Just want to scream?
If you, like many, have had your life turned upside down by financial losses, you may be tempted to blow off any mention of “live your best life, find work that you feel is important, live your passion, etc.” Sometimes when you hear “stay positive,” you just want to scream!
Don't bury YOU
At times like these, we are tempted to get the fastest job, easiest job…the sure thing. Whether or not it pickles our soul, it will bring in needed and immediate cash, put food in the fridge, and perhaps save your home. And, maybe for a few years, that is exactly what you need to do. But, I implore you to not abandon the work you have done to find your “unique you.” Don’t bury her forever. Nurture her and her dreams while you toil. Let her continue to grow. Allow her to come up with some creative solutions to bring the financial independence you need while stitching together a new life, new work, and your new purpose.
Get a career tune-up
If you’ve been laid off, take some time to re-tool. Learn about the technology that will serve as your partner in your job quest. If possible, invest in a coach that comes highly recommended and has success stories to share about her clients, especially if you have been out of the job market for some time. Here are some tips to get you started.
We all NEED you!
It’s important to march to your own drummer. Be brave enough to introduce yourself and what you uniquely bring to the world. The world needs you, just as you are with your own special talents, energy and passion. In fact, Barbara Sher, (who I will profile next month) www.BarbaraSherWishcraft.com, says that doing what you love is SO important that not to do what you love can actually make you sick! That doesn’t mean that you have to do it full-time, but you need to find some time for it…some time to gift the world with your special talent.
Do whatever it takes
Strive to stay focused and, yes, “positive.” Keep your supporters close. Turn off the news if it drags you down. Ward off negative influences. Get out of the house…go to a seminar, walk with a friend, watch a funny movie or comedian you enjoy, work in a café, or take your own coffee and work on a picnic bench at the park.
Do you even know what you want?
Maybe you were a Senior V.P. in the business world. But, now you are discovering that to save women and children from sex trafficking or wanting to work to improve education or starting a coalition to beautify your town has become more important to you than climbing the career ladder. Whatever compels you is valuable and you need to figure out how you can do it and still pay the bills.
Get stronger through fear
Maybe you feel that you don’t have the education, experience, or even beauty enough to go after a passion that is much larger than anything you have been doing. Maybe you feel you are too old, aren’t brave enough to talk to a group, or even to pick up the phone and talk to someone about what you would like to do. I think you might be amazed if you did something every day that frightened you. You might just come away stronger, feeling better about yourself and get the necessary information to go to the next step.
Get organized
You have a lot to do and you’ll need a plan and a check-off list. Look at your environment. Is it a scramble? Does it reflect that chaos that is racing unchecked in your head? From my own experience, if my home office is in order and I know what tasks I want to accomplish each day, I get a lot more done and continue to move in a forward direction. It also releases the stress of trying to keep everything organized in your head.
What’s good about it?
Our lives are busy and we all have new challenges in this economic climate. The good news is that adversity breeds creativity and can bring us what we “need” in ways we might never have imagined or pursued.
Let’s stick together and share what we learn along the way.
