With nearly 42% of 2011 completed, I can clearly say that is shaping up into a rough year. Well, at least career-wise. Rough spots, though, are when you get the deepest insights and, for me at least, tend to be the most life changing. Part of what’s telling is the lack of angst I feel right now. The past few years have taught me the value of work and career. Most specifically, that’s it’s not the inner core of my being. There are things far more important. What’s really amazing me is how much better I feel about myself right now. My last two roles, though rather successful on the surface, left me feeling quite empty, and struggling with lingering feelings of anxiety and exhaustion. Those feelings are blessedly absent now.
Oddly, life seems to reinforce the notion of Murphy’s Law. Thus, both of our cars have needed work, medical bills came steaming in, and that sort of fun. Not economic implosion, but certainly annoying.
The absence of call-backs right now is a bit disheartening. Doesn’t make you feel valuable and vital. I worry that, with my career focus on administrative assistant roles, that I’ve been competing with far too many people. As a role that needs “little preparation”, pays modestly well, and is (technically) a growing occupation (per the Occupational Outlook of Snohomish County., I expect that many, many applicants are in this pool. Thus, I am starting to expand my focus, mostly into more project management roles. We’ll see what comes.
John Richard played this tune onKEXP earlier this week. I think I might adopt it as my 2010 theme song.
The Mountain Goats “This Year” from A Bruntel on Vimeo.
