Hon, I can understand your frustration about being unemployed. Before I started working for a nearby school district in January of 2012, I had been out of work for 26 months. It was literally 26 months of hell. I live VERY close to a business park, and drive through it several times a week. There is a lot of beautiful landscaping in this business park, with lots of walking trails running through it, so it's a common thing to see employees taking walks on their lunch breaks. As I would drive by, I would always think, "...was is WRONG with me that makes me not be able to get a job and these people can???"

I totally get your saying that you want a job, yet can't seem to find one;yet, you have people who HAVE a job and don't appreciate having one at all. When I was unemployed, I would sometimes be waited on people where it was obvious they didn't care a bit about being any kind of quality employee. I would think, "...who the hell would HIRE someone like this???" I mean, I could literally see their hiring manager say to them, "...yeah, you seem like a real jerk. Welcome aboard!!" : /

As much as you can, just try to start every day with a positive, hopeful outlook about finding a job. We're not robots, so it doesn't work ALL the time, but, if you can have a good, positive outlook about your situation about 80% of the time, that will absolutely help you with your job search. When I was unemployed, it helped me to remember to be thankful for the things I DID have in my life. Then, as now, every day before I got out of bed, I thanked God for another day of life and asked Him to help me to deal with the fear and uncertainty of being out of work. Saying affirmations about what I wanted also helped.

I was struck by your writing that you "...want to be someone". I just want to give you a gentle reminder that you already ARE someone, hon. Don't make the mistake of thinking that your self-worth and value as a person has anything to do with having a job, because it doesn't.

I suppose some might wonder why I continue to visit this board, even though I have a job. Especially after my two downsizings from AT&T, the first after 7 years with the company and the second after 18 years of service, I've come to believe that we ALL are just one decision, one closure, one merger, one downsizing and one reorganization away from being out of work, no matter how "valuable" of an employee we may think we are. Plus, I know the hell I went through during my 26 months of unemployment, so if I can encourage anyone as they go through their own unemployment journey, I want to do that. Lord knows we need to be there for each other, because let some people who haven't experienced being out of work for awhile tell it, the unemployed are just lazy jerks who don't WANT to work. (If they only knew). All I can say is they better be careful - maybe they'll get a lesson as to just how difficult being unemployed is, not to mention how difficult it can be to get a job.

Wishing you all the best with your job search, hon. A job with your name on it is out there. Your charge is to just keep trying and vowing never to give up until it shows up. And, I'll share this next thing with you only because I read your status - keep your focus on Him, because He is our only source.

Hugs,
Janice : )