Pauline,

Lincoln said:

"People are about as happy as they've made up their minds to be"

Yet Lincoln's life was one tragedy after the other: deaths of loved ones, failed businesses, a decade or more of bankruptcy, depression and a never breakdown etc. He LITERALLY failed at everything he did.

But through all his turmoil, crisis and self-deprivation he went on to become the most Successful and important Presidents in U.S. history, and a giant of a leader.

The facts are, that despite his nervous breakdown and tragic life in general. he gained complete control over his mind.

Your difficulties will not go away, No one's every do. They may in fact get worse, Lincoln's certainly did for the majority of his life.

The things that separates you from you difficulties, and you ability to manage them, (or at least cope with them) is in fact YOU.

You may not choose to manage them right now, that too is YOUR choice, and is not necessarily bad or unhealthly, we all have different levels or tolerances toward the tasks we are trying to do, and the difficulties we are trying to surmount.

If I were in your situation (and based on your personal comments) I would be more concerned with controlling my happiness and well being, rather than worry about whether I was suceeding or failing at this or that, or whether someone approved or dis-approved of me or my performance.

You are you own person, in charge of your OWN happiness, you cannot rely on others to make you happy. You cannot even depend upon you employer to keep you on, should he/she see to it necessary in his/her right to replace you, (maybe it was for his/her betterment as well as your own) this too is a matter of attitude and choice, the boss's as well as yours. (i.e. the way you internalize your self talk)

Every hardship in life has a seed of an equivalent benefit. Any multi-millionaire worth his salt will tell you this absolutely true.

If your attitude is positive (and you are a happy person) you will see the benefit in the experience, which usually is ten times more perfecting than the so called difficulty you were worried about (that you saw in the problem)

I am unemployed too, just as you and for the same length of time. This is more common than you realize today! I am very poor as well.

BUT I AM HAPPY AND HAVE PERFECT PEACE OF MIND, I LEFT A BAD ENVIRONMENT BEHIND AND DECIDED I WOULD NEVER BE UNHAPPY AGAIN, DESPITE POVERTY, AND I AM STILL VERY VERY POOR! MY CIRCUMSTANCES STILL AREN'T THE GREATEST, YET I HAVEN'T HAD A BAD AND UN-HAPPY DAY SINCE LOSING MY JOB. I WILL NOT ALWAYS BE POOR, BECAUSE MY MIND IS DESTINE TO GIVE ME A BETTER LIFE SOMEDAY, I AM IN CONTROL OF MIND WHICH IS ALL THERE IS TO THE MATERIAL WORLD AROUND US, THOUGHTS ARE THINGS GOOD OR BAD!

I WOULD MAKE MY OWN ENVIRONMENT AND MY OWN HAPPINESS. DESPITE THE OBSTACLES.

3 years ago I had a decent job and bought an old trailor to start out in life in.

I thought I had it made, I worked hard, paid cash for it, Then decided since I didn't have an issue with money I would tear it up and re-model it from scratch (i.e. building materials at the time were not an issue for me)

Then like you I lost my Job, I couldn't afford to buy the materials, and I had foolishly torn the heck out of it. Destroying any of its potential value. People thought I was crazy. Looking back, I guess I was. But I did have a slow recovery and a good attitude through the re-building process.

Anyway my point is two of the worst possible things had now happened to me, both of which are now working to my benefit.

1. After tearing the place up and not having any skills to put it back together, the best sheetrocker/carpenter in the entire town, helped me put it back together at a very low cost, he even found throw away materials I needed to do the job, most were free, He only charged me for the labor which was VERY reasonable. By tearing the place up, I discovered something very destressing: water damage to the studs, I was told in a couple of years the trailor would have been condemned. This gentleman fixed that up as well, not only saving my home, from the utter destruction that I might not have even noticed, but increasing the bank value of my home in the process, AND THIS IS THE GOOD THAT CAME OUT OF THE WORST POSSIBLE SITUATION IMAGINABLE, A POSTIVE SEED OF AN EQUAVALENT BENEFIT.

2. I have been un-employed for 3 years, and the jobs in my town are impossible to sustain any form of income. THE ADAVANTAGE HERE IS THAT I HAVE HAD A LOT OF TIME TO PONDER MY SITUATION, This time is perfectly necessary and had literally forced me into finding and going in a new direction. i.e. a home-based business. And I could never have found such a business I had been working solely at my dead-end job of before. EVERYTHING HAS A PURPOSE, A NEGATIVE ONE IF WE SEE IT THAT WAY OR A POSITIVE ONE IF WE CHOOSE TO BE RESOURCEFUL AND SOLVE THE PROBLEM THAT IS IN FRONT OF US.

***I would have NEVER gotten the help on my trailor if I hadn't been un-employed, and been a hardship case. Also I wouldn't have done as well of a job had I been over-welmed with the problem and had gone it alone.

The person that was sent into my life to solve my problem was sent there because my mind was concnetrated on the things I wanted and the persons I needed to get them, not solely on the "problem" itself.

There IS such a thing as MAGIC and it will not work in a negaitve mind.

I firmly believe, that my un-employment will someday be solved, I've tried a few businesses so far, But I really didn't fail as much as I produced I result, or made a distinction to lead me forward to something feasible.

--Keep You Mind on the Things You Want, and OFF of the things you don't!
--Use your imagination and the friendly cooperation of others to get the magic going in your life that you need to move forward.
--Don't Depend on Others, or circumstances to make you happy. Just Decide to be happy instead, And learn what there is good in bad circumstances, usually they are PRICELESS OPPORTUNITIES to move forward.

You are are responsible for your own happiness,
Not you Boss!
Not this Message Board!

Live your life!
Be your own Person!
AND Be happy and positive despite life's obstacles.


Dewey