From time-to-time things will occur in our lives that cause discomfort and even some pain. I suppose, unfortunately, that this is pretty much a guarantee for most of us. In a career, these occurrences may show up in the form of struggling performance or even the loss of employment. In cases like this, I believe that it is completely acceptable for an individual to allow themselves time to feel lousy about the circumstance. I’m not sure that there’s a lot of benefit in trying to deny those feelings. Allowing yourself to sit with the feelings for a time, and then moving on to other things, can be quite constructive.
The question in the event these feelings emerge becomes, “So what do I do about it?” I recently had the opportunity to learn a little bit about a Canadian professional rodeo cowboy that suffered a spinal cord injury and a complete loss of use of both of his legs. Among other things I learned that he allowed himself the time (sometimes daily) to feel bad about his circumstances. I understand he allowed himself five minutes. However, once that allotted time expired, he committed to getting on with finding those things that he could do. It occurs to me that although the example is somewhat extreme, there is some similarity in feeling the pain of struggling performance or job loss. To this end, Allowing a little bit of time to acknowledge those lousy feelings and then moving on to focusing on forward looking, constructive activities, might just be the path to feeling great.
Spend some time creating your checklist of items that will provide you with positive forward movement and create some hope. Then work the checklist. Feeling like you’re accomplishing constructive objectives and that, you have things to look forward to, can be extremely infectious and invigorating. Working with a Coach can provide added power to this process. Here are just a few things that someone in a job search might consider:
- Establish yourself on LinkedIn.
- Have a basic CV ready.
- Create a job search weekly routine.
- Prioritize Self Care.
- Be realistic about your job search.
- Take online courses to boost your skillset.
- Connect with supportive people in your Social and Professional circles.
- Take on temporary work to enhance your skill set & you CV.
- Get outside and do the things you enjoy.
- Research your chosen career path.
You have so much to offer. Work with your Coach and allow those terrific attributes to stand out.