or are you planning to get it tomorrow or wherever else your attention has wandered?
Ken Long, Chief of Research, Tortoise Capital Management, finance: http://www.tortoisecapital.com/, essays: http://kansasreflections.wordpress.com/

Grieving-suggested movie

From time to time I talk about grieving. The need to grieve and the act of it. We all grieve in different ways and it seems two common ways are to cry and talk.
Having learned that we all need to grieve when we enter a traumatic circumstance from my mother. The circumstance can be either positive or negative. The negative could be job loss, a death in the family or losing some monetary item.
The positive would be a birth, wedding or college graduation. Have you ever seen someone cry at either of these.

If you are not sure how to grieve, feel you are worn out or depressed, I have a suggested movie for you to watch:

For an inspirational movie about grieving see "Closing the Ring" http://tinyurl.com/5a3qd2 Be sure and bring Kleenex for the final scene.