2020- Discovering Our Strength Within by Joyce Yabut

A lot has happened since I wrote my first Journal Entry back in mid-2020. There were many things I regretted not doing- one of which was proof reading my first Journal Entry before submitting it to be archived!  Hopefully, those who read it will put it down to my obvious anxiety at that time. 

I noted on my first journal entry that I got laid off from a job of 11 years. It was a weird and surreal feeling navigating through the NJ unemployment process. Up until then, I had never been laid off, nor fired from any job. Although I was very grateful for the unemployment benefits, I felt “trapped” within the system. Many employment opportunities I looked at were either not what I wanted or had benefits which is less than ideal compared to the unemployment benefits that were being given out back then. I did not want more unemployment benefits. I wanted a sustainable job where I could use my work skills and experience fully. Many companies were also trapped, because the only way they could provide full benefits, is if they were able to operate to full capacity. 

Long story short, I was able to land four job offers after around one to two months of actively looking  for job openings and submitting my resume. Three out of the four job offers, created positions (for me) that the companies felt my work experience would be of best use. It was certainly a nice thing to know that these companies believed that I would be a valuable asset to their organizations. I ended up choosing to work for a multinational government contracting  industry. 

This month, my company came out with a t-shirt slogan contest.  Despite not knowing anything about how to make slogans, I was brave enough to submit an entry: 

“2020- Discovering Our Strength Within” 

I felt that the above statement aptly represents  the year 2020. First, scientists discovered that the key to fighting COVID-19 is ones’  immune system- hence, the development of medicines and vaccines to strengthen it.  Second, companies and businesses whose leadership had the foresight to put strong core systems in place quickly, (and some even prior to the pandemic), have weathered the economic toll of  the shutdowns. Lastly, despite all the tremendous losses, people found different ways in strengthening their mind, body and soul, in an effort to fully live their lives amidst this pandemic.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *