A tear or a smile...

It's my decision, I know, to shed a tear or to crack a smile.

I love these quotes from Albert Einstein:

"You never fail until you stop trying."
"I have not failed, I have just found 10000 ways that don't work."
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts ..."
"Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value.” 

I got another "Dear John" email today...a job I wanted and did not get.  Another application, interview, and wait that did not end as I had hoped.  The online list says I have applied for 24 positions in the last two years.  I did not go all the way to interview with all of those applications...but still - it's a lot of apps.

Twenty three years ago I got my job with Child Welfare by starting as a volunteer, then a temp.  I showed what I could do and I was eventually hired.

Currently I am a volunteer with Special Olympics Oregon.  I go into their office once a week for a social media meeting.  I moved one of their event websites, PlungeOregon, from one platform to another.  I am working a Facebook page and Twitter page to promote the event.  The response has been awesome!  I am learning so much...and proving what I can do.

I am way better at showing what I can do rather than telling what I can do.  My cerebral palsy, coupled with nerves, makes the interview process very daunting for me.

I think of Einstein's words.  I'm not going to fail, because I'm not going to stop trying...after I shed a tear and crack a smile.