attitude is everything

Attitude is a choice.

(Usually. We will leave the exception of depression/anxiety outside of this for now - although there is choice involved in those too. The choice to get help/not to get help. There is always choice.)

It's the choice of thinking that things will work out in the end, and working towards that. It is the choice to wake up every morning and put something of yourself out there into the world, to work towards what we want, to puruse or to leave those things which inspire us.

It's actually a million little choices: to get up and begin the day, to present our best self, to try hard and not be afraid to fail. These are just some of the choices we make in our day, whether conscious or unconscious.

It's the choice to take news that you didn't want and look at it in a different light.

Two days ago I got a call from a recruiter I've been working with. This opening has come up, did she want her to submit my name & resume? Yes, yes I did.

Well, they didn't choose me. Which sucks. In fact, it stinks because this was an opportunity I think I would have been really good at.

That's ok, though. Here's the thing: I didn't get the job. I did get a lot of great information.

I learned:

• I made a good impression on my recruiter. We only met last week and she doesn't have my competency tests back and she's already trying to place me
• I have a resume that she's not afraid to hand out to high powered clients

Those two things would be enough, in and of themselves. But here's the deal: I don't expect to hear back on every resume. But now I have someone else on my side, getting my resume seen more.

When I worked in sales, and fundraising, and telemarketing there was one constant: the people who made the most commissions/exceeded their goals/were the best, they were the people who weren't afraid to try. They weren't afraid to put themselves out there and hear "no" in response, and they weren't afraid to ask again, or to ask why. It's not that they tried more or harder (although they probably did): but more than anything, the people who succeed are the people who aren't afraid to take risks. Who aren't afraid to get an answer they don't want.

It's easy to be negative and to say things won't work out.

But you know what? It'll work out. What I have in front of me are a million different opportunities. And I'm looking forward to seeing which ones open up for me and make me happy.

That job that I didn't get? It's ok. Because the information I gained and the confidence that information gave me is way more important than that. It was one opportunity that didn't work out - and there are going to be lots of opportunities that don't work.

Until there's one that does. It might take awhile to find, and I might have to try on a few more not-quite-right-for-me options. And that is ok.