A young woman was telling me recently that she was really scared because she had just lost her job. She said, “I don’t know what I’m going to do.” I asked her what she was doing to find a new job. Her reply was “Not much Guy, I have a friend who’s been out of work for six months, there are no jobs out there, so what’s the use?” Have you ever heard anyone say something like that?
It reminded me of a time when I was in a Radio Shack. A woman and a little girl walked in. Both of them were limping but the little girl’s limp was exaggerated. The mother asked her “Why are you limping, I’m the one that had surgery?” She responded, “Oh, I didn’t know I was limping mom.”
We are attracted to what we think about most and what we are focused on. The thing that was foremost in the little girl’s mind was her mother limping. Thus, she limped without even knowing it
Back to my friend, she wasn’t even trying to find a job because she focused on someone else’s struggles; she was allowing someone else’s “surgery” to make her limp. She believed that because her friend couldn’t find a job she couldn’t find one either. I said to her “Your skill sets are different, your experience is different and your attitude can be different…if you choose”. Whether the economy is good or the economy is bad some people will always be employed and some people will always have trouble finding jobs.”
I shared with her examples of three young women I know who are in their early to mid 20’s. One is a single mom and the other two have partners that “can’t” find a job. Each has a full-time job and a part time job. The jobs all pay between $12-16/hr. These young ladies have friends who are unemployed, some for long periods of time. It would have been easy for them to say; “There are no jobs out there why should I look?” They could have allowed their friends’ “surgery” make them limp. Instead they each decided to focus on what they wanted and do whatever it took to get a job and, if the need arose, a second job. Even in this economy all three have received pay raises at their full-time jobs. The reality is, there is nearly always money for a good employee.
In life you have a choice. You get to decide if you will limp or you will run. “Run Forrest, Run!”
In what area of your life do you need stop limping and start running?
