If you’re at all familiar with any pieces I’ve written (including the book I published during the early part of last year) for better or worse I pretty much relate everything I see, hear or think of back to lyrics from a song or two.

(In the book each chapter begins with a lyric line or two ranging from sources such as The Spice Girls to The Rolling Stones to even a nursery rhyme so…buyer beware :-)!)

Today is already the 11th day of 2018.

It also would have been the 76th birthday of the “Big Man” aka Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band but I digress except to say I’ve written about that elsewhere.

How did it get to already be the 11th day of 2108?

How did it get to be 2018?

How did I get to be this old already?

Not really sure about any of those answers but onward we go…

“Instant Karma’s gonna get you…”

I was speaking with a client just yesterday who was trying very hard to keep his own “current reality” in perspective. There was a comment he made that not only predicated this post but also drew the John Lennon classic “Instant Karma” to my mind.

“George” was recently caught in the crossfire of a merger the upshot of which was he, his boss and several other colleagues lost their job and were “back in the game”, “Back on the chain-gang”, back in the job market, seeking re-newed employment.

“George” is absolutely an accomplished guy.
As I told him, “if you can survive 20+ years of the ins and outs of Silicon Valley you’ve done quite a bit right in your career”

At one point during our conversation I asked “George” about how well his marketing plan (to attain re-newed employment) was moving forward?

“Have you written out your plan?”
“Have you affixed goals of any sort to this plan?”

I have to give the guy a great deal of credit…he took my questions in the intended spirit.
(Very few people like to be confronted with questions that relate to areas of discomfort, insecurity, ignorance etc….
I count myself as one who initially hated it, fought it, ignored it, denied it and overall didn’t want to hear it)

Anyway…he answered me with some very reasonable, actions that frankly was more than many folks do!
He had reached out to people he knew on LinkedIn who worked at companies for which he might be interested in working.
From this outreach he had a few interviews for jobs on which he got close and then he ultimately shared this…
“I’m counting on karma to help me out”

“Wow!!!”
“George” really IS a good guy and really IS an accomplished guy but…”counting on karma”?
C’mon “George”!
Really?

Would you “count on karma” for your savings account to sustain or grow?
Would you “count on karma” for you fitness to sustain or improve?
Would you “count on karma” for your car’s overall safety and functionality?
(Need I go on?)

There’s a great deal more to this story including the thoughts/strategies and tactics that would be well worth “George” trying (in lieu of karma!) and it’s things of that nature that are at the impetus for sharing this and all of the blog posts that follow.

As  stated above, I AM OLD! I am fortunate enough to have that privilege…

Coinciding with that privilege is the fact that for 45 of the last 67+ years I’ve also had the privilege involved with the lives/careers of thousands of people (somewhere around 70,000 hours as far as I can figure). The root of each of those conversations was content regarding career success and job search sanity…failures and personal successes/transformations/resurrections those in my own life/career.

I’ve been blessed along the way with a wonderful wife, terrific, intelligent, hard working, morally just kids…all of whom have taught me a great deal but here’s where all of this is going…here’s the greatest, most profound takeaway from those 70,000 hours, personal experiences and blessed domesticity:

YOU HAVE TO SEE THE WORLD AS IT IS…

NOT AS YOU WISH IT WAS…

NOT AS YOU BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE…

NOT AS YOU WERE TOLD IT WAS…AS IT IS!!!
THE STARK, COLD REALITY OF HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WORK AND HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY BEHAVE!

Instant Karma might well be a help but dealing with change(s) of any sort by beginning with a “brutally honest assessment of current reality” is so much more effective.
The “terra firm” of reality may not be in the neighborhood you’d prefer to reside but I can guarantee you building from that point will provide a far more scalable/sustainable base from which to operate

I’m in the midst of amalgamating musings for my very first issue of the Venerable Verbiage newsletter I thought to launch.

Not counting on karma is Lesson #1 and is my VENERABLE VERBIAGE for now…do with it as you will.

Wishing you and your a healthy, happy, prosperous New Year (2018)

Barry (aka The OLD Guy!)

 

 

P.S. If you were to take this message very seriously…in it’s own intended spirit and it wasn’t too late to sign up I’d highly, strongly and genuinely recommend a Goal Setting/Achieving program called the 100 Day Challenge by a guy named Gary Ryan Blair
If you’re asking “why”? I’d say there are millions of reasons…including the fact that his workshops and materials are the standard by which all others are judged and have been used by thousands of organizations all over the world…literally millions of people have been schooled in the world of effective goal setting and execution by Gary!

“It’s getting late early” (as the iconic Yogi Berra once stated)and it may be too late to sign up for this current session though I’d still consider taking your own assessment of THE WAY THINGS ARE and ask yourself…
Are your goals set? (OR are you counting on karma?)
Are your plans in place?
Are you committed to seeing them through to the end?
If not, what on earth are you waiting for?

THE TRUTH IS…
It’s irresponsible to start the New Year unfocused, unprepared, and uncommitted.

Yet, that is the sad reality for far too many…guys and gals like “George”!

If you have BIG PLANS for 2018 but are off to a slow start programs like The 100 Day Challenge have help me kick procrastination in the butt.

If it is too late to sign up for it, there are some other programs on goal setting and action implementation I’d also recommend. They are very good…a bit more pricey but very good so drop me a note and ask:
barry@barrykleiman.com

P.P.S In a bit of shameless self promotion my book How the TRUTH Will Set You and Your Career Free has gotten some terrific reviews. People say it’s easy to digest, and have shared that it’s got a spot on message for career success and job search sanity implementation.

If you do wind up buying it please do let me know! I’ll send you a copy of a workbook I prepared to make the execution of your career success and job search sanity that much more organized and effective.
barry@barrykleiman.com

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