Hi to all – this post is woefully overdue…
The past month has been a toughie, but I woke up this morning to sunshine, and decided it was time to share again.
I started this blog almost two months ago to the date, on my birthday, Dec 19th. As someone who has come to embrace, love, and live social media over the past 8 months, a blog seemed like the perfect evolution.
I didn’t have a theme when I started, but I did have some topics/stories which were just screaming to get out of me (still do). The reoccurring theme which presented itself was facing fear and walking through it; whether my fear, or appreciation of others who were walking though theirs. I don’t know if I was a little psychic, or maybe just trying to coach myself to handle things to come, but the past month has been filled with fear for me.
There are all kinds of fears – real and imagined; fear of what is or what may happen; fear of failure, of rejection, of loss, and of course, the biggie – FEAR of the UNKNOWN. How do I handle a situation I have never been in before? I don’t have the answers. I only have limited resources of people who have answers, who have been through this same thing. Who can I trust? And, if I reach out for help, will people sense my fear and take advantage of me? Will they see me as weak? Will I be defined by my fear?
My fear(s) are real and legitimate. I have been unemployed for over 10 months now, and there are a lot of consequences that come when you’ve been without a job for that long. It is the fear of not having some of the basics in life: food, heat, water, shelter. I am not alone in this situation, especially in Ohio.(BTW, Forbes just listed Cleveland as the Most Miserable City. Oh joy!) http://www.forbes.com/2010/02/11/americas-most-miserable-cities-business-beltway-miserable-cities.html?boxes=Homepagelighttop
For the past month I’ve focused my energies trudging through many fearful, pressing issues. While I don’t have answers or solutions to everything, I have become more educated. The giant Fear Beast is not nearly as scary when I turn a bright light on it and look at it clinically – its power lies in the dark, under my bed where it grows larger and more powerful in my mind.
I wrote an affirmation and put it above my desk: I am Resourceful, Courageous and SAFE. I will get through this with grace, dignity and courtesy, to a positive, plentiful and philanthropic state.
Still working on it, but that’s why you’re supposed to say these affirmations everyday, right? (BTW, I can send you a nice copy you can print out for yourself if you’d like)
I am blessed to have many good friends who have been giving me their support and help. One in particular is Kelly. She has been a real rock for me. She’s not on twitter or Facebook, (or I’d tell you all to follow her); she is a busy young married mom of 3 kids under age 5, yet she can always make time to talk to me with a smile and remind me that this too, shall pass. Kelly also suggested as I go through these new experiences that I can help others, too…
This brings me to my question for the blogesphere… Have you ever done any “splinter” blogs? What are your thoughts on that? Since I am actively job hunting, I must be respectful of the power of public cyber exposure, and I want to put my most positive foot forward. Therefore, I am thinking of starting an anonymous blog about my current challenges with unemployment, finances and The System, and what I learned so far, with the hopes it might help others and provide them a forum to exchange ideas and vent.
There is a fine line to be walked in this hyper-connected world and I want to share, but I don’t want to over-share where it is not appropriate. What do you think?
And, if you know of anyone who might be looking for creative person who understands business, and a businessperson who thinks creatively, I am in search of a position in PR, Marketing, B2B Sales, and/or Social Media (or some combination of these!). Here’s my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kaseycrabtree
Thanks, and I promise it won’t be another month between posts!