Good News, Bad News

I guess I have to start with the bad news. I received a rejection letter regarding a job I really thought I had a chance to at least get an interview for. In the letter, I was told they had received 35 applications. I'm a little pissed. I've done contract and freelance work for this place and that work has often been lauded the staff and by media members who use those services that I have helped provide.

The job hunt, which has really been going on for three years now, is frustrating. I can't help but wonder how much of it is the economy and how much is me. With the vast majority of my experience in athletic media relations and communications, I seem to be looked down upon by many HR people and head hunters when I look for work in the corporate world. Last spring, ene hiring manager told me that all my work in athletics really didn't fit their needs.

I asked what the job entailed. It was all stuff I have done over the past 20 years but, because it was athletics, it was different. Mind you, this was for a job with a high school. I've worked with high schools and/or colleges since 1986. I asked what background some of the other people had and, not surprisingly, they came from the corporate world. Only one had ever worked with a school. I brought this up, that I had worked in an education system but it was to no avail.

I got a good pep talk about this from my buddy, The Kicker, who's done OK for himself. I hadn't seen him in about a decade but reconnected with him via Facebook. We had lunch as I was passing through his town and we came upon this subject, one which he quickly warmed to.

He said "The next time that comes up ask them why they wouldn't want us (he was an All-American kicker on the football team in college). We know what it takes to be part of a team, how to work with others to succeed. We know how to put that team together and make it successful. We know this better than anyone else because we've lived it and then you ask them why they would want anyone else." Well, that my not be the exact quote, it was three months ago, but it's the essence of what he said.

I don't like to brag but I can say I know about success. I own three national championship rings from college and have been a part of championship teams/organizations as an athlete, coach and administrator. The Kicker picked me up that day and I'm still keeping that thought in mind.

The good news of the day is that I channeled this disappointment, along with some other issues, into a great workout on the treadmill. Again, this is where music helps me a lot. I've put together a playlist of songs for my running and my only concern is that I get so pumped that I start outpacing myself. At 280 pounds, and just getting back into a workout routine after about six weeks off, my legs are a little sore right now but tomorrow I walk and do some core strength conditioning so I'll recover.

I end this blog with a few lines from Cold Play's Speed of Sound:

Where to, where do I go?
If you never try, then you'll never know.
How long do I have to climb,
Up on the side of this mountain of mine?