Stay the Course

How's this working for you?

To me "staying the course" means unrelentingly moving forward with blinders on your eyes and not listening to anything. You may as well being listening to your iPod at full blast and hitting the tree in front of you because the tree happens to be on the course. At this point in our country, it will be very difficult to "stay the course." Tenacity and perseverance are fabulous qualities when paired with openness and a strategy.

None of this has anything to do with the war. This is about unemployment. Last night at a group meeting, nearly half of the group is unemployed or has had their hours cut. Twice a month, I attend a"job seekers" group for the unemployed. The room is filled with people wanting to work and who need to work. Believe me, times are tough.

"Necessity is the Mother of Invention." I will add that, "Necessity is the Mother of Re-Invention." Madonna is the best example of re-invention. This is a woman with modest talent. To her credit, she continues to grow and re-invent herself. Thirty years ago, who would have thought Madonna would still be performing to packed stadiums?

For those who are unemployed, we need to examine how can we re-invent ourselves? This open time could be looked at as a gift to veer from the course and steer ourselves onto a better path. This is the perfect time to invest in ourselves. In our oodles of spare time, perhaps we can investigate what do we love. Where's our passion?

From my blog, you know I have studied my inner martha. While she was fun and great for awhile, those fun things (cooking, baking, crocheting, etc.) are not a lifetime passion for me. But I am glad I had the chance to test my inner martha theory. My passion for success is outside the home and in the workforce. In late March, I am starting a class that should enhance my professional as well as personal skills.

A family member, Harley, is another great example for reinvention. For his short career (7 years), he has been a mechanic. As of early January, Harley was laid off from his job. While it was not his ideal job, it was a job. During his down time, Harley and his wife started a health regime including diet and daily exercise. Between his weekly karate class and the daily exercise, Harley has discovered a new passion. As we speak, he is putting together a strategy to switch careers and fulfill his dream. From this new found discovery of exercise and diet, he envisions an entire long-term career path.

You say, where is the money to pay for this? Yes, it is a concern. Personally, I charged the tuition onto my Visa. Believe me, over the years I have placed so many frivolous things on that card, this charge was finally an investment in me. As for Harley, he has searched the Internet for government grants and loans.

So reinvention does not need to be a completely new career. It can be as simple as investing in broadening your skill base. Think of Oreo cookies. There is a stable brand that has reinvented itself through line extensions. This is the time to invest in ourselves and hopefully, we will never have to experience another underemployment in our careers again.

Good luck to all.

MOM