It’s Thanksgiving week. I hope I give thanks each day, however, I particularly enjoy the week of Thanksgiving and the focus on thinking through the year and counting my blessings.
Clients!
From a professional perspective, I am always grateful for my clients. The jobsearch is a treacherous undertaking. With rare exception, my clients “let me in” to their inner thoughts as they go through the jobsearch. They have no choice but to ride the roller coaster of high hopes when an interview is scheduled, and the dark valleys of rejection.
Every jobseeker I know agrees that the biggest challenge of the jobsearch is managing their mental-emotional head traffic—especially during the dry times of the search when little is happening and they feel insignificant and invisible.
Many jobseekers become my heroes. These are the ones that manage repeated rejection with grace. They learn from each experience. They don’t engage in the blame-game. When I ask them to consider alternative approaches and go beyond their comfort zone, they promise to try. I promise to walk with them as they take on the challenge.
Some jobseekers find themselves in the midst of blatantly unfair circumstances. Their careers have been interrupted or crushed. Their livelihoods and life savings are gone. Relationships have suffered. They get angry. They get depressed. They find themselves without hope. Yet, they continue to engage. Their anger and frustration is reasonable. Their grief can be consuming. They may take a break, but they don’t give up. Eventually, they are able to move forward. I admire them.
Especially the Millennials
The last three years have been full of Millennial clients, and especially the last 18 months. They have specific challenges. Four, in particular, agreed to meet with me each week as a group. They have challenged my thinking and pushed me to better understand their challenges and how they think about their life now as well as their hopes for their future. I admit, that they all stole my heart with their honesty and openness, and especially their trust. I’m grateful.
Keeping up. Following-through.
As best as I am able, I try to keep up with my clients. With some, it’s easy and we’ve been connected for years. As they move through the jobsearch process, I realize that some clients begin to heal during their jobsearch; others find healing when a new season of employment begins. For some, it takes many years. I applaud all of them.
They enrich my life. I am grateful.
My business coach.
I have a business coach. Neil Patrick. I’m deeply thankful for Neil. His job is to help me grow my business and he has been doing that for several years. However, he has also taught me a lot about people and about myself.
He has become a confidant as well as an accountability coach. He holds me accountable for my business practices and challenges me when my fears and frustrations threaten to hold me back.
As I work with many people who are broken from their former situations, and those who are breaking apart as they manage the jobsearch, Neil keeps me grounded. His belief in me keeps me steady. I’m deeply grateful.
Professinal relationships.
There are so many people that contribute to my growth and success. This includes a host of hiring professionals who respond to my calls and help me solve problems with clients when I’ve run out of ideas. This list also includes those people who work with me to support clients in one way or another.
I don’t have all the answers and my clients are trusting me with their future and their livelihoods. It’s serious stuff.
I am a person of faith. I believe in God: One who loves me and is patient, cares and provides for me, but who is also a God of Justice. I believe that this faith is foundational to my success.
I also believe that every person that comes into my life helps me to grow, become a better professional, and better assist my clients to reach their goals.
The list of gratitude is long. It includes those who assist me in at Forward Motion, my accountant, my insurance agents, my office landlord…the list continues, …but we have work to do, places to go, and people to meet. I am rich beyond measure.
I am,
Gratefully yours,
Marcia LaReau, President
Forward Motion, LLC
