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<\/a>By Jim Schmotzer<\/a>; part of a series at TheHighCalling.org called \u201cBest Books for Business.\u201d<\/a> Stay tuned for more!<\/em><\/p>\n\n
In 1996 my family faced multiple\u2014nearly overwhelming\u2014crises that included me leaving a long-term stable job in a ministry setting. No big deal, just the loss of job, church, friends, and a deep-rooted support system.<\/p>\n
One challenge involved helping family members make it through each new day. Another was the added pressure of an employment search. Oh, and because of the depth of our stress, I committed to not moving. I feared moving for work might become a final tipping point. I hoped that somehow holding place would provide a bit of hope that everything hadn\u2019t been lost, a possible place to build from going forward.<\/p>\n
Rare was the day I had energy and excitement about the search process.<\/p>\n
My JobShift<\/h4>\n
A friend suggested a book. To be honest, many friends recommended many books in my season of survival. I read a few. Only JobShift: How to Prosper in a Workplace Without Jobs<\/a><\/em>, by William Bridges, actually stuck.<\/p>\n Bridges made the case that traditional jobs were vanishing. By the mid \u201990s we had observed corporate shifts in structure that had diminished security for many in the workplace. Little did we know that this shift was headed for something like a steroid-fueled increase in changes in the coming decade.<\/p>\n Bridges championed becoming \u201cYou, INC.\u201d He encouraged thinking and acting like you are self-employed no matter how you get a check; thinking in terms of (multiple) streams of income; acting as if you are always a temp, ready to tell a current employer you have met your goals and will be moving on.<\/p>\n So while I looked for a new, traditional job, I began taking steps toward going solo and becoming a consultant<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nine months into the transition, just after my Dad died of cancer, a position opened that I hadn\u2019t applied for. It was one of those right-place-right-time situations and the deal was done. It wasn\u2019t self-employment, but in a strange twist\u2014perhaps because<\/em> I worked to keep JobShift<\/em> ideas as a philosophical base in the new setting\u2014it ended up being the longest lasting job of my career.<\/p>\n Then three years ago, I returned to JobShift<\/em> again, this time for another kind of survival. The day I turned in my keys, I finally went solo. I set a plan, began building a base, and made connections. I was starting my own business.<\/p>\n In these three short years, I\u2019ve had an innumerable string of employers and projects. Some I\u2019ve loved and others I\u2019ve endured. I have been able to live into my strengths and passions. I\u2019ve also said \u201cyes\u201d for little more reason than I was capable and the money was needed. Some days I love the variety and flexibility of being a free agent. Other days I miss working things out with a team.<\/p>\n A good friend occasionally asks how I\u2019m doing. After I rattle on for a bit, he\u2019ll say, \u201cIf you\u2019re not looking for a (real) job, you must be doing okay.\u201d I think he\u2019s right. I\u2019ve applied for a few specific traditional positions, but I\u2019d rather keep finding my way in this new world of work than taking \u201canything\u201d in the old world.<\/p>\n Living into JobShift<\/em> has been a true gift. It encouraged a better fit for career, life, and family, and my wife reminds me of how much less stressed I appear. My long-range hope is to grow fully into the person God is shaping me to be. Lessons from JobShift<\/em> have played a significant part along that journey. More and more, I move toward career wholeness.<\/p>\n I know I can\u2019t live in the past, so when I reflect on 1996, I remember the lessons that grew out of that stressful season. JobShift<\/em> was instrumental in the learning. The book provided great value for being ahead of its time in seeing the shifting landscape of work. In addition to clarifying these ongoing changes, it offered (and still offers) practical ways to navigate the new reality.<\/p>\n Simply put, JobShift<\/em> supplied insightful and practical advice. My story proves that it works.<\/p>\n ______________________________<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n By Jim Schmotzer; part of a series at TheHighCalling.org called \u201cBest Books for Business.\u201d Stay tuned for more! In 1996 my family faced multiple\u2014nearly overwhelming\u2014crises that included me leaving a long-term stable job in a ministry setting. No big deal, just the loss of job, church, friends, and a deep-rooted support system. One challenge involved […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1712,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[219,220,158,217,218],"class_list":["post-277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","tag-consulting","tag-depression","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-jobshift","tag-william-bridges"],"yoast_head":"\nI Must Be Doing Okay<\/h4>\n
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\nJim Schmotzer<\/a> serves as a Life and Leadership Coach and Consultant through Jim Schmotzer & Associates<\/a>. His essays, poetry, and micro-fiction can be found on his blog The Faithful Skeptic<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"