It’s Sunday – Happy New Year!

July 1^st is perhaps the beginning of a fiscal year for some businesses. There are reasons for a company’s fiscal year to differ from the calendar year, but most outside of financial circles would be hard pressed to explain the reason. Last Friday began with news pundits predicting what would happen in the financial markets to close out the 2^nd Quarter of 2012 and ended the day reporting on how their keen predictions came true. The end of a quarter is important because we like to mark timelines for accomplishments even though the day before and the day after are equally significant. In a few days most citizens of the USA will celebrate the 236^th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. How many Americans know what a “Continental Congress” is? Most take the day off because the government told their employer to excuse them from work and the extent of their patriotism will be sacrificing burnt offerings on a barbeque grill.

None of these benchmark days really mean anything if taken out of context.

Although John Denver put the words “Today is the first day of the rest of your life…” into musical lyrics, that great philosopher Anonymous taught us that phrase when we were children through the words of our parents. As we grow into a more sophisticated and intellectual phase of our lives, conformity to the norms of our culture molds our thinking into drudging through days punctuated with occasional celebrations that are supposed to refresh our spirits, sharpen our intellect and improve our outlook…before dumping us back into drudgery on the day after.

We have the power within us to change our celebratory benchmark days.

Recruiters are in the business of changing people’s lives. Every conversation with a candidate should inspire them to celebrate their career to date and encourage them to take a glimpse into the future. From this perspective, it is more about relationship building and not instantly offering self-gratification to either party to the conversation. Successful placements are the outcome, not the purpose of the meeting.

Job seekers, especially the unemployed, often reach a point of total frustration in their efforts. This is not because of a failure to achieve results on a particular benchmark date, but because they are choosing the wrong benchmarks. If the purpose of a milestone is seen to be a reassessment and new beginning then there should never be a situation where they get sucked into a downward spiral.

This second, minute, hour, day, month, quarter, year…all are benchmarks for something if we define them to be so and assign significance to them. So wish everybody you know a “Happy New Year” today and then surprise them by saying it again tomorrow.

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