Another Day - Another Interview

Time has slipped and I've been longer than a week since last posting.

Well, I have been occupied. I've spent pretty much all my internet free time this past weekend putting together some items for my web stores (look left to find the links). I don't really intend for this to be a billboard for my sales portals but I thought I'd mention it as it ties in tangentially to the topic of the day.

Just had another interview on my quest for for new employ. This one is for a lateral/upward shift internally to the company, and while the interview went well, there's no telling the outcome until they tell me.

So, it's still a matter of keep on keeping on. And keeping one's options open.

Hence sharpening up the sales sites. If you're inclined (no obligation to do so, of course), I suggest visiting Club Mushroom, particularly this link for the mouse pad. If you prefer something a bit more tasteful, there's this mouse pad at HansenPix.

OK, commercial announcement is over. You can come out now.

That's all for today. I plan a more meaningful note over the weekend. In the meantime, remember:

Yes, You Can!

HOW WELL THEY KNOW ME!

The same email came from two different directions and into my inbox on the same day:


Today Is National Mental Health day!

You can do your bit by remembering to send an email to an unstable friend.

(Well...my job's done!)

Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints

How well they know me!

And, as I like to say, a little insanity can be a healthy thing. IF it can make you smile somewhere along the way.

And a good suggestion from my wife, a very wise woman, is to sing songs of praise, even when you don't feel like singing anything. It's easy to sing praises when we feel on top of everything. But the time we need to sing praises and be in our Father's arms is when everything is on top of us.

And I may have just offended some of you.

Those of you who don't have some sort of relationship with Creator God just now felt slapped in the face. I'm sorry, as it was NOT my intention to offend. But, part of this blog is to tell you what works for me. If you don't have such a relationship it may not work for you. The odd thing is, though, God meets us where we are, He comes more than half-way: He comes all the way. If you start to sing praises (or, if you feel like you can't sing, merely speaking will do), even if you don't feel like it, He will come to you. You may find that it is an experience you want to repeat.

Despite what you may have heard, God is not willing that any be apart from Him, but He is also respectful enough of our feelings that He will not force His presence on us if we do not want him around. And even Christians push Him away. Or put Him in a box they take out on Sunday.

Hence, my depression cycle: I did that very thing.

My wife is wise. She told me that even if I only sang that simple children's song we are teaching our little one, it would be enough to start the process:

Jesus loves me, this I know

For the Bible tells me so

Little ones to Him belong;

We are weak, but He is strong!

Yes, Jesus loves me,

Yes, Jesus loves me,

Yes, Jesus loves me,

The Bible tells me so!

It's not so much a 'Belief' as it is a 'trust'. If you need verses to back up the song, here are two:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." - John's Gospel 3:16-17 New International Version (NIV)

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" - Paul's letter to the Romans 8:1 (NIV)

Christianity is not so much a system of rules (though many think it is) as it a relationship with someone who has an interest with you. It is true that if you live by the 'rules' of Christianity you will generally be considered a 'good person'. Remember, though, that's what the Pharisees thought they were doing, and along the way they lost the love for God, and missed experiencing the love of God.

Anyway, I've wandered a bit. The idea is to find that smile that belongs to you. Even more, to find that joy that belongs to you.

God Bless, and,

Yes, You Can!

How Depressing

Apropos of nothing in particular, but this job search thing is getting me down. I hope I won't need to write a "Devil Discouragement III" entry, but life can be like that.

Remembering a verse I wrote some years back:

"Your Job is not your Worth,
You have Value from your birth.
Your loving given
Means more to livin'
Your Job is NOT your Worth!"

I have to focus on the good & look for the opportunities.

More on that later, maybe tomorrow. For now I have to go.

As Always,

Yes, you CAN!

Focus

There's a story that's told around nighttime campfires after evening meals are finished:

The old Chief speaks to his young boys before they are to be brought into the tribe as men. "Inside me, there are two wolves," he says, "One is viscous, evil and hating. He will rip and destroy anything and everything he can. The other is good, kind and loving, protecting the best he can his family and friends. Each day they battle within me. It is the same with each of you." One of the boys asks, "Grandfather, which wolf will win?" I'll tell you his answer in a moment.

What do you focus on? Do you let the guy who cut you off in traffic ruin your day? Or do you let it be an occasion to practice patience? Do you even sometimes let it be an opportunity to practice your writing skills? What do you do?

