Believing means Feeling

My fav Christmas decoration in my new home is a sign that reads “We believe in Santa Claus.” Okay, so I’m a closet Hallmark holiday movie addict, but hey, I need the believing practice.

Once the business of moving and surrendering to fact that “there will be traffic,” the initial excitement of newness wore off. That is, it was time to start the job hunt.

This can be a daunting experience because I like feeling good – while looking for work. That means batting away phrases such as “the economy”, “yes, but that was Santa Barbara pay – in 2008” and “Windows XP?”

So begins the believing game.

First, I choose a random job on my resume and write down everything that I liked about it. This includes funny incidents, new skills and the people I drove nuts. This helps me trust in my skills and often uncovers new items to add to the resume.

Next, I imagine I’m telling my friend about my great new job. I’ll even write a letter that I don’t send, describing the feeling of excitement, the outfit I wore and most especially, the PURSE.

Notice the word feeling.

Regardless of the positivity of any mantra, affirmation or prayer, if you can’t feel the result of what you want, then the going will be daunting indeed.

I’ve been here since November 1st, am interviewing with my 9th staffing service today – and I still find my self having to journal through old beliefs and stories that keep me from feeling worthy. On those days, I do basic legwork. Making lists of agencies I haven’t signed up with, emailing my self jobs from Craigslist and searching for cool companies on the Internet.

And I try, try, try not to launch a resume until I’m feeling the satisfaction of “finding great work that uses all my skills in a terrific environment, with excellent pay.”

This season, figure out what you want, write down why you want it, add some cheesy holiday music and give your self a congratulations hug from me. Repeat, practice and enjoy.

So tell me, what do you want from Santa?