FIRST THOUGHTS OF THE DAY

Quiet time. The idea of not having any distractions like the television, music or radio on is not appealing to everyone. I find it to be one of my necessities of life.

There should be a moment during the day when a person can just hear their own thoughts and ideas circulating around inside of their being. I find that I need to block out everything else to be able to hear what's on my mind.

Not everyone is comfortable within their own thoughts. I will admit that there are moments when I feel the same way. I believe that we all like to imagine ourselves as people who think positive thoughts. When negativity rises up within us, it sets off a sense of inner panic because those ideas are not productive. At least this is how we have been taught to view them. Negativity has a place within generating positive energy. If you know how to  combine those two forces the results can be quite effective. A pearl is created by the irritation of a grain of sand within an oyster. I see negative energy in that same manner. It is a grain of sand that is rubbing my thoughts into pearls. 

I find that probing into the negative vein of one's personal ideas to be quite productive. It provides an opportunity to admit that those types of ideas exist. No one thinks positive all of the time. I find that when my negative ideas spring up that is time for me to meet them head on and deal with their content. Not dealing with negativity will not make it go away. It will help to make those feelings gain a level of strength because no action is worse than any action. 

It became apparent to me recently that I needed to handle my business in this particular area of thought around my current job search.

I have been trying to steady myself to move away from being in a classroom. I know that I have skills that will translate into other career settings. Being prepared to deal with making a full break has had me teetering mentally. This is not productive because I find that one day I am okay with the idea then I become uncertain.

One of the things that I decided to do was turn off all the advice that is currently available to job seekers. This glut of information can be useful or it can be truly intimidating.  There are too many factors that seemingly can work against an individual. 

I cannot change who I am in reality. I am mature,female and a person of color. This is my reality. These factors have always been like a circle in my opinion. They can mean something or nothing. It all depends on the person's perception of them. I have to work with what I have to offer. 

I also have a good work ethic and I am capable of performing a job on a regular basis. This is true. That is a level of truth that I have stood on for years. 

It occurred to me while reading yet another article on what to do during an interview that there is no one route to employment. Either you are a person of interest or not. I find that if you follow the advice of experts you will be spinning around in circles more than anything.

In a couple of hours I will be at the library using one of the computers to create a skill based resume. I have fretted over this to a degree because it is not clear to me how to pick the skills that I have acquired out from my work experience. I have a resume for my teaching career. But if I am going to pull out as I honestly desire to do, then I need to act like that is the plan.

Making changes is not easy. Which is why I do not make new year resolutions. This idea was on my mind a year ago because it was obvious to me that teaching from the staff to administrative ends was really grating on my nerves. It is now time in my mind and that means using my skills to make that happen.