A Special Season

Today for my Final Thought at the student meeting, I quoted Harriet Beecher Stowe (the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin). “Our gifts and attainments are not only to be light and warmth in our own dwellings, but are to shine through the windows into the dark night, to guide and cheer bewildered travelers on the road.”

H.B. Stowe

That’s a challenge we can all take to heart! We instinctively know that Thanksgiving means a whole lot more than getting together and feasting on turkey, but Mrs. Stowe reminds us that there are many weary, hurting people out there in the dark night. We may not be able to invite them all home to dinner, but by words and deeds and kindnesses we can guide and cheer them on the road and in so-doing can bring light and warmth into otherwise cheerless lives.

The Real and the Ideal

While I frequently encourage my students to "Follow Your Dreams," I think we have to always stay tuned to the reality that each of us is living two lives - The Real and the Ideal.

Yes, you should know what you want, and yes, you should go for it. Find the dream job, the ideal job, and love it. But along the way to that dream job, you might have to take something lesser, something that does not "feel" like you are fulfilled, maybe even something part-time.

For one thing, while you are waiting around for the dream job, you have to eat and pay rent. If you are feeling stressed by the bills that keep piling up, that turmoil can keep you from recognizing the ideal job when it comes along, and might keep a future boss from recognizing you as the ideal candidate for a great job.

There is something about having a job, going to work every day, and bringing home a paycheck you have earned by the sweat of your brow, that makes you feel good. It makes you feel like a productive citizen. It makes you like yourself, which is another way of saying it builds confidence and self-esteem.

So, yes, keep that Dream Job in mind. Keep working toward it. In the meanwhile, though, as you work at the less-than-ideal job that earns you a paycheck, you are building confidence to go forward to the ideal job. When you find that ideal job, you will be less financially stressed, and you will be feeling good about yourself and ready to "wow" a potential employer with your confidence and enthusiasm.
This is a good time of year to snag that temporary job that can be a stop-gap measure , or even a stepping stone, to the job of your dreams.

I say - "Go for it!" Frana

Frana is an instructor at the Community Business College adult school