I could do that. And that... and that....

Quote of the day: "Too many of us strive for new abilities instead of striving to develop abilities we already have lying dormant within us" (Paul Parker).

The upside to having your work life come to a grinding halt is that you have a world full of possibilities. The downside is the ENTIRE world is open as a possibility! If you aren't careful, you'll chase down any small possibility and run yourself ragged.

I posted yesterday about setting a schedule for myself and talked about distractions. Distractions are not just the temptation to search the Internet for hours on end or sit in front of the TV. Chasing down job leads that would never be suitable is just as bad of a distraction, because you feel like you're actually doing something constructive when you're not. When I've been looking for jobs online I find myself thinking, "I could do that." Then just before I click "apply" I have a second thought, "But I don't want to do that."

As I share with people that I am unemployed, people are constantly giving me suggestions or job leads, which I certainly appreciate. My brother has been generous enough to hire me for a small gig (although cataloging and looking up the current value of 4,000 comics is turning out to be no small gig).

Through this journey of unemployment, I am realizing that it's a waste to spin my wheels doing anything but what I can actually be succeeding at and what gives me joy: screenwriting. I feel that this time in my life is a gift from God to develop this skill, so I am working hard to do so. If God has given me this talent, I want to work at making it stronger instead of wishing God would give me a new talent. (Disclaimer: if anyone from the IL unemployment office is reading this, yes I am still looking for full-time employment and I have proof!)

So today I challenge you to think about something that you're good at. Now think of ways you can focus on further developing that talent, even if it means letting go of other possibilities.