Work Smarter, Not Harder

As the days pass by, and no new leads or interviews on the horizon, I start to feel a little defeated.  Looking for a job is hard work and I know I'm not spending enough time with the search or looking in the right places.  My stubborn side tells me that something will show online and my resume and cover letter will get me in the door, but my logical side tells me, this isn't working and I need to reach out to my network.  This humbles me and, quite frankly, hurts my ego that I need to rely on others.  This is my path -- my cross to bear, but I am reminded of a saying from my former manager and greatest mentor..."work smarter, not harder".  This was my motto throughout my stay as a banker.  I could always find a way to bring in new deals, without the rigmarole of cold-calling, appointment-setting, and dead-end meetings that typically amounted to nothing.  So, what am I going to do about it?

I need a plan.  I need a strategy.

My spirit is getting stronger, and I'm enjoying unemployment again with daily trips to yoga and afternoon volleyball play.  I'm in a better place mentally, but in order for me to feel fulfilled again I need to work.  I'm smart, creative, and a people-person.  I need to use these skill sets again, and everything else will fall into place.   My plan will to be to reach out to my former co-workers; the ones who have been contacting me for months for lunch dates and I have been nicely blowing them off.  I'm ready. Let's do this!

I took away a lot from the Dalai Lama event last week.  The one philosophy I keep going back to was his story about a horse.  The horse with the blinders on his eyes.  They cannot see what happened to them in the past, nor can they see what's going on around them -- they can only concentrate and focus on what's in front of them as far as their eyes can see.  Do not worry about the past, it already happened...let it go.  Do not worry about what others around you are doing or saying; it doesn't affect you.  Only focus on the present moment, and how you are going to put one foot in front of the other to get where you're going for the day.  Do not have anxiety or expectations for the future.  If you follow your heart, you will never be wrong.

Book Finished:
Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself from Negative Emotions and Transform your Life, by Judith Orloff, M.D.:  I saw this book as a combination of Radical Acceptance, and The Power of Now. The author pointed out a lot of the areas where you harbor different emotions, and how to free yourself of them.  I took away some new meditation techniques and also learned that it is okay to cry.  This is your body's natural way of letting pain go, and brings you to a calmer place.  She also touched upon your dreams, what some of them may mean and how remembering dreams can help you make decisions and understand situations better.  She suggested that you can write an intention in a dream journal before you go to bed, and also write down any dreams you experience.  The journal is a good way to reflect on dreams and setting an intention to your unconscious sleep state can make new opportunities happen.  Hey, what the heck, it's worth a shot.