Thursday, May 13, 2010

Entering the Realm of the Semi-Employed



Well, my friends, I received some very good news yesterday from the Policy Director at Action Aid USA. They've asked me to start a half-time, 3 month consultancy as a Senior Policy Advisor for Haiti. Semi-employment, here I come! When the Policy Director asked me when I could start, I said, "How about yesterday?" We settled for this upcoming Monday.

I'm also excited about having an interview tomorrow at Catholic Relief Services in Baltimore. This week has confirmed my theory that the mischievous planet of mercury in retrograde was interfering with my whole job search mojo. Maybe now that it's back in its proper alignment, things will go better for all of us.

Mark and I celebrated Italian style last night with a little wine, pizza, tiramisu and improv comedy class. When I land a full time, salaried position some place, then we might upgrade to champagne...just a little bit, you know, as I still need to pay off school loans;)

So, since I can no longer claim full unemployment status, I am officially changing the name of this blog from "Chronicles of the Unemployed," to "Chronicles of the Semi-Employed." I invite you to keep following and contributing to the journey if the spirit moves you.

In the meantime, here are a few lessons that the last 9 months have taught me.

- Vocation is a calling, not an obligation...a blessing, not a burden.
- Even though I believe this, it doesn't always feel that way...and that's OK.
- Life is all about timing. Be proactive, but also try to let go if it's just not working.
- Being unemployed has nothing to do with your skills or worth as a professional or a human being. Rather, it has everything to do with a crappy economy and that big spiritual question about timing.
- Being unemployed can be a surprise blessing, as it equates to spending less, recycling and reusing more, choosing carefully, going slower, asking for help, going outdoors more and rediscovering what you really want.
- When searching for a job, always invest in good dark chocolate. Believe me, you're worth it.

And now, onto preparing for tomorrow's interview and Monday's first day of work. Hence, I leave you with the great words of Song Diva, India Arie.

"So get in where you fit and go on to shine.
 Clear your mind, now's the time.
 Put your soul on the shelf. Go on and love yourself
 Cause everything's gonna be alright."

3 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for submitting comments! Let me know if you have any problems with it.

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  2. Congratulations on your new position Elise! How exciting and what a great fit. I also agree that timing is a factor, and can be quite mysterious at times. Thank goodness for dark chocolate, huh?! Wishing you all the best for today's interview!

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  3. Congratulations, Elise! I especially like this point you made, "Being unemployed has nothing to do with your skills or worth as a professional or a human being. Rather, it has everything to do with a crappy economy and that big spiritual question about timing." When I moved to MI and was looking for a job I was struck with how much I had previously attached my "worth" to my job and found it challenging to realize I was a worthy peron even while unemployed!

    You rock!

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