How to Stay Positive

Unemployment is a series of ups and downs, good news and bad news. 

• Good News:  The recuiters are calling excited about your resume.  
• Bad News:  You don't quite have the skills they need right now.
   
• Good News: You got an interview and made it into the next round.        
• Bad News:  They loved you, but you didn't get the job.
   
• Good News: Looks like you will have the summer off.
• Bad News:  You have all the time do to what you want...but money's a whole other story.

You basically have 2 choices.  You can sit and stew and feel bad about your situation, or find the bright side and keep on truckin'.   I always try to choose the bright side. 

And here is a video that a good friend posted on Facebook today, aptly named " How to stay Positive."  Take a look and tell me this doesn't put a little bright side to your day!  I like this girl's style.

Visit to Workforce 1 office

After a year of unemployment, I was "asked" to report to 120 Stuyvesant Plaza 3rd Floor at 8:45 am.   I had no idea what this was going to be about.  I was a little annoyed that I had to give up my morning and pay for parking to be able to continue my benefits, but on the other hand, I really couldn't complain.  They haven't asked me for anything in over a year.   Last time I was laid off, they forced me to sit in front of a  computer in the unemployment office for an hour per month searching for a job.  

Anyway, the session was basically an orientation to WORKFORCE 1, an agency set up to help people find jobs.  Some people were required to go there for unemployment benefits (like me), but there were many who were there to take advantage of the resources that they had to offer, which include free access to computers and fax machines, counselors and programs to get people back to the workforce.  Most of the job offerings did not apply to me, but they did provide me with a list of job search websites which I will use for my search.

Anyway...wasn't as bad as I expected, and I am back to my office at Panera.  The job search continues...

QUOTE OF THE DAY: 
What you get by reaching your destination is not nearly as important as what you will become by reaching your destination.

Official Recognition for Me and "The Office"

Its been over year since I was laid off, which is much longer than I ever expected to be out of work.  But I keep my head up and keep on truckin'...I know that things will change for the better soon. 

In the meantime, I am thankful for Panera, which gives me a place to call my "office."  Yesterday, I was featured in the Staten Island Advance, along with my "office mate" Joel Richardson of Soul Joel Productions.


I don't know how to describe it, but it feels really good to be recognized for making the best of a situation.