My training in graduate school centered on Adlerian psychology and cognitive-behaviorism. I always liked Alfred Adler's positive approach to problems and his "act as if" philosophy-- the notion that you might not be where you want to be, but that it was OK to pretend while you worked on overcoming challenges.
Some look at this positive approach and cry Pollyanna. Who are we to be positive when so much is wrong?
The truth needs to be faced. Reality can't be ignored. But as Adler and other great minds have found, the truth is a moving target and subject to interpretation. Anais Nin said, "We don't see things as they are-- we see things as WE are." So when we look at the economy and employment we use our personal prism. For some it is business as usual, quite frankly. Their jobs are safe and their income is secure. For others it has been nothing short of devastating.
And that is the bottom line. We can only start from where we are and move forward.
As a career counselor with many years experience I can tell you that change is the one thing you can count on in the job search process. Today's situation may not be tomorrow's situation. I have seen people go from devastated to elated in one afternoon thanks to answering a question the right way in an interview, having a chance conversation with a stranger which leads to a job, or getting an interview after anxiously uploading a resume.
I started my counseling career working at a state vocational rehabilitation office. Some of my clients had suffered traumatic brain injuries in motorcycle or sports-related accidents and had to learn to walk and read and write all over again-- for them, employment was a distant dream. They were in a role they neither chose nor wanted. Some clients were deaf or blind and lived on country roads far away from gainful employment-- regardless of the economy.
One of my favorite clients was an 18-year-old who had been in special education her whole life. Her IQ was almost two standard deviations below the mean. She wanted a career helping others. In school, she told me, she liked helping the children who weren't as smart as she was. She wanted the same kind of job in the "real world." And she and I found one: she thrived in her job at an information kiosk in a local department store where she was able to answer the basic questions most visitors had. She was needed and helpful and pleasant to every customer.
Later, as a school psychologist I worked with adolescents with developmental disabilities and helped them formulate career plans, however limited other individuals might have found them.
I think about those clients when I work with people who are struggling in today's economy. We all have barriers to success. Some barriers are easy to see-- some are not. Being positive in the face of the daily barrage of negativity doesn't mean you choose not to see it: it means you choose to accept it and move on. Because you really have no other choice.
But there are times when it's hard to see anything but the bleak present. When you have lost a job, or are fearful that you will lose a job, it is hard to do that "glass half-full" thing. In fact, not only does the glass appear half-empty, the water seems to be running out rapidly.
If this is how you're feeling, I want to give you one invaluable gift: perspective. And to acquire perspective, I will recommend just one resource-- a book I have given to my clients for over twenty years:
Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David Burns.
The link will take you to the Amazon listing for it, but it is likely available at any book store or public library.
There are many books I've found helpful for job-seekers and I will continue to bring them up in future postings, but for now I want to clear away the clutter. You probably have enough stuff rattling around in your head without a list of fifty helpful resources. Dr. Burns' book is invaluable for anyone who is struggling with issues related to depression, anger, poor self-esteem, anxiety, guilt, etc. Even though this is not a traditional job-search book, his homework assignments and exercises can all be applied to your job search.
Sometimes one small step is all it takes to change your perspective and your life.
