What I learned from New Jersey (and other holiday fairy tales)
After a too-long trip plane ride back to New York, all that was left at 9:30 p.m. last night was a quick trip from Newark to Brooklyn. Only a few minutes into the ride, we were brought to a halt on a bridge in the aftermath of a 4 car accident. Along with hundreds of other (I assume) weary holiday travelers, we sat, engine off, watching helplessly as police officers and firemen milled about the scene. It was clear after a few minutes that there were a couple of people involved in the accident who were loaded onto ambulances–luckily nothing looked too serious. Everyone sat in their cars. No honking, no yelling, everyone sat patiently.
It’s as though everyone knew that the situation was outside their control.
At just over an hour in, the entire crowd reached a tipping point. It became apparent that the people involved in the accident were long since taken care of, and none of the officers had since made any attempt to clear a lane for traffic, or to even acknowledge the now HUNDREDS of headlights lining up for miles. No one on the scene moved with a spring in their step, it became incredibly frustrating. The honking started. Two gentlemen in a van in front of me started yelling for the police to “let us the *bleep* out of here.”
It was an interesting lesson, though, in how we manage the realities of what we can control, and what we can’t. Sometimes, the situation we find ourselves in is just something we can to deal with. I found myself thinking about the market and those lawyers who feel that the situation they find themselves in (less work, or more grave, out of a job). There are obstacles that we have to accept, and losing patience doesn’t help that. Getting mad and angry at everyone around isn’t any kind of solution.
But, just as my crowd of fellow bridge-sitters did, when it’s time to start thinking about solutions to the problem, the level of frustration in the face of inaction is overwhelming and incredibly frustrating. As obstacles like those the market is facing continue longer than we were expecting to have to manage them, how do you keep your head on straight? Are you the type to jump out of your car and yell at everyone you can get your hands on? Do you lean on your horn? Or do you watch for all of the signs of progress you can find, so you’re prepared with your engine on when the traffic starts to move?
INTERESTED IN IMPROVING YOUR CAREER? CHECK OUT …
|
THE CAREER TRANSFORMATION SYSTEM TM SIGN UP NOW! |
Resources
Search Jobs
Post Your Resume to 65+ Job Sites
Resume Service
Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.
Related posts:
- Holiday Frustrations and your Job Search
- What I Have Learned About Interviewing In Law Firms
- What I learned from my dog trainer.
- Holiday Cards in August?
- Tips for Holiday Networking
- Relocating to New York City from New Jersey
Livingstone on June 14th, 2009
I usually don