A good friend put it best for me "You'll go back to work when someone wants you to go to work for them, not when you want to go back to work." I am struck by how simple and straightforward that sounds, but it is also very profound. I can do the footwork of looking for a job -- take the outplacement workshops, write and revise my resume, send my resume to every job lead that comes my way--and it still is out of my hands whether I get a job today (or not). A prospective employer will review my resume for my qualifications and salary requirements. then determine whether the job requirements (and the budget) are a good fit. I need to be reminded that there is a Golden Rule: "Those that have the gold make the rules."
So, at this fork in the road, which employer do I really want to work for (and by what rules)? As I have had time to ponder the past layoffs I've endured, I need to acknowledge that somehow all of my needs were being provided. While still hounded by Doom and Gloom (the fear of losing what I have or not getting what I want). I still had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table. Likewise, without gainful employment to occupy my (precious) time, I still had plenty of opportunities to fill my time. When I was first laid off, I remembered taking my oldest niece (then four years old) to the playground. Before I sent her off by herself, I recited three rules "Please and thank you. You cannot always have your way. You have to listen to me." Although initially meant as instructions for a single occasion, those three rules grew with time and experience to become the lessons of life that eventually carried her to a far off place called UC Davis and I knew she would be all right.
So perhaps I need to be reminded that this time, like the other times, that all of my needs will be provided, as long as I acknowledge who my real Employer is, and I just need to perform the footwork laid before me.
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