Hope

After reading this article, "5 Ways to Get the Job You Want -- in Any Economy", I found myself feeling more hopeful. Knowing that the national economy is bleak and unemployment keeps rising, it is easy to feel hopeless for the future, the unexpected, the unknown. Here's what some of the article said:

"With all the bleak economic news and reports of massive layoffs, it's easy to lose sight of an exciting fact of work: There have never been more opportunities and possibilities for talented people than exist today. The rate of new business formation in the United States has passed more than 1 million new companies per year. Employers everywhere are looking for bright, resourceful and committed people to help their businesses grow. The best way to help the best companies find you is to become a self-directed job searcher.
Regardless of your employment experience, your target industry or the economic climate, you can get a job -- a great job -- if you are willing to work hard and know how to work smart. Here are some of the very best ideas, strategies and methods for putting your career back on the fast track."

1. Take control of your career The average person starting work today will have 11 full-time jobs and as many as five different careers over the course of his or her lifetime. To weather the storms of lifelong career change, you must be proactive, not reactive.

2. Take stock of yourself Before you go out and look for a job, do some self-reflection. Make a list of all the things you can do for which someone would be willing to pay.

3. Understand the job market All labor, including your own, is subject to the economic law of supply and demand. The only way to ensure you get a rewarding job is by doing something important for which there is a demand in the marketplace and in which you are difficult to replace.

4. Don't mistake unemployment for a vacation Look at your job search as a full-time job, taking 40 to 50 hours a week. Get up and get dressed each weekday morning as if you were going to work, eat a light, high-energy breakfast and then get going.

5. Sow seeds everywhere Most of the jobs available are not advertised. They are hidden and waiting for you to discover them. Along with regularly surfing Internet job sites, be sure to list your qualifications and interests on every site that might attract employers seeking someone like you."

It is ridiculous for anyone to think unemployment could not happen to them. Just like thinking you are the unsinkable ship. But just like the article said, it is even more important to put your best foot forward, and try all possibilities if you happen to lose your job.

I have seen a few families in my neighborhood who have lost their jobs, and see the struggles first hand. It is not pretty, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that some of these trying times happen for a reason. If anything, it is a time of humility that goes with the Pride Cycle.
I hope and pray unemployment will not plague my family, I would like to say it won't or couldn't happen. Hope is like an unseen medicine. It can get anybody through anything. I love the saying, "Work like it is all up to you, and pray like it is all up to the Lord." I know when I pray, the Lord is listening. My prayers aren't always answered immediately, but with the pure intent of my heart and a desire to do good, the Lord does bless me and He hears me.