Thu Aug 14 08:26:05 PDT 2008
"This lesson is about opening my mind to the realization
that there is always another way to view any experience in
life."
Lesson 13, Absolutely Effortless Prosperity, by Bijan
As one minister said in her lecture last week, "It's amazing how
quickly we judge. For example, 'These enlightened people,
practitioners and ministers, should know better.'"
I am now sitting at my "office," a corner of the dining table,
reflecting on the last three months' job search. Some contracts
appeared, but most of them were not in San Francisco. Many
permanent employment opportunities appeared, and I decided to be
open to the possibility of permanent employment, to see what was
out there.
It turned out that most of them were idle fishing. The employers
expected very specific skill sets, and expected candidates to be
current in them. There have been no matches for the specialties
I have been concentrating in the past five years. Some of the
common technologies were only developed during the last five
years. Many of the interviewers were looking for intimate
knowledge of specific operating systems. Finally, when all the
screens had been passed, negotiation for the salary fell through.
My most recent prospect didn't even try to negotiate; he simply
disappeared.
This could be, and was last month, a very depressing situation.
Now I realize this is my chance to study without all the
day-to-day interruptions that a job would entail. I get to
review the basics of web technology.
While I scan the job boards, email, and phone calls daily, I am
studying. The Employment Development Department doesn't consider
training valid for benefits unless it is at least 20 hours per
week, so that is my benchmark.
On my desk are Sams Teach Yourself Perl in 24 Hours, PHP,
MySQL and Apache All in One, and the UNIX System Administration
Handbook. My personal goal is to read all three, and to do the
exercises in the first two. That should get me up to speed on
the general system administration skills that are currently in
demand.
I see that the market has started rising again. Perhaps when I
find the right job or contract, the market will be healthy again.
That blessing of the $90/hr. contract that the manager at the
Boylston Group spoke to me last May could be true, after all.
Meanwhile, I am looking at small companies, where I can refresh
my general skills.
"Circumstances have no power over me."
-- the Addison prayer recited at EBCRS
The latest newsletter from MindSource had an article about
choosing the right employer. It talked about the balance of
finding the highest salary versus finding the right environment
and skill set. It posed the question of whether finding the
highest salary really served the job seeker, given the question
of job satisfaction.
Three months ago, I could have bought into this. Right now I am
just looking for employment, at a rate that I can afford. If I'm
going permanent, I know whatever salary I take is going to have
to support me for many years. If I take a contract, I know that
the rate will have to support me for at least two years.
I reassure myself that my rates are not too high by reviewing my
personal salary history. Knowing what I have been paid by
clients in the past gives me the reassurance and courage to ask
for it today. Sometime soon, a client will meet my price.
8/8/08 Yesterday I had one of the most ridiculous phone interviews to date. A recruiter asked me if I were interested in permanent employment, because my resume had a lot of contracts on it. I told her I was exploring all opportunities at the moment. Then she said her client had already seen my resume, and that they were concerned that I had an MBA, and that actually, I I might be looking for a management job instead of a line job. Oh, yes. If you want me to be a manager, please let me know.
8/7/08 In the Company of the Chalice Rev. Dr. Marlene Morris Inspire my thoughts Embolden my heart Fill all my nights with dreams that inspire Fill all my days with courage and strength Grant me the Will and the Faith to live each day in the awareness of the sacred, and to follow my Quest to its goal. COLORS HAVE MEANING White = company of the chalice Gold = wizard Aqua = bard
8/5/08 "God is the being through all of my doing." -- Rev. Shawn Kindorf Journaling Colleen Rawley Tanaka, RScP STREAMS OF CONSCIOUSNESS Ask a question, and then answer it, e.g. "What compels me to write today?" or "Who am I?" Write continuously, without stopping. FEEDBACK STATEMENT Read your last journal entry and respond to it. DIALOGUE Hold a conversation with yourself or an imagined other. Format as Q&A. Add as the last question, "Is there anything else?" TYPES OF JOURNALS Smorgasbord Special Case Daily/monthly/annual log Community journal Guest journal Holiday journal Bathroom journal Gratitude journal Accomplishments of the day Morning pages Dialogue Listing RULES OF JOURNALS 1. Date your entries. 2. You don't have to write every day.
8/4/08 Burnout Rev. Peggy Price Initial concerns: Burned out team Too many hours Depleted resources - exhaustion Do everything Solve & prevent Lost enthusiasm Illness Less doing, more being Inflexibility Perfecitonism - procrastination No boundaries Codependence People-pleasing Exposition: Burnout is an appearance, not th etruth of what we are. Overachievers are prone to burnout. Q&A: Set boundaries. Don't do anything you wouldn't do for the next 20 years. Give it your 80%. Follow your mentor's advice. If you're exhausted, see a doctor. Change nutrition, exercise, and attitude. Reun a full spiritual practice. Spiritual practice and exercise refill your resources. Find space & time in stillness (15 - 30 minutes per day). Rest. Get enough sleep. Nap. Dream. Pay attention to your body. When it says no, say no. If your heart says yes, say yes. Don't feel guilty. Speak your truth. God is our sufficiency for all things -- for everyone! Life is a sacrament, not a commitment to work as much as possible. Play! Stand up for yourself and make your requests. Management: Don't use "constructive criticism." Coach. Make a list of things you want to do, and then do them. Keep a sabbath. Sabbath, by Wayne Mueller. The I of the Storm, by Gary Simmons Burnout doesn't come from things that feel like fun. Fear of rejection & fear of no other source can erode boundaries. People-pleasing does not glorify God. Nothing and no one is against you. Ask for what you need. Usually you get it. You have intrinsic value. Personal Visioning Rai Jordan-Toole, RScP Sometimes a vision doesn't come through. It can enter through any sense. It can enter outside the formal process. The most powerful thin you can do is to trust and be willing to be in the process. PRE-VISION Pre-vision to clear your agenda. I am an experienced generalist. I am valuable to corporate infrastructure. My clients appreciate me. My clients share all their information with me. New technologies are fun to learn, and my clients are willing to entrust them to me. My workplace is in San Francisco. It is easy to get to my workplace at any time of day. I telecommute when I want to. I am paid more money than ever before. THE QUESTIONS 1. What is the highest vision for my life? 2. What is the feeling tone of this vision? 3. What must I become in order to allow this vision to become my life? 4. What am I to release to be an open space for this vision to emerge? 5. What am I to embrace in consciousness for this vision to be fulfilled? 6. What is the impact of this vision in the world? 7. Is there anything else that I need to know in order to become what I have seen and sensed and felt? "Everything is going to be OK in the end, and if it's not OK, then it's not the end." -- Rev. Lee McNeil Nash
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