The importance of ATTITUDE
Yesterday I attended a career networking meeting. I was a first timer. This was an invitation only group, so I was there as a trial member. When I arrived, I enthusiastically greeted the leader, thanked him for allowing me to attend and said I was glad to be there. He responded by saying, “No you’re not.” “Actually”, I replied “I am.”
This was an opportunity to meet a roomful of new professional contacts. Who knew what might be waiting for me in that room? Maybe a new friend. Maybe a great new idea. Maybe a terrific new reading suggestion. Perhaps even my next boss. I was eager to make new connections, learn something, practice my elevator speech and exchange contact information with about two dozen new people.
For anyone to assume that simply because you are out of work, you must be a) down on your luck b) depressed c) feeling dejected or any other number of negative thoughts, is simply presumptive. And I’m happy to say, in my case, downright false.
I spent the past 21 years in a terrific career that worked out very well for myself and my family. I made great friends, great business contacts, learned to be a better person and developed lifeskills from being a salesperson that I otherwise never would have. However, the final 18-24 months of this experience were clouded over by severe job consolidation, unmet budgets, a shrinking business universe and many negative factors that were completely out of my control. By the time the layoff hit me, it was a tremendous relief because it was the arrival of the inevitable. I’m very fortunate to have received a severance package that will likely no longer be available for my peers that haven’t been released yet, but likely will be eventually.
If you are unemployed and feeling more unfortunate about that than optimistic about what you might create in your future, perhaps you should skip a networking meeting or two. You are the source of your inspiration. Whatever you do, don’t spread negativity among your peers. They don’t need it and are working their own positive magic to make good things happen in their day, week or month.
Always radiate the positive, even if you have to fake it. But when you are networking, you are on. Don’t waste it by spreading negativity. It’s okay to take a break when you just aren’t feeling up to it. But when you are there, be present, be positive, be genuine and extend a helpful hand. Pay it forward. You will be part of something terrific, even if you never find out exactly who you might have helped, maybe just by sharing your smile.
This was an opportunity to meet a roomful of new professional contacts. Who knew what might be waiting for me in that room? Maybe a new friend. Maybe a great new idea. Maybe a terrific new reading suggestion. Perhaps even my next boss. I was eager to make new connections, learn something, practice my elevator speech and exchange contact information with about two dozen new people.
For anyone to assume that simply because you are out of work, you must be a) down on your luck b) depressed c) feeling dejected or any other number of negative thoughts, is simply presumptive. And I’m happy to say, in my case, downright false.
I spent the past 21 years in a terrific career that worked out very well for myself and my family. I made great friends, great business contacts, learned to be a better person and developed lifeskills from being a salesperson that I otherwise never would have. However, the final 18-24 months of this experience were clouded over by severe job consolidation, unmet budgets, a shrinking business universe and many negative factors that were completely out of my control. By the time the layoff hit me, it was a tremendous relief because it was the arrival of the inevitable. I’m very fortunate to have received a severance package that will likely no longer be available for my peers that haven’t been released yet, but likely will be eventually.
If you are unemployed and feeling more unfortunate about that than optimistic about what you might create in your future, perhaps you should skip a networking meeting or two. You are the source of your inspiration. Whatever you do, don’t spread negativity among your peers. They don’t need it and are working their own positive magic to make good things happen in their day, week or month.
Always radiate the positive, even if you have to fake it. But when you are networking, you are on. Don’t waste it by spreading negativity. It’s okay to take a break when you just aren’t feeling up to it. But when you are there, be present, be positive, be genuine and extend a helpful hand. Pay it forward. You will be part of something terrific, even if you never find out exactly who you might have helped, maybe just by sharing your smile.
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