"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step"

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step" . Lao-Tzu was quite the philosopher, I have read the Tao Te Ching many times, and that quote is one that always catches my eye. Of course he's right, a single step, seems such a small thing, yet so few of us take it. Humans seems programmed to accept their lot for the most part, people dream of the day they get that promotion, or finding a better higher paid job, they want to be the boss and have the two holidays a year and a small fishing boat off the coast. Despite those desires not many will take that single first step that can lead to all they have dreamed of and more, of course that single step can also lead to failure, perhaps that is why some are reluctant to take it? But if you believe it will fail then it most likely will, that important first step must be taken in faith, you must have faith, belief that you will succeed, Martin Luther King put it better than me, "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step."

Well, I took that first step, I sent out my CV, I began applying for jobs. The job I'm in is good, it pays reasonably well, the work is good, the people are great. But why settle? If you want more out of life, out of your career why settle for something that is ok or good? Why not go out and find something better? Well thats easy, because life drags you into a groove, a rut in the road we travel from birth to death, it's a deep rut and sometimes it's just easier to follow that rut rather than try to climb out it's side and take a different road, they all lead to the same place, death. But some of the roads are easier to walk, some are more exciting, some are more luxurious, some have room service and a mini bar. Well I want the mini bar, and I want the wide screen tv and the car and the briefcase, so I took that first step in faith that I would succeed, yes I had doubts, but I buried them, yes I had fears but I faced them. The greatest challenge in a new job is the beginning, starting all over from scratch in a new role, but as Carl Brand put it: "Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending". How apt, and how true.

I have always had a soft spot for Emily Dickinson, not everyone's cup of tea, one of the pieces she wrote has always stuck with me, and I think it is reason for anyone with doubts and fears, anyone who feels and underdog, anyone who is not accustomed to success should take that first step anyway, the feeling of success is a powerful drug,
"Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed.
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need."

The most important thing in success is self belief, it's not always easy to get that but without it you will fail. Anything you believe you can do, you can do.
"If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right."- Henry Ford.. And I think Henry Ford proved beyond any doubt what a man can achieve if he really believes.

So, I sent out the CV's and did a few interviews. I was interview for a job as a Senior Document Controller at an Engineering firm in my local area here, the interview went well, I was surprised at the line of questioning, it was much more quality orientated that I had expected, but I found to my own surprise, I had no difficulty in discussing those area's, I think the interview went well, I was confident going in and confident going out. Now there's a secret to that. Interviewer's are like dogs, they can smell fear and doubt, they know if you unsure about the job, if you show the slightest sign of a lack of confidence in your abilities, they'll attack. Rightly so, for as in the Henry Ford quote above "if you think you can't, your right". So you wear your confidence like a cloak, don't answer questions too quickly, take your time, it also shows you tend to be thorough and don't rush into action before you have thought it through, if a silence develops, let it develop, it's the interviewers job to ask the next question, not yours to fill the gaps.

I got the job, a more senior one than I believed I was applying for, a lot more money was offered and when I agreed to take a second role with it (temporarily) the money was raised again. If I hadn't tried, I wouldn't be writing this blog entry, I would be sitting miserably depressing myself trying to balance my books and figure out what I would do if mortgages increase again, as it stands I can sit back, type in my blog in the comfort and knowledge that even if mortgages shoot up I can easily afford it now. A weight has been lifted off my chest and I can breathe again. I feel like Morgan Freeman walking down the strand in Zihuatanejo Bay, Mexico (Shawshank Redemption), walking tall and free. That freedom is a choice, not something that is given or taken, but something you choose or choose not to have.

"Freedom is not something that anybody can be given. Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be" - James Baldwin



In farewell let me say this until next time;
"May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. " (Traditional Irish farewell)

Concúbhair