The holiday season is almost ready to begin; a time of great joy for many but not for all.
I don’t know about you, but on the resume writing, military and business/industry Linked-In groups I follow the tone of some discussions is showing signs of despondency over the past few weeks.
I understand that many of those commenting online at this time of the year are simply frustrated about spinning their wheels and getting nowhere fast in their job search. Worse yet, many sound ready to give up looking for a new job completely thinking it’s a hopeless situation, and many of their peer responders are fortifying this opinion.
We all agree that times are tough. But job hunters need to keep the faith and work a lot smarter today then ever before, and some need to also work a little bit harder to achieve their goal.
So if you know a job hunter in a negative frame of mind, give them an early holiday present by tweeting this post and emailing to them as well..
Dr. Glenn Cunningham (1909-1988) was a world-record-holder in the mile race and an unlikely member of the 1932 and 1936 U.S. Olympic teams.
Cunningham was born in rural Kansas in 1909. As a very young boy his mother brought him up to believe in the American Dream and that he could accomplish whatever he wanted to in life as long as he never gave up trying.
Tragically, in 1916, Glen and his older brother Floyd were involved in an accidental fire in their schoolhouse. Glen’s older bother Floyd died in the fire while Glen was rescued, in excruciating pain, suffering from 3rd degree burns over his entire lower body and legs. Medicine being what it was in those days doctors told his mother he would likely not survive. They then told her if there was any chance for him to survive, since his legs were so badly burned they would need to amputate both legs. Mrs. Cunningham would not listen. She refused to accept their diagnosis or allow the amputation to happen.
Glen did survive this ordeal and when he returned home his mother massaged his legs day after day, putting on ointments to soothe the burns, and telling little Glen not to give up. She told him ‘no matter what the doctors, the neighbors or anyone says eventually you will not only walk again but you will run like all the other boys.’
Amazingly sensation began to return to his legs. One morning while sitting outside in his wheelchair during the summer of 1918, Mrs. Cunningham told Glen how proud she’d be if he would just walk to the fence 5 feet away. Glen smiled and said nothing. Then one morning she came out and saw Glen was holding on to the fence crying. In shock she asked him what happened. He said he wanted to make her so proud of him but he failed; he did not walk to the fence, he only took one step, fell, and then crawled on the ground the rest of the way. She broke down crying and told him how proud she was that he tried and succeeded. “You did not fail. This is just the first of many small steps you will take in life to reach your goals.”
That summer Glenn never gave up and soon he started to take one more step, and then another and soon he could walk to the fence on his own. Eventually Glen regained full strength in his legs by running. By the time he was 12, he had beaten all the local high school runners. His legs remained deeply scarred, however. Throughout his life, he would have to massage them and spend time doing long warm-up exercises in order to maintain circulation. In addition, his injuries meant that he could never run smoothly or efficiently; he compensated with endurance and strength.
Dr. Glen Cunningham attended the University of Kansas where he ran for the track team and in the 1932 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, he came in fourth in the 1500 meter race. In 1936 he again represented the USA, this time in the Berlin Olympics, as a teammate of another great world class athlete and role model, the great Jesse Owens. Glen later earned a master's degree from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. in Phys Ed from NYU.
Dr. Glen Cunningham is just one example of how you can beat any odds as long as you don’t stop trying. With a positive and realistic outlook, the help of one’s family and friends, and lots of perseverance and perspiration no goal is out of reach, no matter how hard it may seem today.
This story has been an inspiration to me and I hope it is for you as well.
Let’s not kid ourselves; job hunting is a hard task in this economy but in the end we will all succeed if we just do the right things and keep on trying with a positive frame of mind.
PS: Join me this Wednesday November 16 at 9 pm Eastern time on http://www.internetvoicesradio.com for an internet radio show with Tome Dezell in which we will discuss networking at this time of year. If you can't listen live, the show is available for download after live airing as well.
Author
Perry Newman, CPC/CSMS is a nationally recognized resume writer, career transition coach, certified social media strategist, as well as a AIPC certified recruiter and former executive search firm owner known for his ability to get results. You can view his sample resumes and client endorsements at http://www.perrynewman.com, and request a free resume critique by emailing your resume with contact information to perry@perrynewman.com.
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