Kung Fu your Achievements
I have been there - many times over my career life: I am in between jobs, I am re-entering the workforce after staying home with my kids, I have unexpectedly quit my job and have been searching for a new job to no avail and feel like garbage…etc
Does this sound familiar to you?
Have you been there?
Are you there now?
If so, you most likely feel pretty downtrodden and are feeling your motivation and belief in yourself slipping down the proverbial drain. I am here to shore you up and be your cheerleader and help remind you of all your stellar attributes, killer skills and tremendous amount of knowledge you have. You do. Period. End of story. You rock!
One thing I have found incredibly helpful when I was in this situation is to spend some time thinking about all the amazing accomplishments I have achieved in my life. This may not be the top thing that comes to mind when you are feeling crappy, blue and soggy - but stay with me here. You can only feel this despondent for so long before you need to start kung-fu fighting your way out of the bog.
First - I always start with the following pieces to make sure I have a plan with actionable goals to steer my wobbly rudderless ass. This may looks like:
Establishing a daily routine that includes self care and daily rituals to reduce anxiety, increase confidence and alleviate the grief you may be feeling over how long this seems to be taking. Create consistency during the work week - wake up at the same time, shower, get dressed and eat - these are small achievable goals that will help settle you. Next, write in your journal, go for a walk, work out, meditate and then sit down to work on your job search. Don’t make this a herculean task full of hours and hours - decide on what is possible for you and then stick to it. 2 hours and a break then another 2 hours perhaps? You decide and set your schedule.
Goals, Goals Goals - yup - you need to establish some goals. We just talked about your daily goals but now set up weekly and monthly goals. What does this look like - write them out. Make sure you are emotionally in sync with your goals and that they are also specific so you can track them. I have loads to say about goal setting but that is for another time. The point is your goals will help keep your frustration levels down, make you feel productive and keep your ass on track!
Focus on what you can control baby - there is no way in hell that you can control the job market, industry trends or the economy but you can control things like getting your resume professionally done, establish or strengthen your online personal brand, upgrade your skills, work with an interview coach & get all sassy-ninja on those answers. Focus on what you can improve on not the impossible things you can not influence!
Volunteering is always an option to fill in gaps and time and help you move towards an area you are passionate about. WHen you have time on your hands you will begin to feel like a squirrel and get all antsy - a targeted volunteer position will fill some of your time, add valuable experience to your resume and give you something pretty awesome to talk about once you land your interviews!
A Plan - yes you need a plan. This plan would include your goals but it will also include your values, skills, strengths, passions, things you absolutely want more of and things you never want to touch again. Work with a career professional to help you with this but put a plan together - you will make faster progress and feel much better.
So - back to where all of this started - feeling awesome about yourself by taking a walk down the accomplishment/achievement memory lane.
The job search is stretching on like dracula’s long fingers and your confidence is messed up and all those negative nancy stories you have been feeding yourself are kicking you in the ass and knocking you down.
Grab a journal or paper right now and start to list all of your achievements. Don’t focus only on work - pepper in volunteer, community, school, church, networking etc - and write it all down.
What are those major achievements?
What specific problems did you solve?
What was the impact and solution?How did that make you feel?
What were some major projects you worked on?
What clients did you work with that you are most proud of serving?
Reminding yourself of all your achievements and successes will boost your confidence and as an added bonus you can use this amazing list on your resume, cover letter and in your interviews now that they are fresh in your mind.
Your accomplishments and career stories are proof of your value and worth firstly to yourself
and secondly to a potential employer!
Finally as you make this fabulous list of achievements you will begin to see patterns and themes as to when you were most happy, satisfied and balanced in a role. So clear the cobwebs and get back in touch with the you that made all those kick ass sparks! You are amazing - you just need to remind yourself. Celebrate by doing something special for yourself whatever that may be.
You do rock lady! Start to let yourself remember and shine again.
Feel free to reach out for a chat if you want a cheerleader in your corner rani@livearebellife.com
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