When looking for employment, a positive attitude and sense of ingenuity are helpful.

When the job-seeker has a disability, these two things are imperative.

I was born with cerebral palsy. This condition affects my balance and coordination, but it does not affect my intelligence. I am also currently unemployed but I know I can turn things around.

Last spring I was told that my position as a part-time teacher at Wahiawa Community School had been eliminated because of statewide budget cuts. I had assisted with the school's competency-based high school diploma program for 11 years.

I did not know what to do because I didn't have a contingency plan to fall back on. I had to try to find or create employment in a tough economy.

Having a positive attitude means possessing a can-do mindset.

It is important to find work that matches an individual's interests and abilities. Volunteer work is an excellent way to develop interests. I was a volunteer reading tutor for a year. I tutored adults who had difficulty with reading printed material. The experience helped me in my teaching job.

Also, the ability to take constructive criticism is useful. I love to write. I struggled with writing in high school and college. My grammar and spelling have never been perfect. I am proud to say that my writing has improved with the numerous suggestions from various instructors and professors.

I define ingenuity as the ability to use all the available resources to accomplish a goal. I believe that any goal can be reached this way. I used lulu.com to publish my book of poems earlier this year. I started a blog to write about books and movies. I have not made any money with my writing projects as of yet, but I am hopeful that I will in the future. I am constantly honing my writing skills.

Recently, I found that friendly church fellowship can fuel my work-related efforts and sense of spirituality.

I am now attending a church men's club. Initially, I went to reconnect with a friend I had not seen since college, but I ended up doing more than that. For me, the club at Grace Bible Church in Pearl City is a new social environment.

My level of faith is not as strong as that of others attending club meetings, but I find the fellowship to be very enjoyable. The men are very easy to talk to and discuss different issues pertaining to their personal lives with ease and honesty. They made it easy for me to talk about my struggles tied to finding a job. Also, I opened up about my dream of having my book of poems published on a nationwide scale.