What I've learned

I supposed I have learned a lot of things over the past several months if I really think about it, but I know for sure these two things:

1) I do not enjoy even a little stress in my life. It has been wonderful to not have to balance a full time job with worrying about my sons, husband, parents, or any family members health. And it seems everybody is unhealthy right now. I also like knowing that if it is raining, I don't have to drive very far ~ if at all ~ which stresses me out since two of my three car accidents occured while it was raining. I can set my schedule however I need it to be and still earn a little bit of money.  A VERY little bit, which is stressful yes, but compared to what I was feeling when I was making a LOT more money ~ I think I am happier with less. 

2) The more I have to do, even if it is a stressful environment, the more I get done.  I was much more productive when I was first unemployed forced to retire early on sabattical.  Maybe because I wasn't sure when I would be going back to work so I wanted to "make hay while the sun shined" so they say. And given the fact that I had a lot ~ seriously folks, a LOT ~ of sorting and de-cluttering to do, it was easy to nurse my bad knee and still accomplish something. While my house is still cleaner overall than when I first started in May of 2011, (I can still see closet floors, there is still room on the shelves, AND my big desk with the huge drawers that hold waaaay too much stuff is still relatively EMPTY!)  I am sad to admit ~ I still have a long way to go, but I fear I am losing my motivation.

WHY?  Because looking for work is time consuming, depressing, and STRESSFUL.  Of the 40 or so applications I fill out online and send off EACH WEEK, I think I receive back 1 or 2 responses a MONTH.  If that many.  I decided to try a new approach.

I am developing a marketing package for my grant writing business, putting significant effort into trying to write grants for pay (as opposed to volunteer) while I become a little more selective with where I apply for jobs now. If you have time, check out my professional portfolio blog at http://eaberndt.wordpress.com and let everyone know I am looking for work and they would be wise to hire me.

I know that it really isn't a waste of time filling out all those online applications, but really ~ it is. And it is just a little too much stress.