Over the Rainbow

Josie: Are you happy?

Wyatt: Well, I don’t know.  I’m as happy as the next man, I guess. I don’t laugh all day like an idiot, if that’s what you mean.

–A scene from one of my favorite movies, Tombstone.    It’s a simple enough question, but how would we really answer?  Truly answer. We spend a considerable amount of time trying to cover up guilt, disregard regret, deny jealousy and resolve contempt that I think we forget our main pursuit (or what should be our main pursuit):  happiness.

Happiness. A worthy pursuit, certainly.  But somehow, most of us fail.  And in our failure, of what do we miss out?  Does it affect our families and friends?  Our work?  Our lives?  Of course, but do we even notice?  I think we get so caught up in living that we don’t even realize or even care when we are unhappy.  And then we don’t even recognize when we are happy.  Sometimes, the simplest things can make us happy or alter our attitude and mood enough to allow a little bit of joy to creep in.

Like grabbing the brass ring, it is easy to miss.  Life goes whizzing by so fast that we can’t even see the joy we have found or slow down enough to embrace it and feel the difference between happiness and a droning existence or what we think we should be doing, how we think we should be feeling — what the world, our own little world, expects of us.

We dream of the other side of the rainbow, we chase the bluebird of happiness – when all along it was right in our own backyard.  But because the answer was and is so simple, we simply didn’t and don’t see it.  Or we are lucky enough and we do. Don’t close your eyes to it or to the possibility.  It is a very real feeling, emotion, state of being and it is obtainable.  Happiness is NOT overrated.

“There is no duty that we so underrate as the duty of being happy. ” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Mr. Stevenson died over a hundred years ago, but the concept of which he spoke is not old-fashioned.  It has just been sadly misplaced, misunderstood and made to be far more complicated than it needs to be.  Those with nothing seem to reside in greater happiness and peace than those with everything.  What is the secret? Individually, it will be something different.  I suppose it is for each of us to find out for ourselves.  For me? It was forgiveness.  Pretty simple really.  Forgiving others, yes – but mostly forgiving myself of guilt, regret, jealousy, and contempt – four walls that most assuredly keep happiness away.  And then, seizing happiness, even the smallest spark of it, when it comes into view.

If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow,
Why, oh why can’t I?

You can.

by rayannethorn

 

Into the Fray – The Phoenix Infection, Part 7

Sometimes, the fray comes before the leader is ready.
It isn’t always an easy thing to step up and be the leader everyone needs. But when the need arises and leaders are born, greatness will appear. We live abundant lives. I was going to say simple lives but most of you, including myself, would argue that point. The simplicity of which I speak reveals the fact that many of us usually obtain what we need fairly easily in order to get what we need in this life. I am not included in that “many.”

A colleague of mine, visiting from another country, couldn’t help but notice the abundance in which we live. A Starbucks on every corner, a grocery store with more than we could possibly need lining the shelves and gas stations where the gas is actually affordable. As we discussed the “commerce” that surrounds us daily, I slowly became aware of what he had seen almost instantaneously upon his arrival. That we are generally selfish – not self-absorbed or miserably miserable, as would seem appropriate – but actually selfish, wanting more for ourselves than is necessary or even deserving. The cycle of produce then consume, produce then consume, is a vicious one.

It is not cheap to live comfortably anywhere. It just isn’t. We pay for comfort all along the way. And there are individuals out there that have very little drive for success or even a need to succeed, after all, if this position doesn’t pan out, they can always move on – or they can go home to be bailed out.. Sadly, this is the attitude for many – the “everyone gets a trophy” mentality.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Meaning when we see a need, when we see a wrong that needs fixing, humans will go out of their way to fix it or prepare a work around. The mother of invention system proves itself over and over again and is alive and well. At my office, the number of employees recently grew by 100%. Leaders have emerged from this time of growth & development and this is a good thing. The fray showed up early for some and too late for others.

This organic, unappointed growth sprouts leadership: those that can easily give direction to those in need of direction. It’s kind of like that whole steel sharpens steel concept in that struggle or friction forces the emergence of a Phoenix. The fray strikes again.

© by rayannethorn

A Risk that Paid Off

Three years ago I saw the writing on the wall. My job as a corporate recruiter was at risk. The trickling fall-in of the recession was taking its toll, seemingly one soul at a time. I surveyed the landscape of my gig and realized that, due to the changes that were taking place within my company and on Wall Street, I needed to prepare. I needed to prepare for the worst. I wasn’t really sure how to do that. My own landscape included a marriage beyond resuscitation, a job that was becoming as endangered as a spotted owl, and escalating bills.

I decided to look for work and once a new position was secured and that first month under my belt, I gave my husband his pink slip. With one less income in the house, the third issue -bills- was not going to go away any time soon. I had begun to write about recruiting and gone back to school to get my business degree, so life was well-rounded between my daytime job and the numerous activities my gut was telling me in which to get involved. Number one activity? Social Media. I had been unable to get enough of it – interestingly enough, I still feel that way today. While I watched the tragedy of the new recession unfold, my online writing increased and with much consternation from those around me, I decided that I needed to focus on new media / social media. I needed to figure it out and use it. I knew I did – I was pulled to it like a moth to flame.

I took a huge chance in making the choice to write more and dive into an unproven area of business. The thing is, the risk paid off. Through my study and writing, new areas opened up to me. I left the software sales recruiting firm at which I had landed and went in-house: my house. I started consulting small businesses about hiring practices and how to use social media to augment their online presence with the hope of increasing revenue as a result. I couldn’t stay away from the computer. I started getting asked to speak at local business meetings and networking events. I developed Bonus Track and presented the idea to Jason Davis here at RecruitingBlogs. I worked consistently every day to build my own personal online presence. I created profiles on every network I could get my hands on. I attended networking events as close as two blocks from my home and as far away as 2600 miles. My bank account was non-existent and I was afraid…, but I kept at it.

