Gratitude As a Survival Skill

Job searches can be very frustrating. Here you are perfectly willing and able to work, but nobody is calling us to come to work. What is even more frustrating is that today, often companies tell us to email your resume and cover letter and they never acknowledge us, interview you or let us know if the job is already filled. At least if we had a chance to interview for something we are qualified to do, we could feel that we had a chance or we might get some inkling that we didn't get it because they are looking for something else in the candidate, and if we knew what that was, we could learn it. It is frustrating if we see something listed that we know we can do, but the employer never even talks to us about it. A person can start to fill with self doubts.

The other thing that happens is when there are no jobs paying anything like what we used to make and you find ourselves competing for a minimum wage job that requires no special skills and we still don't get hired. Or we decide to try for other kinds of work and we are competing for jobs that pay far less than what we were making, and totally unrelated to our education and experience.

Yes, those are frustrating and discouraging experiences. I have been there too.

In the face of all this, incorporating a gratitude ritual into our lives can really help turn positive energy your way. Other people are drawn to people who smile.

To counter all this frustration, take a few moments to be thankful for the good things we have received today. Say it out loud to yourself. Make list and write it down. Reinforce the notion that things will get better and somewhere we will find an opening and an opportunity. Express gratitude for any good development at all.

This keeps the mind open. That is what is important. Focusing on where we got shut out or screwed over blinds us.

If we keep running into walls instead of openings, negative feelings will be the dominant landscape of our thoughts. So rather than dwell on them, look to other places where there are openings and kindness rather than walls.

Yes, sometimes that means accepting the fact that we have to change our career path even if we don't want to. Accepting that fact allows more time to explore other options. Sometimes when we are busy being grateful, we find useful thoughts. For example, perhaps a hobby or other activity we enjoy can be turned into a source of income. Even if it is only a source of some money rather than all we need, that is helpful.

Look for the things that went well. That could be the support of friends and family. This could be a bit of helpful advice from a book or article we read. We could express gratitude for new leads we have found, and the people who are kind to us even if they didn't hire us.

Gratitude for having a place to live, heat that keeps us warm and food to eat. Gratitude for good health and the ability to get up and go for a walk.

Gratitude for spirit guides who are looking out for us and are helping us, even if they seem to be taking a long time. I find the thought of ancestors as spirit guides particularly helpful because those who came before us figured out what they had to do to survive, and they would like to see us survive too. Since we are their offspring, I tend to think that good breaks and anything helpful that comes along could be something that they are moving my way.

Remembering to incorporate this simple ritual of gratitude in our life will open up channels to receive and help to attract more good attention our way, even if it is little by little.

Gratitude is a kind of survival skill.