The Flexibility Factor.

There's nothing new about being flexible. It really should be a way of life. For years, in the corporate world, those who remained the most flexible (open to change) usually survived most layoffs and restructurings. So long as you weren't overly "attached" to your current role there would always be a good chance to land somewhere in the organization.

But while layoffs and restructurings continue -- especially at large companies -- it is now more difficult to demonstrate your flexibility and openness to change, as most workforce reductions have completely removed the human element in the decision. I've even heard the sanitary explanation, "you're just in a bad cell on a spreadsheet" to explain "rightsizing" (another great PR word for layoff). In any case, whether by human evaluation or spreadsheet, becoming a new job seeker forces you to take on an entirely new attitude -- one of flexibility and creativity.

There is no telling how long your search might take, and in what directions you may go. Perhaps this is the perfect time to do something completely different, or to at least adjust your goals to allow you to get to where you want to be. At the very least, this is the time to consider all options; to dream a little. Who knows, perhaps you may find yourself doing something you never would have expected and having the time of your life.

Imagine that.

Giving Thanks.

I always enjoy Thanksgiving. It gives me a brief taste of the holiday spirit soon to arrive with the onset of Christmas. It gives me time to spend with family and friends and enjoy a laugh or two while eating some of my all-time favorite foods like stuffing and pumpkin pie. Most of all, it helps me reflect on all the ways my family and I have been blessed over the past year. Admittedly, I should remember to be thankful each and every day, but that is often not the case.

We have maintained a tradition within our family (thanks to my lovely wife), that on the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving day we go around the dinner table and fill out a piece of paper with 4 or 5 things we are thankful for. Then, one at a time, we read the myriad of ways God has watched over our family. Some revelations, we discover, have been forgotten over the past year. This tradition is a great way to count our many blessings, specifically, and for our children to be reminded of God's faithfulness to us, in both prosperous and more challenging times.

Spend a moment this week doing the same. Think about it. Be reminded. Be intentional. Most important, be thankful.

Goodbye To Old Friends.

These are some of my best and most cherished long-term friends. Saying goodbye will be hard, as we've spent much of my adult life together. For the most part, it's been a stable and peaceful relationship. I've had little to complain about (other than a couple of extra pounds now and again).

I've seen the movie, Food Inc.
I've read the best seller, Fast Food Nation.

Yet in spite of the hard (as in arteries) facts presented, I have continued to indulge in a regular diet of fast "food".

It's time for a clean break. A dramatic detachment.

I can no longer continue eating a "heart attack in a sack", or a "double coronary with cheese". For the love of my family, and for the improvement of my inner and outer man, I must take immediate steps.

So...goodbye, golden arches. No more Jack. Adios', your majesty.

Those days are over.