It’s so easy to sit in my bedroom, whine and complain about not having a job right now. It’s so easy to give in to that negativity, to give up, to pack up and move on to something easier. But am I going to do this? No. This is not the correct attitude to take in searching for a job!

I have been in France for just over five months now and have been job searching the entire time. At the beginning, the search was slow as I tried to improve my French, or at least get confident talking in another language even if I didn’t know much. Then as the benefits of life would have it, I had the opportunity to teach a class about the English TOEFL exam to three students and spent my time focused on preparing lessons and other things I needed to do for that class. Now that class is over and I have cracked down on finding a job.

I am  going to tell you how to take the correct attitude in a seemingly impossible job search, so hold on tight!

Set The Determination

Set the determination and make the goal! I made a goal to have a job by January 28th (I do realize this date has passed). This job was to have at least 15 hours of work per week, in an environment where I could practice my French. This is specific and it should be exactly what a determination looks like!

I worked hard to find this job. I didn’t just sit back and say, “Ok universe, now you know what I want, I am going to sit back and please bring it to me.” That would be stupid and when no job shows up on my doorstep, I would have no one to blame but me! So I set a plan of action to go to 2-3 places a day to hand in my resume. Some days, this tasked seemed impossible but I would still make sure I would hand in my resume to at least 1 place, planting at least 1 seed, if nothing more!

When January 28th came and went, you would think I would become discouraged but my mind did the opposite, “Ok!! Now I WILL get a job!”

The important thing here, is that I did not get discouraged when things seemingly didn’t go according to plan, but instead I kept on going. Which brings me to my next point…

Follow The Clues

Clues are in the environment everywhere and it is up to you to pay attention to them and follow through with them!

What are clues exactly? I applied at a hotel the other day and the manager told me that I need to put a picture of myself in the corner of my resumes in France. He accepted my resume without the picture but told me how important it was when I apply at other places. This angered me for obvious reasons (what does my picture have anything to do with my qualifications!!??) but then I remembered that I want a job and so I need to follow the clues. I started handing out resumes with picture after that.

I went to another place and they said to come back with a cover letter and so I started attaching individualized cover letters to the resumes.

I hit another dead-end and Max’s dad suggested I look up tourist groups in Lille and Max confirmed that he saw English tours happening.

I have been following the clues since the beginning of the search which makes my trust that I will get a job, strong. I pay attention to them, follow through with them, and with every step I take I know I am one step closer.

The Voice of Doubt

You will notice that whenever you are so close to achieving any goal the voice of doubt will creep up on you and try to sway you from your determination. This happens every time!

What’s even more interesting is that this voice usually comes from either yourself or from the people who care about you most. It is a function of the negative forces and the negative forces tend to show up in the people we are closest to. Because they show up in these people, it is so important that we realize that these doubts are just the negative functions of the universe trying to sway up from achieving the goal, thank the person for their “helpful” advice and keep pressing forward. Don’t blame the other people but look at the situation from a larger, universal perspective.

If that voice of doubt never comes, how in the world would it be possible for you to realize how BAD you want to achieve your goal!

I cannot even count how many people, people who I never thought it would come from, doubted my ability to get to France! And I’m here! And I am not leaving…therefore I need a job. What a waste it my visa to come here and all that hard work would be even I don’t get a job. It just makes no logical sense (from a universal perspective) that the perfect job isn’t just waiting for me to find it!

As hard as it is, press forward, ignore that negativity and stay confident in yourself. At this point in the game, confidence (in the form of knowing, trust or faith or whatever) is the only thing that will keep you moving!

Appreciation For The Now

When do you ever get a chance to have time off of work? Appreciate these precious moments, because as soon as you obtain a job, you will be back at the schedule wanting time off.

I spend my time bike riding, practicing energy healing, teaching myself about natural health, reading, meeting new people, etc.

I say yes to opportunities that I know I may have to decline when I start working.

If I mope around all day about the fact that I don’t have a job, then it will show on my face to employers who want to hire. Employers want spunk, energy, happiness! Not moping! Therefore spend as much of your day appreciating this precious time as you can.

Appreciation For The Job

Even though the job has yet to be obtained, think back on your old attitude at work and how you are going to change it.

I used to go to work and complain about it. Maybe I complained about the pay, or the hours, or something else that was out of my control. Now that I am not working I will take anything and I will be appreciative of it.

This opportunity has given me the motivation to not only have a good attitude in the job search but to have the best attitude as an employee when I do get a job.

It’s Not Only For You

Have a greater mission in achieving this goal.  You may think that achieving this goal will only service you. You are wrong! Achieving your goal will service your friends (you can  have more fun with them), your family (you can visit them in another country), and everyone else!

When you achieve your goals it truly inspires people who are in the same situation as you. When I set the determination to get a job, I set it with the intention of inspiring the Buddhist members in my organization who are having a hard time overcoming their struggle or achieving their goal. I tell myself everyday, “This is to show them what’s possible!”

Knowing that obtaining this job is not only for me but for everyone else too, amps up the will to obtain the job ten-fold! This is what turned the goal from “I want a job.” to “I WILL GET A JOB!”

This attitude is not only for job searching either! Apply it to any struggle you want to overcome or any goal you want to achieve and I promise you, you will be victorious!

Thanks for reading!