You can't figure out why you got a 100 at LA City and didn't get the letter to move on in the process. Didn't score high enough on the written in Phoenix to get an oral. Waiting for the letter for band II for LA County. Trying to figure out if it's worth it to pony up another $25.00 and drive all the way to Mt View to take the CPS physical agility. You believed the psychologist in Seattle when he told you the psche interview wasn't designed to eliminate candidates to get you to open up; then you were out of the process afterward. You don't know what to do next.
Many candidates lose hope in the process. "Hope is the anchor for the soul."
Understand getting this job is a process. You need to take it one step at a time. If you aren't going further in the process, you have to start asking yourself why. Try to identify what part of the process you're getting stuck. Is it the written, physical agility, oral, medical, psychological, background? You need to be prepared before you take the next step in this process. Whichever area it might be, take that area and slice it apart, gain the necessary resources to be able to make it to the next step. If you don't nothing will change. You need to hang in there just a little longer. To stay motivated when it seems the system is not working.
You have to be the energizer bunny and keep going, and going, and going if you want to get the job of your dreams. You have to fly, drive, beg, borrow and grovel to make it happen.
Keep a vision of seeing yourself in that job. My son Rob did this when he was struggling to follow in his father's foot steps to become a firefighter. His vision was, "Seeing someone pin my badge on me?" He got that job. And on that magic day, emotionally, I had the honor of pinning that badge on my son. I felt he had received a degree and career in one swoop. Because, he won the lottery and he didn't even buy a ticket!
We have a small flower garden in front of our house. It's my piece of dirt. It's a color spot I enjoy. It didn't just happen. It took work, experience, and tools. First, I had to prepare the ground, then wait for the frost to end, select the variety of plants from what was available, and, finally, use Vitamin B while transplanting to insure that the new plants would take hold.
If there were any existing blooms on the plants when I transplanted them, I had to snap them off because they would sap so much energy and nourishment they would threaten the chances of the plant making it through the shock period. Once the plant had recovered and was producing new flowers I had to continue to remove them as they matured or else they would have gone to seed and the plant would have stopped producing new flowers. This process also strengthened and filled out the plant.
There's a very similar experience in nourishing our desires to be a firefighter. If we are not constantly cultivating, fertilizing, and watering our dream, it will become seedy, dry and withered.
At one point when I first started my garden the plants weren't producing many flowers. I checked everything. I had fertilized, watered and had removed the mature flowers. All the necessary steps had been followed. I asked Harriet what was wrong. The answer: I needed to water more and cultivate the ground to allow the water to penetrate the soil to get to the roots. Within days after more watering it was like the horn of plenty. Color was everywhere. Again, like our dream to be a firefighter, we might have the necessary elements but in the wrong amounts for the harvest to take place.
Many people desire the nurturing relationships that produces a garden with a shining badge. They want their garden to attract the elusive butterfly of peace and happiness that can get them the badge. But just like trying to catch a beautiful butterfly that seems to dart and flutter away, it escapes their grasp right at the last minute because they probably don't have the necessary Nuggets of life to catch it. It was that way for me. It was the Nuggets of Life that I acquired on this journey and my experience in using them and putting things in place that produced the job of my dreams.
With all the frustration, anxiety, depression, and retooling that went on, I thought things would never really change. I can't tell you exactly when it happened, but all the pieces of the puzzle came together. I wasn't chasing the butterfly. I was just standing calmly and this beautiful butterfly landed on my shoulder. It turned into the badge that my wife pinned on my chest. I felt like the turkey when the red bulb pops out. I was done, and I knew it.
This is my prayer for you, friend.
"Hope is hearing the music of the future . . . Faith is dancing to it today!"
"Captain Bob"
Ask "Captain Bob" Any Question
Fire "Captain Bob" Smith has coached countless entry level and promotional candidates to get their badge. He is a retired 28-year Hayward, Ca. Captain, speaker/author of the audio/video program "Conquer the Job Interview," the book "Fire Up Your Communication Skills" ISBN 09657620-6-8 and a member of the prestigious National Speakers Association. You can book him as a speaker or get a copy of his books and tapes by calling toll free at 888-238-3959.
E-mail: captbob@verio.com Web site: http://www.eatstress.com