WHEN TIMES ARE TOUGH (FOR JOBS). NEVER GIVE UP!

By now, I think you all know from my past postings that I have been inspired by music and so for a number of reasons: most notably to stay relaxed and also to relieve daily stress. Some songs can make me smile. Some tunes ignite my creativity. Some make me daydream back to moments I may have lived a lyric or two in my lifetime.

As I was glancing through some magazines at home with an IPOD attached to my ear, a particular song came up on the playlist that made me replay over and over. Why: It was a tune that I enjoyed a lot back in the year 2000 and hadn’t heard this one in quite some time. It’s a refreshingly catchy piece. Upbeat and a bit inspiring! The song title: “HOPE” and it is performed by Grammy award-winning artist Shaggy that deals mainly about his upbringing and family life. Here’s a sampling of his song lyrics:

(his mother) Gave us pride to survive, really showed us the way
Now I really understood what she (Mom) was tryin’ to say

She said, “Son there’ll be times when the tides are high
And the boat may be rocky, you can cry
Just never give up
You can never give up

In this life you could lead if you only believe
And in order to achieve what you need
You can never give up

And this hope
That keeps me holding on
On and on
And this hope
That makes me carry on

It got me thinking. One, I’ve had so many of my Mentoring (LinkedIn group site) members write me in the last month seeking “hope” and answers to finding a career and even more so, just a job. I do feel your anxiety! Many of you may have already browsed around and researched my background and wondered: “just who is this guy that is trying to mentor us and has been offering up all these postings?” What you don’t know and will not find is that I came from a family of eight. A divorced family at a very young age. After my parents separated, my Mom moved us all into a low income housing project as we grew up in Massachusetts. We all had to do odd jobs like babysit, shovel snow, rake leaves and deliver papers to earn extra money and help our Mom raise the family. I didn’t get a driver’s license until my early 20’s because cash flow was scarce in my house. Didn’t go to college. Resources were not there.

I am not shedding any tears. I fought through adversity. Kept believing. I used to tell my Mom back in high school that someday I was going to work in the big leagues of sports. That was my sole dream. I was a fan of all sports. Like many of you, I wrote all of the teams for jobs even though I had no background. I was just in high school. Yet, I broke into the hockey business a few years after graduating from school in 1977. My journey began in Billings, Montana. One person (Bob Strumm) hired me based on a 10-page letter that I had written. He phoned me at my home. Said my “enthusiasm was contagious”. Flew me to Billings for an interview and in that arrival weekend, he said “you’re hired!” I’ve never looked back. I still had no car. The hockey club paid me $7,000 as a salary. I was on Cloud “9”! I rode a bike to work every day through sleet or snow. Worked 80 hours a week. Three years after my arrival in Billings, I phoned my Mom with the news that I had made the BIG LEAGUES! I was hired by the NHL’s Washington Capitals!

To our young members and those that are seeking that one chance to show your skills… DON’T GIVE UP! You have to believe. Network. Develop your skills, most importantly YOU! Find a cheerleader in your life. A support system. We’ve all walked your path. Why, just last week, I hired a young lady that after three years of volunteer internship for our team – and doing so while working two-three paid jobs a week to make ends meet - she’s now on the same CLOUD “9” I experienced years ago. It can happen to you! “Just Never Give Up” as I’m hearing Shaggy sing in my earpiece!


Jim Loria, Career Planning Expert for Sports Professionals
Email address: loria@sfstampede.com