Every time you focus on the wrong done to you (sometimes in all innocence, let it be said), you raise your blood pressure, heart rate, and stress. Shifting the focus from the wrong done to possible solutions can help.

Let me tell you what I mean: a short time ago I noticed that people would put their trash out of their car on the ground and drive off -- even when a trash can was near to hand. This would happen in the parking lot of the place I work. I would growl and cuss and mutter: "What's going on with these know-nothing so-and-sos," and generally enter my workplace with a sour attitude that would take me some time to work out. Sometimes I would need the entire day. And, of course I'd see more of the same when I left the building.

One day, it hit me that I was part of the problem.

That very day, I started picking up the stray trash I found in the lot as I made my way into work. Since I park at the far corner, sometimes that was a LOT of trash.

Some of you think I'm crazy for doing this, that it is ultimately utterly pointless to pick up the trash I find. I am making only a very small dent in a very big problem. In that last, you'd be right.

But for the rest, you'd be wrong.

Listen to the good things it did for me: I became a happier person because I felt: a) I left the parking lot a little better than I found it; b) maybe someone would follow my example and help; c) maybe the people leaving the trash might notice and realize it doesn't "just go away" (alright, that's a long shot, I admit it).

That happier person (me) generally isn't as sour as before. I smile more at people. More people smile back (imagine that!). My blood pressure went down a bit (every bit helps). Best part: I could start untying some of the knots I'd gotten myself tied into.

And that was just the first step.

I could go on, but maybe you get the point.

You could list all the reasons I should be grumpy. Believe me, my list is longer than yours. I've read and re-read it several times and more things keep appearing.

I've decided to break the habit of picking nits and adding to the list of grievances. Instead, I want to add to the list of things that make me smile: warm days and cool breezes, a full moon on Christmas Eve, little girl giggles, friendly smiles.

Yeah, I'll backslide. But I'm getting better at keeping my focus where it belongs. Our little girl saying 'Hello' to the moon this evening when we got home heads the "Smile" list today. Simple and sweet. And that list keeps getting longer, too!

By the way, the old chief answered, "The one that you feed."
I try to keep a happy face for our little girl, especially when she thinks it's her fault when I feel bad. I've lived the habit of guilt; she doesn't need to. She already has her loving and giving nature. She doesn't need guilt to do the right thing.

Speaking of doing the right thing,

Yes, you can.

Shift Happens

Ran across something elsewhere on the web and thought you'd like to know about it: http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/. It's an informative eight-minute video and I encourage you to take the time to watch.

You might also want to visit the place I found the reference:
Randy Cassingham's Blog: Shift Happens

His place is always good for a smile and sharp insight. With luck and a sharp electronic pencil, I hope to match him, sooner or later.

Keep A Stiff Upper Lip!

Yes, You Can!

It Was Not Entirely Unexpected ...

But still, it was a shock. Being told that we were being laid off was not good news. But the handwriting was on the wall: the client had contracted with 2 other call centers to do roughly the same work we do. After reading their tickets and picking up the pieces of their trouble-shooting, I hope they learn fast. And I hope the true client (their customer) doesn’t get left hanging in the cold.

But that is neither here nor there: the phase out is going to happen regardless, no last-minute saves. There is the promise by our company to get as many people as possible into slots in other lines of business, but that nothing was guaranteed, and often that would mean a step-down in pay.

So, the big question: Do I jump, or do I wait to be pushed? I've already made my decision: It's better to leap, that way you have some idea of your landing spot.

It was good of them to give us the heads’ up. In other jobs I’ve had, the idea was to let the employee know at the last minute that they were being let go, to minimize “short-timers’ syndrome”. When I was a manager for said company, I hated that. I tried to let folks know that January was the “de-hire” time after the Christmas push was over. Some I told privately that they would not be kept on past the first of the year. Almost to a person, the people let go were shocked. Even the person I had told to “look around” for other employment past the first was shocked.

So, while I was shocked, I wasn’t all that shocked. That helps. The fact that I have been looking for a job or business opportunity in a casual way also helps. I just need to ramp that up to full time second job serious until I find a few good possibilities to choose from.

But the actual doing is still going to be a challenge.

It will be an interesting few months (or maybe less, with luck). But all of us make our own luck. I'll keep you posted.

Yes, I Can!