Do you remember the story of the little engine that
could? It had to haul a huge amount of toys up a very
tall mountain, even though there were bigger train
engines which said to the little engine, it wasn't
possible.
Slowly but surely the little engine huffed and puffed
up the mountain saying to itself "I think I can, I
think I can, I think I can" until it crossed the top
of the mountain and started downward to Toy town. Then
it told itself "I knew I could , I knew I could, I
knew I could."
Well that's pretty much what you're going to have to
do in this job market where so many jobs are just
disappearing. Like the little engine that could,
you're going to have to keep affirming to yourself
that you know you have the skills, the experience to
find a job.
More and more people are having to reinvent themselves
-- find new jobs where the skills they currently have
can be transferred to another industry.
According to the book, "Reinventing Yourself - A Control
Theory Approach to Becoming the Person You Want to Be"
by D. Barnes Boffey, "Reinventing yourself is a
process in which you consciously decide which values
and principles you want to live by. It is a process
through which you go beyond any present confusion and
dysfunction and visualize how your ideal self might
feel, think and act in the current situation."
In the reinventing process, you ask yourself "If I had
the courage to be the person I want to be, how would I
handle the present situation."
"The answer to the question then becomes the unifying
vision of your behavior. After asking the question and
visualizing the answer, the next step is to act as if
you are the person you want to be, rather than acting
as you are now."
In other words the old maxim from the sixties, as well
as, the 12 steps programs you "fake it until you make
it."
Dr. Boffey continues, "The assumption is that by
focusing on the things you can directly control
(thoughts and actions) you will eventually begin to
feel the way you want. You will also begin to stay in
control of the situations in which you previously
believed caused your feelings of fear and anxiety."
You are going to feel frightened, fearful, outright
scared and self critical along the process, however as
Dr. Boffey states "Acting on a feeling or principle
increases its strength. If you act on fear your fear
will increase. If you act on courage, your courage
increases."
Boffey quotes the late Eleanor Roosevelt, who indeed
faked it until she made it to become one of the most
revered and beloved First Ladies. She said, "You gain
strength, courage and confidence by every experience
in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are
able to say to yourself, I have lived through the
horrors, I can take the next thing that comes along."
Here are 6 things to remember:
1. As the song goes, "we get by with a little help
from our friends."
2. Focus on your vision and validate yourself for
what you are attempting.
3. When it seems to hard, ask yourself, "Compared
to what?"
4. Long term changes begin with the smallest
steps.
5. Develop positive metaphors or language when
speaking about yourself or thinking about
yourself.
6. Proceed with faith, your path will open up as
you move forward.
I have used Dr. Boffey book to explain this to you but
religious leaders, psychologists, business experts say
the very same things.
Dr. Boffey tells us, "Your actions are the bricks with which
you will finally build your life but your attitudes
and beliefs are the tools with which you use to put
the bricks together."
Please join this week's conversation:
How would you reinvent yourself if your job
disappeared today? What other industries need your
skills? Or how would you make a transition to an
entirely new field?
Please post your transition advice at
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1537
Read all the postings at
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1538
Invite your friends and acquaintances to
submit their comments at
http://www.tabinc.org/net/
Liz Seger
Facilitator
eSight Careers Network(tm)
http://www.esight.org/
PS: The application deadline for our 2009 Lighthouse
International Scholarship and Career Awards is
Sunday, March 1, 2009.
Learn more about these scholarships, which reward
excellence, recognize accomplishments and help
students who are blind or partially sighted
achieve their career goals.
Download an application at
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1536
eSight Resources
Community News
http://www.tabinc.org/blog/
Resource Sharing
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Job Postings
http://www.esight.org/search_jobs.cfm
Resources for Job Hunters
http://www.esight.org/job_resources.cfm
Networking Forum
http://www.tabinc.org/net
Job Seeker's Network
http://www.tabinc.org/jsn/
Archives for eSight NetWork News
http://www.tabinc.org/cgi-bin/enn.cgi
Share Your "Aha! Moment."
It's another form of virtual
mentoring for our eSight community.
http://www.esight.org/link.cfm?n=1297
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