What a difference a day makes
Share
You have been working so hard at your job search or trying to start a business. Maybe you feel kind of like a newly-hatched chick? Did you know it can take 24 hours for a chick to hatch its way out of a shell? That is a lot of hard work…No wonder it looks practically lifeless upon emerging into the world!

The chick incubator was always one of my favorite exhibits at Chicago’s Science + Industry Museum when I used to visit as a kid. (Although, in those days, I am pretty sure there was no + in the museum’s name!) It’s pretty amazing seeing a new life come into the world — right before your own eyes!

Back in those days when I watched the chicks hatching, I didn’t make connections between the tiny birds and a job search or business ownership, but today, I just can’t help myself. Those hard-working, lifeless seeming chicks (I had to watch one for several minutes to convince myself it was not dead), turn into fluffy, adorable, happy looking animals in less than one day! It’s hard to believe, looking at the pictures, that there could be such an extreme transformation in such a short time.

This begs the question: “How is a job seeker or a business owner like a chick?”

Clearly, there are a lot of differences.
The chick benefits from some intuition. It learns to stand up and walk without help. It fluffs its feathers and it doesn’t need anything special to get where it needs to go. Most job seekers and entrepreneurs don’t have the type of intuition they need to accomplish all of their goals.

Using social media, networking, knowing what to say when you’re meeting new people — these are not inborn traits. It’s easy to flounder around, on wobbly legs, maybe even feeling totally spent at the prospect of all the work needed to get where you are going.

So, what about the similarities? I think I can sum it up by saying, “What a difference a day makes.” Our chick friend is unrecognizably changed in only one day. A job seeker or small business owner can also be transformed overnight via information that may make the difference between knowing what to do next and stagnating in one, undesirable place.

Have you ever had a light bulb moment? You know, the one that made it clear exactly what to do next? If you take the time to stop and learn what you need to know to help you accomplish your goals and plans, you could have that light bulb moment that makes all the difference.

I’ve been corresponding with a prospective client. He has been floundering in his search and isn’t even certain if he is looking at the right jobs. It seems very clear to me that he has not been successful because he is too caught up in what he can’t figure out to try to understand what he can — that he has valuable skills and a reasonable path right in front of him.

Don’t let yourself be exhausted by all of the effort it takes to get you to the next place along your road to success.