Monday, May 4, 2009

Hope Abounds for Those Looking for It

It's a Monday morning and I should be avidly reviewing notes for my upcoming presentation this morning but instead I am inspired to write a bit about hope because I surprise even myself with how hopeful I remain on a daily basis.

Why do I remain so hopeful? I have tapped into some kind of hope stream for myself and the people in my field of vision. These people include of course my family, clients, potential clients the young adults I work with through Outward Bound, the parents I intend to someday educate through seminars of some sort and all of the people who are currently struggling for work. We all have the potential and opportunity to be okay in the long run and I believe this so strongly and so innately that I simply cannot stop being hopeful.

I recently made an acquaintance through Twitter (I adore Twitter) that instantly intrigued and thrilled me. The company is called WorkNet and the founder has literally written the book on how to help people who are deemed "unemployable" for one reason or another. Incredible!! I got in contact with the person I met named Chris Webster and he walked me through their program a bit and offered me unlimited support and encouragement for the program I have put together for Outward Bound Los Angeles. As far as I'm concerned, Elisabeth H. Sanders Park writes for me when she says "Go for it! Whether your specialty is working with people in a highly individualized way, or your average day makes big changes that affect many, approach overcoming barriers with purpose and creativity!".

My current and future clients will all be so much better off once they have received the information I have put together to show them how to increase their ROI in their internal recruiting efforts. It took me a long time to go out on my own because for myself, I have to know that I am helping someone and being "another" staffing company offering the same old news has never appealed to me as the concept itself lacks any notion of meaningful assistance in this day and age. Focusing on the positive, I am grateful to the scores of staffing companies who adamantly refuse to operate in an ethical fashion without the slightest regard to the trail of broken spirits they leave in their collective wake. My revolution has begun and there is so much need out there that I can't give up in my quest to help as many people as possible through the various channels I have dedicated myself and my company to focus on.

My family life is full of drama and struggles dealing with the inevitable difficulties associated with blended families. All children of divorce suffer to varying degrees and I literally exhaust myself trying to make sure no bit of needed attention slips through the cracks. It's an impossible task of course, but both my efforts and my fiance's efforts have reaped tremendous rewards in improved communication with our children and a marked improvement in our children's behavior across the board. It's scary and intimidating, but we refuse to abandon the hope that our kids will come through all of it to become wonderfully happy, hopeful and productive adults.

One key to my success in remaining hopeful is terribly simple: turn off the television. There is so little good news being reported that I honeslty never watch live television except for the weather channel. I record the shows I want to see, fast forward through even the commercials for the news and commit myself to receiving news via Twitter (did I mention I love Twitter?) RSS feeds, magazines and my own browsing. I give no media outlet permission to interrupt my hopeful day with negative droning about any topic.

Elisabeth H. Sanders-Park also mused about the movie The Princess Bride and how Billy Crystal and Carol Kane were saying their farewells and said "Have fun stormin' the castle!". We all have castles to storm, metaphorically speaking, so I will bid you farewell this morning in kind. Have fun stormin' the castles, everyone!

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