As I enter the third month of being unemployed, I am amazed by the emotional roller coaster that my mind and thoughts have put me through. That is right, my mind and my thoughts. Absolutely no one else; not my family, not my friends, nor any third party has told me anything other than what a great leader I am and that the right role will come along when the time is right. So why do I put myself through so much agony?

I have read many self-help type books ranging from "You Can Heal Your Life," by Louise Haye to "The Power of Now," by Eckhart Tolle (and everything in between.....). All of them (yes, all of them) have the exact same message: we are energy, we have thousands of random thoughts a day, we have a choice of what we listen too, and we have a choice of what we send out to the universe about our self. Of course there are many more pieces than those I listed, however these three stick out to me more than most. My mind will gravitate towards a negative thought - why? I am absolutely perplexed by this since I have always pictured myself as a pretty optimistic, energetic, and inspiring individual. Take that job with a nice title, authority, recognition, and power away and what do you have....a successful guy that is in a spiral of declining self esteem!

Does a job really identify what is important about an individual - absolutely not! I know this in my heart, however I am struggling every day to maintain the self image I have of myself. I am far from perfect, however overall I believe I am a good husband, father, and friend. I KNOW I am not alone with these feelings of self doubt, disappointment, and depression that come with the loss of a job. After speaking with many people in the same situation that I am in (unemployed - and some for quite some time), there definitely seems to be a trend in whether or not the person has a positive or negative view of themselves (self esteem) - it is money, whether they have it or don't.

As Zig Ziglar would say, "Money is not the most important thing in life, yet it does rank up there with oxygen." Unfortunately, this is true. Unemployment would not be bad if there was a million dollars in the bank! Then it would feel more like retirement or taking some time off while you search for your life's purpose. Today, that is simply not my situation nor is it for millions of unemployed people throughout the United States.

There are a so many ways to make money and living in America we have more opportunities than anywhere in the world! I am sure all of us unemployed people will find the "right" role when the stars align, however in the mean time I have decided to look into alternative ways to make money.....what are you doing today?

Stay tuned....