Life Stuff

I'm officially back in the business world, after a nice hiatus of about nine months. I'm returning to the technical staffing business, and grateful for the opportunity. I was in the industry for about eight years before my ongoing slugfest with alcohol put me out of the business, and just about killed me (but that's another story altogether). I did alright selling cars for the first three years of my sobriety, and I see no reason why I can't return to the kind of success I had previously in the technical arena.

These last nine months on hiatus have been good for me, if not financially productive. I've learned so much about writing, and the publishing industry in general, that I have to view it as an investment. The return on that investment is yet to be measured, and I believe it will be mostly determined by how I apply what I've learned. It can't be measured exclusively in financial terms. What I've learned applies not only to my writing, but my perspective on life overall. I made some spiritual progress during this time, and there is no way to quatify the value of that. The spiritual lessons pay dividends in all areas of my life.

One of the truly beneficial lessons I learned goes like this: When I try to tune in to the inner currents of positive energy, really focus on training my mind in a positive direction, and take the actions that I believe to be right, my life flows with much less friction. I can feel a most amazing progression of awareness. I meditate on releasing control of the outcome, and focus on my effort. I have to be aware of my motives, and when my motives aren't in line with a positive outcome, I have to slow down and reconsider, possibly change direction. This is improvement and growth for me. It's also a sad commentary on my life before sobriety. I'll admit I was a very selfish person for most of my life. I'm still selfish, but to a much lesser degree now, and I'm working on reducing it day by day.

The more I strengthen my spiritual condition, the more positive my life becomes. For me, the key thus far has been a combination of humility and gratitude. Alcohol humbled me, and my Higher Spirit has given me another chance to make good, and for this I'm grateful. With humility and gratitude in my heart, I find that I have greater awareness of the positive currents that flow from the Spirit. Some may think that this is all a bunch of hocus pocus, but when I feel that energy it's real to me and that's all the matters.

As an example: About six months ago I made amends with someone I worked with in the technical staffing business when I was still drinking. This person, Kathy, was someone I had been holding a grudge against because of some perceived wrongdoing I thought I'd suffered. Over the last three and a half years, as I've made spiritual progress and looked at my past behavior, I was able to see how I'd created the situation myself and was only a victim of my own selfish actions. So finally I called Kathy and made amends and she accepted my apology, admitting that she'd never suspected I held a grudge. We were friends again. Two months ago I contacted her again to let her know I was interested in getting back into the staffing business. I emailed my resume, which she passed on to a lady named Donna, who works for a company I was familiar with. Donna calls me and interviews me for an account manager (sales) position. She liked me and set me up to interview with her boss. He liked me too, but he was reluctant to hire me because I've been out of the business for four and a half years. No established relationships to bring to the table. They held off. A couple of days later, I called her and said "don't forget, I can also recruit". Four days after that, she calls me up and wants me to interview again for a recruiting position. I interviewed with the regional recruiting director and two days later got a job offer. Hell yeah! So I started the job two and a half weeks ago as a recruiter. This week, they decide they need me in sales. A promotion in two weeks. Hell yeah!

So the moral of the story is this: Because I was focusing on my spiritual connection I was given the awareness to see the right action, and with humility I made the amends that I needed to make. My motives were positive, and as close to pure as my motives are likely to be. Even though Kathy didn't know I'd been carrying a grudge, the fact is I blamed her for much of my misfortune. In admitting my own culpability, I let go of that negative energy. A series of events has since unfolded and the result is the very positive situation I find myself in now. This is just the most recent example. I could cite many many more, believe me.

I'm looking forward to a nice weekend, the weather here is supposed to be gorgeous. Sunshine and low 80's. A cool seabreeze. Pretty much ideal, if you ask me. Wishing the same for all the good people.