There are few who are fortunate enough to walk into a well-paying mining job of their dreams without facing frustration along the way. And on the rare occasion we do hear about someone walking into a job for which we`d kill, it really is difficult to smile without gritting our teeth, or our dentures, whichever the case may be. Let`s face it, we get jealous. Rightly or wrongly, that`s just the way we are.
But those jealous feelings are often the result of trying over and over and over, yet suffering knock back after knock back and all for no apparent reason. Who hasn`t encountered the Catch 22 situation that says no experience, no job, no job no experience? I`ve faced the problem many times before, so it`s no stranger to me. The dilemma is beyond frustrating, it`s just not fair. How is anyone supposed to get a start?
Though people have tried to answer the Catch 22 question, there`s been no definitive explanation. Anyone trying to offer a flippant answer needs a kick in the teeth, or dentures, whichever the case may be. Hopefully I`m not going to insult you by contributing one either. And yes, I hear what you are thinking: It`s not what you know; it`s who you know. But, let`s be realistic, that`s not really an answer is it.
One lesson you must learn and completely digest is that all your experiences; both good and bad, contribute to make you who you are. In turn, who you are plays a large part in how successful you might be. Nothing you do is wasted and everything you do, both the good and the bad contributes to your life in some way. As a result, how you respond to situations is based on your life`s experience and what you have learned along the way.
Breaking the Catch 22 cycle
Now, stay with me for just a bit longer. Perhaps you`ll see things in a different light. As mentioned, I am not going to offer an answer to the Catch 22 problem, because I don`t believe there is one. But I am going to offer something that might help you make sense of things. Hopefully you`ll break the dreaded catch 22 cycle and be inspired to get up and going one more time, especially when you consider what a friend told me recently:
“How did you get to be so successful?”� asked the young man. “By using good judgement”� answered the old man. “Well, how did you learn good judgment?”� continued the young fellow. “I learned through experience,”� said the old man. “The young man thought for a moment and said, “But how did you get experience?”� The old man looked deep into the young man`s eyes and replied. “I gained experience by using poor judgment.”�
