The poet Kahlil Gibran wrote, “Work is love made visible” in his magnificent poem, “On Work.”

When did work ever feel this good? Most of us can only identify with this notion once in a while when we work. So obsessed we are with trying to find the illusive j-o-b and then so consumed once we get one, trying to wade through the uncertainties and drained with Minutia of the Day, and at the mercy of higher-ups who decide when and where we get moved on the giant corporate chess board, that we hardly have the ability to zero in this way. As part of a larger entity we can easily get lost in its shuffle.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in a bureaucracy. No one knows who to “go to” to get anything done. Some large government agencies are so steeped in levels upon levels of authority, it’s amazing that anything gets done. Still, when something miraculously manages to gets “done,” no one knows who did it!

A recent Gallop survey poll found that the happiest workers are self-employed. My guess is because entrepreneurs have the deep gratification of seeing their own ideas take root and yield fruit. But more importantly, they have control over their destinies, a say in the pressure and energy level they create instead of having it be created from outside themselves when working for The Man. Professionals and managers came in second as happiest workers. No doubt, those managers polled were not middle managers!

The world of employment has morphed into a new beast. In this bestial culture, no longer does it offer the safe and predictable functionary positions of one or two major tasks. Now everyone has to be and do everything on every job! Frustrating it is, but at least it’s not boring.

But this change is painful and causes an individual great inner turmoil. Bad enough trying to keep a job much less finding one. The anonymity and lack of control must be daunting when a former job one held no longer exists. It strikes at the very core of who one thinks one is—and throws one’s world upside down—like emptying the contents of a pocketbook or suitcase all over the floor. It’s got to be devastating.

Panic rises in the air over ageism and not being qualified enough. Used to be, one went to school and then got a job. And stayed a long time, worked hard, got rewarded and promoted. But that was once upon a time so long ago and far away, the stuff of fairytales. Now the reality is unpaid bills and sometimes mounting debt.

Let’s see it for what it is: This kind of change is unpleasant. This kind of change never inspires a feeling of well-being. Imposed from outside ourselves, our own natural resistance to discomfort of demands put on us by outside forces is always extremely disconcerting and never feels good. The only thing it inspires is angst.

What has been created by this change is a feeding frenzy like a giant school of fish after prey, clamoring to obtain more and more certifications and other tangible ‘proof’ that one can do a job. Where does it all end? More, more, more….

One is left perplexed and troubled! How and when did this all happen? How did this so-called change occur right under our noses and pulled the rug out from under us?

Now what do we do?

All the elements have to come together, as in the old Perrier Water ads a quarter of a century ago (“…if the planets hadn’t aligned…”) to wend one’s way back through the dark tunnel—stuck in traffic—on one’s way to work.

Do what you must do, but leave some part of your inner core out of it. Leave it intact. That little sanctuary cannot be disturbed by the outer chaos and noise. It’s natural to flinch from pain. Give yourself a break. Pray or meditate for courage in being only human while you figure out how you’re going to start over, take your place in line and transition into the Unknown. Take a course for a required skill you don’t have.* See it as an adventure. Never give up hope that you can find another work. Never give up hope that you can find some modicum of joy in work. Is there any other choice? What else is left to do? Win the lottery?

Perhaps down through the ages as society developed and changed from pioneering in the outdoors to the Industrial Revolution, workers felt displaced, plowed over and like forgotten carcasses. Perhaps this happens in every era of mass change and is just the outcome of its dynamics. It’s the human condition to march on and move forward.

Every job title and occupational field has been turned over and kneaded like pizza dough. The rules of the game have changed. Every job search tactic has been blown to smithereens. Just be the best you can be and go on. Do network. Do reach out and seek assistance so you don’t feel lost, panicky and isolated. Do maintain good health, appearance and energy level so you look and act like someone they’d like to hire. Do compose yourself along with the best cover letters and resumes that you can. Do give dynamite interviews whether the employer seems like a mope or not. It’s about who you are and that you know you gave your best according to the potential work at hand. Your work for that day will have been done. An application and interview is just a conversation with a stranger. Introduce yourself and get on with the show. Do think like a salesperson: every rejection is one step closer to success. It is, after all, a numbers game in the best of times.

No sense beating yourself up if you don’t get hired. It is what it is. Hiring decisions often have nothing to do with the individual applying for the job, but rather, the interviewer’s hidden agendas, going through protocol or EEO motions, or the company’s fear. In the end, put it in perspective. In the end, it’s just a job. It’s really work, that “love made visible” that Gibran talks about in his poem on work that we want.

(Footnote:) *Funding for free vocational training in skills upgrading may be available at local taxpayer-funded One Stop Career Centers (www.servicelocator.org) along with no-cost career workshops on the challenges of finding work in a changing work world. These centers are nationwide.

-By The Job Enthusiast Who Won’t Rest Till Everyone Is Put To Work!