Success! As the Clouds Have Parted, part 2

(post resumed, two weeks later) But then, just as quickly, those storm clouds of professional opportunity can blow in just as quickly as a mid-Winter Nor'easter.  It might be a lunch meeting with someone who says they could never see you in sales because you're simply too qualified and would get bored (without realizing just how motivational a paycheck can be in piquing one's interests). Or perhaps you go out of town for a nice relaxing weekend only to be surrounded by people venting about their week for the first two days like the flight attendant who just can't be bothered to clear Customs with all the regular passengers and may just call in sick for the next trip to go shopping.   Or perhaps it's the Tea Party loons who feel unemployment insurance is a disincentive to finding work, or Paula Deene talking about meeting her husband and thanking the Lord the man who lived next door was single and *employed*, in spite of having her own fortune and empire.   There are so many subtle signals in society that if you don't have a job, you're somehow less than. Executive Recruiters pride themselves on helping find qualified employed candidates for companies wanting to poach those with a job, who they see as automatically more likely to achieve success.   Friends and acquaintances love to joke about "taking the summer off since no one hires until the Fall anyway". Where are the institutions and influences that drive people and enable them to reenter the workforce rather than creating additional barriers to contributing in a meaningful way to society (a sentiment which in itself perpetuates a perspective of overcoming an ailment rather than valuing the time and flexibility to focus on the additional opportunity to find the best fit possible). It's something of a pessimist versus optimist debate, in some ways.  But it also seems the more a person has to do, the more they get done. People criticize me for having too much on my plate. But that's where I thrive. Take going to the gym; I love to be active and fit, but without having to be at an office by 9am, that 7:15 workout gets pushed to 8 to read the news, then 9:30 to check Facebook, then - is it time for lunch already?  It's not a complaint, but we often underestimate the power of structure in our lives, and simply making indiscriminate or arbitrary appointments in life without consequences (e.g. a pissed off friend when you don't show up) doesn't really work other than in theory.     Now how much is the penalty for digging in to your 401(k) plan to pay rent again...?