Silly Saturday

Welcome to Silly Saturday, where I display how silly I can be and showcase other's silliness. This post came about in part because I love alliteration in my titles. Through a series of emails, Kay at Colb, Kay & T. Rae complimented me on my masters degree. Truthfully, I haven't really had the opportunity to use it but I'm praying someday it will help me out. She said her students wanted to start calling her Master Zoe after she finished her degree. Considering I haven't used mine for much of anything, I thought a title would be putting it to some good use. I tried it out on my co-workers and both scoffed at me. I tried it with my husband and he said that was stupid. (One co-worker actually said it was silly.) And then I gave up the idea entirely (except right here.) So, would you call me "Master Davison" or "Master E"? Perhaps that's just a little too silly for the general population. Oh well. I will find a use for that experience one of these days. One....of....these....days. Please stay tuned for Serious Sunday and its not usually that serious. Master E.

The Machine

This blog is inspired by my shrinking confidence in my experience, my education, my strengths, and my network. Finding a job is demeaning. Finding the right job is worse than finding a needle in a haystack.

I have deemed job hunting The Machine. We are all pieces in this machine. The human resources department for thousands of companies is constantly sifting through thousands of resumes. Each applicant is another widget in the machine and sadly has very little control over their future of their career. Each manager is a sprocket in the machine incapable of finding the right candidate to fill the opening.

Thinking about The Machine is depressing.  It leaves little hope for the little guy looking for something better. My tiny silver lining is that I have a job. Its not a great job. It pays less than the last one and is essentially the same tasks that I hated in the last job. So much for moving ahead in the career world.

My pessimism is compounded by the fact that I didn't do anything wrong. I played by the rules. I found contacts and gave them my resume. I have nothing to show for my work. I expect that I will find that needle and I expect it will take a long time.  

How to stay positive

1: Find things to smile at. If you need inspiration, look at a flower or look at the comics.
2: Think about something good. It can be anything good like good food or a good experience.
3: Breathe. Deep breathing gives you extra oxygen to stay positive.
4: Move. Get up for a walk. Take a yoga class. Any kind of movement will help you stay positive.
5: Pray. God gives generously to those who ask and asking to stay positive is a request that won't be ignored.

Good attitude

Sometimes attitude is a decision and not a reflection of your surroundings. Positive thinking can keep you out of harms way. I know from experience that when I choose a good attitude, life goes a little smoother and troubles don’t phase me out.

My tips for choosing a good attitude include: good hair day, having a special drink, chatting with a friend, listening to a good song, and relaxing with a favorite hobby. How do you choose a good attitude?

Saturday Joys

Today’s rating is positive.

Saturday joys usually entail errands, tasks, and activities that I didn’t complete during the week. This is an effort to reduce stress and feel better about myself. Its an effective tool that you are welcome to use when you are under mountains of stress as well.

Stress can destroy your physical and mental health and I have been there before. Fall 2008 was a difficult time for me at work. The stock market was crashing every day and I was talking to people about their accounts. There was a lot of yelling and crying. Eventually it got to be too much for me but with God’s help I managed through. From that experience, I have learned that stress needs to be managed otherwise it will overtake you into depression.

Dear Lord, Thank You for taking care of me in some of the darkest times!