How do we know when we are ready?

I have asked this of myself so many times. struggling to make the decision that I thought I was ready for but then something happens. It can be small or big but it still begs the question to be asked! How will I know when I am ready?

It all is a leap of faith into a land where no answers are known. I am here to take chances, here to move myself and here to make this work. Even though I may not know what will come out of the process, I do know I am ready.

Late at night as I close my eyes I remind myself of the fear that I have faced today. The strength that I have used to stand up to the struggle and still come back to struggle again.

I know why I am here and I know I am ready. Are you ready?

How Do I Do This?

Making the transition from unemployed to consultant is a strange twist of the brain. You would think it wouldn’t be hard because you are selling yourself either way but it is. A different kind of selling perhaps. Certainly a different feeling.

Every morning I get up and head into the world as a different person. No longer ‘undiscovered’. I have ‘discovered’ myself but now I need to sell it. Now instead of HR interviewing me it is clients. One after another. The funny thing is I can’t say ‘no’ because I feel I must work to make up for lost time. I am working 12 to 14 hours day to prove I can.

Who do I have to prove myself to? Everyone! From myself to my husband to the unemployment office to society. I am another stat to be counted. One more person that has given up on the traditional process of finding a job. One more person that is making it happen for themselves instead of waiting for an employer.

I want to be more than a ‘stat’ this is why I am doing this. The ‘how’ will come with my success.

Do you wonder if you can?

The answer is YES!

After being out of work for 14 months I was really wondering if I could go back to working. I was ready but could I quickly get back into the swing. Not only would I be dealing with the learning curve of a new job but add on to that adjustment to ‘office life’ again.

When my new opportunity arrived I was ready for the challenge. Quickly the day overwhelmed me. I pushed through the day but my nerves were shot. The 2nd day was just as bad. I did not know what I was doing! The stress was huge!

Over the weekend I started to get a cold and it went straight to my throat. I lost my voice. It is a good thing I am a contractor and not an employee because I had to take Monday & Tuesday off. During those days I realized I was creating excuses because I was so afraid to go back to work. I wanted to go but the fear was taking over. The good news is once I said I was scared I was motivated to get back to work on Wednesday.

Now I feel like my normal organized self dealing with a new job situation.