Some of the good things about 2011

It was a trying year in many respects for many people. But there was good with the bad, and there were gains with the losses.

I gained new contacts and friends this year through networking. Networking is one of those things that people say is crucial to job searching, but should also be practiced when not job searching. Networking is a difficult thing for an introvert. Much of the advice that goes around on networking works very well – for extroverts. I read a book this year that every introvert should read: Networking for People Who Hate Networking. If you’re an introvert, or even just overwhelmed with the idea of networking, this book could really help you.

I found great satisfaction this year through volunteering. Volunteering can facilitate networking, of course, but can also help build, improve or maintain skills; make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside; or even just give you something to do. I volunteer at an animal shelter, which satisfies both my social need to work with people and provide customer service and my need to spend a little time with cute, furry animals. Plus, I am always reminded that what I do is greatly appreciated and truly helpful. Pick an interest, look for local organizations that mesh with that interest, and then call them up and ask if they need volunteers for any reason.

I accomplished a few personal projects this year. I wrote a play and a novel, and started this blog. I have had positive feedback on two of them (no one has seen the novel yet), and even if I never publish or produce two of them, I am just a little proud of myself for doing all three.

There have been plenty of other positives. Aside from a short cold, I have been healthy all year. I spent time with family and friends this year. I read several good books and saw several good movies and plays.

What was good about your year? Please share your successes!

Perspective

You’ve probably heard a lot about gratitude as a means of improving your mood or your life. You make a daily list of all the things and people in your life that you’re grateful for. It can help put things in perspective.

I call this the “There art thou happy” list. In Romeo and Juliet, after Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt and Romeo has been banished from the city for his crime, Romeo goes crying in despair to Friar Lawrence. The priest runs down a litany of things that have gone right for Romeo, ending each item with “there art thou happy.” You’re alive. That’s good. Juliet’s alive. That’s good. Your sentence could have been death. Be thankful.

You’ll notice that Romeo’s problems literally deal with life and death. For less dramatic issues, I suggest the following tactics.

The “Could be worse” list

Look on the bright side by naming the bad things you could be experiencing but aren’t. In Young Frankenstein, while committing the tiring, filthy and unpalatable task of digging up a body in a graveyard, Igor looks on the bright side and says, “Could be worse. Could be raining.” Of course, the strategy immediately backfires on him when it starts raining. If you want to practice this one without the comic irony, you could substitute something more catastrophic than rain. It could be your “Could be worse. Could be a giant meteor wiping out the Earth” list. Add items like “Could be abducted by aliens“ or “Could be gored by a rhinoceros,“ as appropriate.

Ditch the list

Sometimes it’s hard to make the list. All those things going wrong for you are dominating your thoughts and you’re too cynically close to it all to feel grateful for anything. Then skip the list and give in to fatalism. In the old Bill Murray summer camp movie Meatballs, Bill gives the misfit camp kids a pep talk when they despair about the prospect of losing miserably to the more physically coordinated rival camp in an athletic contest. He leads them in the chant, “It just doesn’t matter! It just doesn’t matter!”

This is a great approach for those little everyday problems that rub you raw. Your boss tells you your work stinks. Your car/water heater/cell phone breaks down. Are these serious problems? Sure. But do they constitute the end of the world? Or even the most horrible thing that could ever happen to you? Nah. In the long run, it just doesn’t matter.

Untried Job Search Strategies

The Disclaimer: There’s a heavy dose of honesty here. Live with it.

I've been out of work now for a long time. Too long. And the unemployment has come with a supersized order of rejection, big enough to clog anybody’s emotional arteries.

I’ve been advised to think positively (that’s another blog for another day). But after almost a year of unemployment and daily job searching, I think even the most unnaturally cheery of souls would have just a little trouble keeping the chin up all the time.

Yes, I admit I get down. Way down. I maintain that that’s only natural, given the circumstances, and I refuse to feel bad about feeling bad.

I’ve done more than I’ve ever done in a job search, and done it better than I’ve ever done it. I’ve taken classes at the workforce center. I’ve brushed up on my computer skills and become more active in social media. I’ve left my introverted comfort zone and gone to networking events and spoken with strangers. I’ve made wonderful gains in all of this, but still failed to gain a job.

There must be something I haven’t tried. How about these ideas:

Message in a bottle

Here’s the idea: I put my resume and a desperate note asking for help (aka a cover letter) in a glass bottle and set it afloat, hoping someone will eventually pick it up, read it and rescue me. The only problem: I live in a landlocked state. Besides, it feels a lot like responding to online job postings. Say, would a message in a bottle count as a job contact on my unemployment log?

Skywriting

I hire a skywriter to fly over the city and spell out the url to my LinkedIn profile. Surely some hiring manager will look up. The obstacle: I don’t think I can afford it. It probably costs as much as six months of COBRA premiums, and I can hardly afford one of those every month. Besides, does anyone actually do skywriting anymore?

Time travel

With a time machine and the right crystals, I could go back in time and find a suitable job. I could go back to, say, the prosperity of the 1950s. But, I’m a nonsmoker and hate to suffer all that smoking in the office. The 40s? I could learn to rivet. Or I could be a Renaissance artist’s model. I’ve got the hips for it.

Advertising that gets noticed

I find an elephant, paint my face, contact info and a QR code on the side of it, and parade it around town. I would just need a giant poop scooper.

Career change

I learn how to juggle fire and switch careers. But I’ll bet you anything that as soon as I learn fire juggling, the fire juggler job postings will also require aerial gymnastics, sword swallowing and accounts receivable experience.

Humor

I keep doing what I’m doing, keep trying new things and improving my skills, and try to laugh about it. After all, I’ve found a few ways to channel my frustrations and my creative energy. I haven’t given up yet!