Mindy Thomas

No One Is Going to Bail You Out In the New Economy

Tough words to accept in these times. I feel the pain of accepting that, we the people, will never receive a bailout like corporate America.

Every time I meet a new career counseling client, I am genuinely interested in how their career choices were shaped from early on. I can’t help it. I really do wonder how people end up in their chosen occupations. I am curious whether their parents played any part in defining their career and what their dreams were for them. Sometimes when I ask that question, I get a clear response. Sometimes I don’t.

Other times, like last week, the response went like this . . . “Well, Mindy . . . I was the oldest of six children and my mom was on welfare her whole life. My Dad had no career and was incarcerated for ten years.” I asked, “who influenced you?” She shrugged her shoulders and replied, “I don’t really remember anyone being there. I just knew that there had to be another way of life out there for me. I found my way to a ‘magnet’ school in Philadelphia and that’s when it really began.”

I was stunned, frankly. This young woman showed up in my office ready to invest in her career and had such a “fire in her belly” — you could see it in her instantly. She had overcome the extreme adversity of not having parents who saved for her college education and lovingly guided her through Temple University and, now she is graduating from Drexel University in March with an MBA. The only bailout to speak of is . . . my client bailing herself out. She knew no one was coming. She knew that only she could move herself up and out. Someone once said that “a woman who can move on is invincible.”

I sit in amazement when I think about my client. There are so many people who get this PLOM disease. It’s called poor little old me. They become victims and they carry it through their whole life. Unlike my client who is reinvesting in herself, I have no doubt that she will succeed in her life. Why am I so sure?

She will not allow herself to think that there is a “bail out” coming. If you have a second, take a look at this utube video of – Susan Boyle and think about how much courage it took for Susan to show up. Half of the battle is just showing up. Like my client, Susan Boyle went with her “gut” and marched on.

If only we could allow ourselves to dream big and manage to let go of the FEAR we have. Have you ever thought of looking at this description of FEAR?

False Expectations Appearing Real.

What would happen if you changed the way you thought and felt about fear? Where would it take you if you let go of the paralysis analysis that we all have experienced?

The fact is . . . if there is no bail out coming, we need to bail ourselves out. This means taking our head out of the sand, marching forward and taking complete responsibility for our own career management. If you cannot figure out what comes next, maybe you are a candidate for career counseling.