Making Time for Followup

I've been spending a lot of time searching out new job leads and networking for new contacts within my target companies. It's a daily ritual which normally commences late at night when the rest of the house is fast asleep. I prefer to work with only a small office lamp, serving as my nightlight of sorts.  

Earlier today, I took time to followup on some of the leads which have not yet developed into actual interviews yet.  Being hopeful alone won't make the kind of impression which will produce an interview, so I'm committed to doing my homework & to reaching out to those who have initiated discussions with me - keeping as many balls in the air as possible.

Lord knows I can't control when each ball or lead will either fall, or be tossed out of the rotation. The truth is, I need to keep the faith that one of them will be good Karma manifested, resulting in a true job prospect which truly aligns with my skill set, strengths & core competencies.  I know the right opportunity is out there for me - I just need to make sure I'm ready for it when that ball falls in my lap.

How do you feel about your Legacy?

Today was a day to relax a bit and just be a good Mom. I didn’t stress about the tweets I may have missed while I was out doing the normal Saturday routine and my dear son blessed me with a nice long nap, so that I could do some work on the computer.  Didn’t walk up and get the mail, but I was able to clean up a couple of website inboxes.

Tonight I watched another great and gutsy short track race by Apolo Ohno. He won his seventh Winter Olympic medal – a Bronze, to surpass Bonnie Blair’s previous record of six Winter Olympic medals.  She was even there in the stands, with her daughter, to watch her record fall. Today, Apolo’s legacy in history was carved in the ice on which he skated.  He looked relieved and so proud.

As I sat with my DS in his jammies reading him stories before bedtime I was pretty proud to be his Mom and to give him the gift of my unconditional love. I still feel like the legacy of my career is a work in progress, and I’m good with that. The legacy I’m leaving for my son, however, is well in hand.  Hoping you feel the same way about the legacy you are leaving for your family or in the workplace.

Why write a blog now?

When I was first laid off, I read an article that suggested that people could be so much more than their resume. That struck a cord with me when I realized how closely my own sense of self worth was tied directly to my jobs & what I had been able to accomplish in my career over the past 20 years.

My stack of partially read books has grown over the past few months, so I intend to plow through them & share my learnings, along with a few personal aha moments along the way. I’m almost through “U R a Brand – How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success” by Catherine Kaputa. For example, Catherine reminds her readers that “When situations change, you must change if you intend to succeed.” While it’s easy enough to do this in your work environment, day in & day out – you can forget to do the same in your personal life.

Wanting to take the time to re-discover myself from the inside out & re-define what I aspire to be is the main reason for starting a blog now. Navigating change should really be a conscious effort. Most Moms deal with daily situations almost on auto-pilot. Live more in the moment & understand the ramifications of every decision forcing you to be more pro-active rather than feeling controlled & reactive. To become an all-around change agent is a 2010 goal.

“Faith, Focus, Finish” – Larry Fitzgerald

Life tosses out distractions and diversions daily – an e-mail, a request from your husband, child, extended family or friend can take valuable time away, from that which you had promised to yourself. Maintaining my focus is critical to this journey.

Do you have the Olympic Spirit?

You can’t help but be inspired by the performances from some of the USA Olympians this week, including Lindsey Vonn ( a MN girl – very cool), Julia Mancuso (both Alpine Skiing), Shaun White (Snowboarding), Shani Davis (Speed Skating) & Apolo Ohno (Short Track). The stories are similar, from overcoming injuries which did not allow them to perform at their best in years past, to pure dominance in the sport & then those trying to live up to tremendous expectations to medal. There have been sacrifices, dedication, perseverance & determination required of each of them. They have lived up to the hype & made their visions of success realities.

"If I have given my all and still do not win, I haven’t lost. Others might remember winning or losing; I remember the journey." Apolo Ohno

A lot can be learned from them & so much taken away into our own lives. We can choose to be burdened & weight down by the high expectations we have for ourselves & that others have for us, or we can use that to fuel our paths to greatness. It’s not always clear how it will happen, but unless we take steps each day in the direction of our goals, we’ll never see the finish line.

Waking up this morning to a sky filled with sunlight & the promise of warming temperature to melt the abundance of this Winter’s snow, gave me the tone for my day – Live the Olympic Spirit. The golf season is only a few months away & I can just feel the warm air blowing around me as I walk the course. Brighter days have got to be around the corner & every day I better prepare myself for what’s ahead, I can say is a productive one.

About This Journey

I’ve always been a night owl so I thought it made sense to sort of summarize my days & recap my feelings, funny moments and any revelations or epiphanies which I experienced that day. Might be discussion on fb or twitter, things I read, kidisms, networking successes, breakthroughs with my job search, or even the lack there of.

There are so many people I've been "introduced" to in the past few months, as well as long time friends, who have inspired me to take this journey. Now that I've begun there's no time to look back.