Recharged!

There's nothing like a long weekend to recharge the soul.   The past few weeks have been hectic, one day bleeding into the next. At the end of the day it's hard to say if I could have accomplished any more with the time I had left. I am especially thankful for this Memorial Day holiday.  

A little more sleep, a lot more time to enjoy with my son. More time to shop for the week, plan meals, do laundry and to read.  I picked the first ripe strawberry from our garden for my son & husband to share. We cut a few peonies to enjoy ~ they will be gone before we know it.

I'm more than halfway through Harvey Mackay's "Use Your Head To Get Your Foot In The Door." One of my favorite chapters thus far is one called "Use Your Head, but Follow Your Heart!" It's the story of how Harvey first met Tony Dungy & the path their relationship took over the years. There was a lot of give & take of opinions & advice between the two - the student & the mentor. The decisions Tony made in his career often took an unconventional turn. Nonetheless the result in the end was priceless - Tony couldn't have made any better choices if he tried & the rewards he has reaped along with his stellar accomplishments have made it all worth it. The chapter's three key takeaways were:

1. "Don't ever give up in the aftermath of a setback."

2. "Accept detours if they contribute to your ultimate goal."

3. Most important of all, follow your heart."

Over the past couple of weeks I've wondered if I've missed out on anything because I haven't had as much dedicated time to network & search for a permanent role.  After all finding a job is a job & it takes so much time & energy to fit all the pieces together and then wait for someone else to agree that the final picture is a thing of beauty.

You are never guaranteed what tomorrow will bring, so be thankful for today & make the best of every minute. 

Harvey consistently reinforces the importance of building & nurturing one's network. It's not a one & done type of proposition, it's a journey of constant discovery.  People are constantly flowing in and out ~ up and down in priority on our personal lists.  You need to regularly re-evaluate what each person brings to your table as well as what you are able to bring to theirs. You need to know that there is a high level of integrity & trust among your network - your connections.  My conclusion: Building and maintaining trust in your business or personal relationships is essential. Don't lose sight of that truth. Always trust your gut. 

In this case, I'm going to continue to trust that this contract position is the right move at the right time and that by being agile & doing things that perhaps I didn't intend to be doing, I'll learn even more than what I expect about what my next role should be. We all should take each day as they come and breathe deeply. After these last few days, I consider myself recharged.