Blog about Sourcing... and Stuff

I wanted to just write a brief article about something everyone should care about and something not enough people actually do anything about.  I want to just discuss for a moment the important in “Quality of Life”.  What we do for a living as sourcers and recruiters affects the lives of countless individuals every day.  Finding people jobs, finding them better jobs, finding them jobs which make them happy, etc.  That should be our goal given out position and our ability to do so I would think, as I take great satisfaction in knowing I’ve helped someone else achieve more happiness.  The one thing I find ironic though is that so many people are willing to sacrifice that happiness for silly reasons and silly things and silly people.  Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with giving a little or even a lot to make your significant other happy, your boss happy, your pets and children happy… but there has to be a line eventually.

For me, quality of life is one of those things which I value incredibly so.  Prior to returning to this industry, I found my happy place, if you will.  It was over a pool table, playing the game I love, and enjoying every waking minute I could playing it.  No, I wasn’t making much money, and yes, only the top 10 players in the world or so actually make an adequate living off of it, but I was happy.  Being unemployed was really a humbling experience for me as well as a relieving one.  I went to sleep when I wanted, woke up when I wanted, did anything and everything I wanted (Providing I could afford to).  It was the most wonderful feeling in the world as deranged and scary as that may sound.

Having been back to work for the last 3 months, I can honestly say my quality of life has diminished greatly.  Now obviously, I don’t live in some magical land where everything is free and everyone is happy and I understand that I need to work to earn my keep.  That’s the trade off obviously and it’s a trade off purely for survival.  Survival being a life long goal of mine, I really can’t ignore it, and unfortunately it does mean that I really can’t just opt out of the terms and conditions that apply.  It does mean however, that the choices I am free to make, should be geared towards happiness.

Recently, I was very close to making a very poor decision.  The reason I was about to make this choice was because I was willing to “settle”.  Fortunately I was saved last minute by someone who didn’t realize what they had done and had no prior knowledge of my situation to even intervene.  I don’t don’t take much stock in fate, destiny, or luck, but the one thing you can’t do is undo the events that have already occurred and feeling bad or dwelling on such matters will do nothing more than waste your time and energy.  Learning, moving on, and not making the same mistake twice is all we can do for optimal happiness.

If you don’t stand up and fight for what you want, then you’re not expecting to receive it and merely settling for something you don’t want because you’d rather watch the clock tick and time pass by.  Fight for yourselves, fight for your candidates, fight all apathy and really see just how much happiness you’re capable of achieving. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to reach out for help.  Set your goals, meet your goals, and happiness will follow.

This post is directed at a few people both on a personal and occupational level and also as a reminder to myself.  You’ve all been there for me, please don’t hesitate to reach out and ask for help in trying to get the things you want.  Make what you want of this year.   If you don”t stand up for yourself, happiness will never hear you.

Cheers^^

PS: I know I sound like some kind of self-help motivational tool… and maybe it’s the spring weather, but something feels different about this year, and even if ya’ll don’t give crap, I need this as a reminder for myself^^