The Journey Continues....

Good Afternoon!

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind of information and hamster wheel movement.

What in the world is a "hamster wheel movement", you ask? Let me take a moment to describe the feeling and you can tell me if you've ever experienced it in your life and/or career.

Researching companies, industries, job postings, and writing letters to try to get someone to speak to me. Sending out emails and applying to jobs that meet your expectations and great looking companies yet nothing comes back. No calls. No letters. No thank you's. No nothing. You feel like your in a hamster wheel running for your life, moving so fast, doing so much work, but getting nothing in return. That's the hamster wheel movement. It's a bit of an oxymoron.

Sadly, I was warned that this would happen. When I was originally told that I thought to myself, "nope I'm not going to get dragged down", "I'm not going to be like all the rest". And here we are today, feeling exactly like I was told I was going to feel.

Mind over matter? Some may say yes. And I do agree with them but what "they" (the experts - we all know one) doesn't take into consideration are all the external factors reminding you of your current job requirements and trying to rebuild yourself simultaneously after getting knocked down. The matter, hands down, wins more than it should. I am embarrassed to admit this but sometime you have to face the reality of the situation before you can overcome it.

So what do you do? How to do snap yourself out of this "funk"?

I believe each person is different and you'll need to find something that works for you. But I can at least share with you what I do and maybe, just maybe, you can modify it or even try it yourself to see if it works.

I go and do something that raises my spirits. Something I enjoy and have enjoyed for years.

I bake.

For some reason, the act of taking all the right ingredients and mixing them together and creating something amazing is right up my alley. I admit that is how I prefer to I build my teams in business and that may be why I enjoy baking.

Then, I donate the baked goods to someone who wants and needs them. It may be my own family. It may be my church (which I did recently - today - Grace Lutheran in Escondido, CA) and hearing all the people (both big and small) say that it tastes amazing... makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.

And whamo! I'm snapped out of my "funk" and ready to tackle my tasks again. I think that it really boils down to the fact that you need to get some positive feedback to knock out those negative nellies that haunt your subconscious. The positive feedback banished them from sight, freeing you up to do what you need to do with a positive attitude and open mind.

Well I think that's enough for now. As always, comments are welcome. Follow me if you want to or just visit randomly.

Thanks for your time today and if you find yourself in a "funk" take some steps to get yourself out of it.

Off to bake!

Amanda B Stuckey