Job Reflections on Inauguration Day
Brenda Griffin  Get a Job Expert

We cannot escape history. We...will be remembered in spite of ourselves...In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve.  - Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address

     Imagine putting years into your search, not knowing whether you would land the job you want!  Today, Americans celebrate the start of a new US Presidency with President Barack Obama.  He pursued his dream and won the election of his and our lifetime. It is the beginning of something new, for him and Americans alike.

     I can’t help but think of how the other candidates may feel today.  They too wanted the top job. However, as we know, there is only one President.

     Living in New York State, I remember when former President Bill Clinton and now Secretary of State Hillary Clinton moved here. Then Mrs. Clinton announced her candidacy for the Senate. A thought crossed my mind – is she going to run for President? 

     I’ll never know when she actually decided to run.  What I do know is that she did, after serving eight years in the Senate. Like the other candidates, she gave her Presidential run her all.

     The travel, expense, long hours, media coverage and constant campaigning over months - all for a job she and the others wanted! Each represents an example of how to pursue a dream. Know what you want and go for it.  Keep going until it is over, then spring back with resiliency to find your next opportunity. 

     After conceding the primary race, Senator Clinton surely felt disappointment.  I remember how struck I was while watching the Saturday Night Live parody of Senator Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin debating.  With Tina Fey as Governor Palin and Amy Poehler as Senator Clinton, Hillary’s character says, “I didn’t want to be the first women President. I wanted to be President.”

     Yet, the examples continue. By not burning bridges and maintaining an open mind, Senator Clinton joined the new administration as Secretary of State.  Was that role even on her radar the day she decided to run for President?

     Like all job hunters, Hillary has been on an adventure. Part of the adventure is understanding that sometimes, you don’t get the job you want.  Sometimes, you get the job you never thought about, and maybe weren’t interested in, at first.  Sometimes, you realize this other job is challenging, rewarding, meets your needs, and is a perfect fit for you.  It is different, and different is not necessarily bad.

     The adventurous are open to options. Even if options are not what you think you want.  How else will you know where your journey will take you next if you do not give it a glance? Sometimes, you just have to listen. Then decide.