T-minus 10 days

So 10 days from now, I will join the throngs of professionals out there seeking employment in a tight economy. To my credit, I will be out there looking with a shiny new master's degree and a healthy amount of experience. To my detriment, I want to stick around central Iowa. I have it settled to this: I will either get a job or a won't. If I do, I will enjoy a healthier paycheck, substantial benefits and a sense of purpose that connects my education and experience to a career. If I don't, I will continue with my second career path, bartending, and try to make ends meet through a variety of creative endeavors. I will enjoy freedom and the luxury of being able to do pretty much what I want when I want to. I guess you could say it's a win-win proprosition.

This shift in mindset from being terrified of not having a job came from thinking about what I always think about....what do I have control over? I don't have control over the economy, I don't have control over the minds of folks who are interviewing me. I can only do my best and make the best with what I have. There's no sense in spending energy stressing out about what I don't have. If there are things I want to be different, I need to figure out how to make them different. Simple as that.

I'm mildly concerned that this is making me an optimist. Heaven forbid that that happens...

Thanks for sticking around folks. I think I may have turned the corner in making this big change in life.