I finally set up my external hard drive with all my music on it. Currently listening to Blind Boy Fuller. I guess that means I am finally all settled in at my new apartment. Things here are going well. My life seems to be stabilizing while the world at large seems to be coming unraveled. It’s times like this though, when things seem the absolute weirdest that focusing one’s energy on re-envisioning your Self, who you are and what you’re capable of comes in really handy.

I’ve become addicted to Craigslist. I check it every day: first the “gig” section (ggg), then the job section (jjj), then the musical instrument section (msg). Anything interesting, I’ll click on until I have a whole browser window full of possibilities. Some reflect my interests. Some reflect things my friends might be into - which I promptly send to them. A lot of times they are of the “inspirational” sort, or so I like to think. “You could do this if you wanted to,” kind of stuff. Sometimes it’s easier to hear about the new you from your friends, family and other people who are close to you.

That’s what the job search ritual has become for me: a way to work on myself within the laboratory of the world. I’m not even looking for a job anymore so much as I am looking to improve myself, to learn new skills, accept new challenges, and see myself and my surroundings in a new light.

It’s necessarily a weird process though: finding a job listing for something you *could do* but aren’t necessarily officially qualified for. The thing most people, employers and employees alike, don’t want to admit is that - for the most part - a trained monkey could do most jobs. Are you a good monkey, the kind we’re looking for? That’s typically what they want to know. You’d be surprised how far a well-written enthusiastic cover letter can get you. I know, as I’ve done some hiring on behalf of employers in the past. For most people the job search becomes this arid wasteland of form letters and failed hopes. But if you can communicate your inner drive and humanity, you can often come out on top. It may not always be in the way you’re hoping or expecting, but a lot of times challenges and opportunities come to you when you’re ready for them. One of the key ways to tell if this is “one of those” is to guage your level of nervousness. Do you think you can handle it but have some irrational fear surrounding accepting a position you’re being offered? Chances are this may be the job for you, at least for a little while.