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Career Goals, Education Planning, Inspiration, Job Market, Job Search, News

Wisdom for Grads and Life-long Learners

When I started reading author Anne Lamott’s 2003 Commencement speech that made its way to my Facebook feed this month, I couldn’t stop. Besides being thoroughly entertaining, I thought: what a fun and wise career counselor she would make! I try to balance dreams and reality in my career counseling work, and like that she put some weight on the dreams side of the scale.

Here are two of my favorite paragraphs:

“I bet I’m beginning to make your parents really nervous — here I am sort of bragging about being a dropout, and unemployable, and secretly making a pitch for you to follow your creative dreams, when what they want is for you to do well in your field, make them look good, and maybe also make a tiny fortune.

But that is not your problem. Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you’re going to spend it trying to look good and creating the illusion that you have power over people and circumstances, or whether you are going to taste it, enjoy it and find out the truth about who you are.”

Click HERE to link to Anne Lamott’s Substack and full speech.

Inspiration, News, Newsletter

Tough Times Never Last, But Strong People Do

The incredible concert I recently attended by Ladysmith Black Mambazo sparked the inspiration for this month’s newsletter. Whether you’re facing challenges at work, navigating a job search, dealing with personal struggles, or feeling the weight of world events, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. One of their songs, “Tough Times Never Last, But Strong People Do,” offers a powerful reminder: even in the hardest moments, we can endure.

Strength can be built and sustained—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Our mindset can either deepen the struggle or help guide us through it. And importantly, how we respond to difficult times not only shapes our own experience, but also influences those around us.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo rose to prominence during South Africa’s apartheid era, offering a message of hope, unity, and peaceful resilience through their music. Their influence reached even into prison cells—after his release in 1990, Nelson Mandela shared that their songs had been a source of strength and a symbol of peace during his imprisonment. In a powerful gesture of respect, when he received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, Mandela invited the group to join him at the ceremony—underscoring the profound impact of their message during one of history’s most difficult periods.

Tough times are an inevitable part of life’s cycles—and part of the human experience. How we respond to them is ultimately our choice. Stay strong, stay grounded, and hold on to hope.

Click to hear Tough Times Never Last, But Strong People Do

Photo credit and link: Joe Mabel, Flickr via Creative Commons

News

Endurance: Book Excerpt

Below is an excerpt from my book to help people cope with the emotional roller coaster of the job search. Please share this and the link to complimentary excerpts which is after the reading. A great graduation gift of support!

“It really is an endurance race.”

-Henry Ford

A job search can take longer than you expect. Endurance is the ability to sustain a stressful effort. Since you don’t know how long your job search will take, it’s good to proactively build endurance like an athlete. Even if you are well into your search, there are practices and exercises to do to increase your mental stamina.

Consistency is the key in any performance training. Besides a routine of job search activities, create a routine of emotional self-care practices. Consider a morning warm-up such as an affirmation or prayer upon waking. Cool down your day with a gratitude list, meditation, or inspirational reading. Stay disciplined through the day by monitoring your thoughts to counter negativity. Develop patience with yourself and others. Like athletes, create a proactive plan to counter setbacks, like job rejections, so you don’t spiral down. Techniques to re-center could be saying a phrase like, “All will be well,” playing a song like, “I Will Survive,” or doing 30 seconds of slow, deep breathing.

You have or can develop what you need to endure and succeed. Rather than passive suffering through hardship, take proactive steps to increase your endurance.

Affirmation: I will take steps to sustain myself in the job search.

Share this link for a complimentary gift of ten excerpts: https://karenscareercoaching.com/help-wanted-free-excerpts

More info and to purchase a signed copy: https://karenscareercoaching.com/help-wanted/

Call: 412-977-4029 • Email: Karen@KarensCareerCoaching.com

Wisdom for Grads and Life-long Learners

Endurance: Book Excerpt

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