Best of CoBiz: Seven spiritual barriers to finding a job

I’d like to go off the beaten path in this post. There are many reasons why people remain unemployed, some of which I have discussed elsewhere. But, in my previous article, I left out some of the most important reasons that people remain unemployed, and those are the spiritual reasons. Here are a few of these deeper reasons.

1). Negativity. Some people see the world in a negative fashion. They expect bad things to happen to them. They expect that their plans will fail, their world will crumble and that things will fall apart time and again. What we expect and concentrate on often happens. If we concentrate on the positive, positive things happen to us. If we concentrate on the negative, we get negativity in our lives. Of course, just because we concentrate on the positive doesn’t mean that we’ll never fail nor have something bad happen to us. But it does mean that we can deal with it.

2). Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Many people, in life, are constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. If something great is going on, they think it can’t last. If someone loves them, they’ll die or leave. If there is a great job opportunity, there must be something that they’re not seeing. Sometimes, things that are great are just great. Rather than waiting for them to end, enjoy the time you have. And, of course, in the end the other shoe does drop. It is called “dying” and we’ll all do it. But why not enjoy life until then?

3). Mongering fear. Too many people live for mongering fear. This wins elections and gets TV and radio ratings for raving lunatics, but it is very bad for us as a nation and individually. The sky is not going to fall. And (fill in the politician’s name) is not Hitler. Fear mongering and buying into the fear that these folks monger keeps us in a constant state of anxiety and creates fearful things happening in our lives. Turn off those who would have you constantly fearful, whether over the airwaves, on the internet or in your personal life.

4). Worrying. Worrying is nothing more than negative visualization. Time after time it has been shown that those who visualize positive things will create positive things in their lives. Those who vision negative things call these things into their lives. If you are a constant worrier, you are actually bringing many of the things you worry about to pass. Whatever we persistently and with focus concentrate on is what tends to happen.

5). Being “independent.” Independence is a dangerous myth. We are all radically inter-dependent on one another. Don’t believe me? Try, just for one year, not to wear anything where you haven’t grown the cotton or kept and sheared the sheep, spun the fabric, and made it yourself. We are dependent on the toil of others in our community just to keep us alive. Don’t be afraid to make connections and ask for help. And don’t be afraid or too proud to accept help with an attitude of gratitude and acceptance. And, please, get over the attitude that everyone should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps. It is both absurd and dysfunctional. Someday you, too, may need the help and compassion of others.

6). Anger or bitterness. Having negative emotions toward your old employer, some generation, or even a politician or the economic climate is holding you back. There are too many people out there that want to get you angry and keep you angry. Turn them off or ignore them. They are toxic for you.

7). Seeing your job as your source. Your job is not your income source. The Universe or God or Allah or Great Spirit or the Force or whatever-you-want-to-call-it is your source. Learn how to access the endless Universal/Divine wealth and prosperity and you will not be dependent upon your job, though it may still be the main channel of your income. This may sound crazy, but I’ve been practicing it for many years, as have many others.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying it isn’t brutal out there, or that any of this can be accomplished overnight. But by following a disciplined spiritual path, meditating and visioning the positive, very real changes in your life and job situation can occur. I have seen it happen many times, and know that you, too, can begin to turn things around.