Why? Why would I keep plugging along, working so hard at something that didn’t come close to paying my living expenses and supporting my family? Because it was work. It was hard work and in my book, hard work always has a pay-off. Always. The risk seemed greater every day. Every day, bills arrived at my door. Every day, I seemed to get further away from my goal. Then, about a year into my quest to survive and thrive, I met someone at a networking event that retained me to help him market his business – using social media. Then I contracted with someone else. Then someone else… It was working, I was working and I loved what I was doing. And it was hard work, it was constant work. I worked long hours and tried everything I could to scrounge a few dollars together to buy groceries. My children needed to be fed, I needed to be fed. I will be honest with you, it was extremely difficult. It was the hardest thing I have ever done; I wasn’t sleeping because those hours were filled with worry.

As a result of my involvement and work at RecruitingBlogs, I started getting noticed and my requests for conversations were being granted. One such request was to speak to and have lunch with Kelly Robinson at Broadbean. By the end of our first conversation, Kelly offered me a job. A full-time job – not a contract position – like I had first thought. That was in the summer of 2009. The risk, the macaroni and cheese, the endless hours spent online building relationships and expanding networks, the marketing and business plans written for clients and partners, the late nights spent writing- blogging, the losses, the changes… They were all worth it. Social media proved to bring me significant ROI. The investment hurt, the ache in my stomach was hunger, and not just for food, but for total sustenance.

A risk that paid off more than my credit cards – a nice side effect, by the way.

by rayannethorn

Bonus Track # 457
http://www.BonusTrack.us

Taking a Stand

“I will not reveal the name of the author of the articles which I set to type, not even to the Governor.” ~John Peter Zenger, Newspaper Printer, The New York Weekly Journal – 1735

Some of you may be avid bloggers. Some of you may write when you are compelled to. Some of you may write for your company’s website. Some may write just to expand your mind, vocabulary and view point. Others may write simply because you can – and still others may write because you have to – you simply “can’t not” write. I fall into all of the categories above.

Back in June, I wrote A Grave Crime. This was a piece addressing the imprisonment of journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee in North Korea. I was compelled to write then, as I am now. I wonder if it is a mere coincidence that the date of  their release, negotiations successfully completed by Bill Clinton, fell 275 years – TO THE DAY – after the release of John Peter Zenger who was jailed as the result of an information – a listing of charges – set forth by a tyrannical New York Province governor; Zenger refused to reveal the source of the articles he printed that criticized the governor. His refusal led to his arrest and long imprisonment before a jury of his peers swiftly voted him not guilty. He was released August 4, 1735.

Both of these stories are important to me. Why? Because I value deeply the right to say and write whatever I want, as long as it doesn’t bring danger to anyone else. The incidences are as different as they are alike but the principle remains the same. Social media in 1735 consisted of a weekly printed newspaper and word of mouth – an actual front porch. Social media now consists of twitter, social networks, online news sources, television, email, instant messaging, printed publications, and mobile phone (texting and voice to voice) – the new front porch.

Are you sometimes unhappy with what you read here? Are you sometimes compelled to write a response to a post or other response that infuriates you or causes you to question? Good. Do you ever read a post here that opens your mind or changes your POV? Good. Do you ever write a post here with the hopes of stirring the pot a bit? Good. Putting thought into type has been around hieroglyphics. Reading a great story is just as joyful as writing one.

People stand up for their rights every day. The put words on a sign to carry at a picket line. They print pamphlets that denounce practices with which they disagree. They argue at City Council meetings or at congressional hearings. They run for office or back candidates that share their view point. They write books or plays that question laws or freedoms. They produce movies that educate or inform. They create art, poetry, music, or photography that depicts when freedoms are taken away, squelched, or abolished. Why? Because the compellation is strong and the need is too powerful for them to ignore. The stand taken is laid on a thick foundation, built over the backs and stories of those that came before.

Currents events continue to prove that even today, taking a stand can mean life or death.  What’s it worth to you?

by rayannethorn

“Gee, I don’t think there’s anything in that bag for me…”

Life reveals many surprises along the way. Every day should serve as a reminder of just how precious this life is and how we should do better. After all, with no quest for improvement, we would stagnate or be so full of ourselves that no one could stand us…, except for ourselves, of course. A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small package, indeed.

One is the loneliest number that you’ll ever know…
No man is an island…
Man cannot live by bread alone…

and, The wise man built his house upon the rock.

What is the rock? It has been interpreted many different ways. Think of that “one thing” that Curly (Jack Palance) alludes to in City Slickers. It is your “one thing” that your house should be built upon, that gives you strength, that gets you up in the morning, that gets you through your day, that helps you make it through the night, that is or becomes your driving force. You have to decide what that is…

Is it your God?
Is it your family?
Is it your work?
Is it your friends?
Is it you, yourself?

No one person or thing can make you happy. Only you can make you happy…
My mother has said often, “You are about as happy as you make your mind up to be.” Our happiness comes from within, it cannot come from an outside source or from being loved.
However, if you love, if you give…, well now, that’s a different story, isn’t it?
That is one true thing.

I think the Great and Powerful Oz had it wrong. A heart isn’t judged by how much you are loved by others BUT by how much you love. And forgiveness? That’s the hard part.
For as impractical as a breakable heart is, how can one possibly know true joy without also knowing pain…

by rayannethorn