If you have recently found yourself out of work you are most likely feeling somewhat overwhelmed, a little lost, and afraid that you will never find work.  I know this because I coach people who are looking for a job. I also know this because that is how I feel every day.  In some ways I’ve been out of work for almost nine years. That’s when I decided to start my own business as a business coach. In the past few years I have worked with quite a few people who lost their job and needed support and help in finding a new one. That’s when I noticed that being unemployed and being self employed have quite a few similarities.  I wanted to offer three few words of advice that have helped me succeed and I believe applies to those who are in transition.

GET OUT THERE!

Those were the words I heard from my coach about five years ago during a particularly tough period for my business.  I was in my comfort zone in my office on my computer looking for clients. It wasn’t working.  Here is what my coach had to say; “Get yourself out there and get exposure. You don’t have to have the perfect elevator speech, brochure, etc.”   He was right. There is a strong link in my business between getting out there and getting business. (What a surprise) This is true with those looking for a job. You will not find a job from your computer.  About 80% of jobs are never advertised. The only way you will find them is to network and tell everyone you know that you are looking for a job.  Don’t worry if your resume is not perfect, your elevator speech is the pits, or you don’t even know what you want to do.  If you wait until you figure it out you may never find a job.  I am an imperfect coach and yet people hire me all of the time. You are an imperfect job candidate but you will find someone will want you. Just get yourself out there!

I’ve recently struggled through a period where I lost the enjoyment and sense of fulfillment that I used to get in my work. What used to be fun now was a chore. Teaching college students now became a chore. Networking… a chore. Working with clients… a chore. It hit me when my wife one day made the comment that I wasn’t acting like this was my dream job anymore. What happened? What I realized was that I had stopped focusing on the excitement and fun of what I was doing and began looking at everything as a chore. Something that had to be checked off the list.

How did I get myself out of this? I began to to ask myself one question in everything I did; ” Where is the fun and enjoyment in this?” What i realized was that it was still there I just wasn’t paying attention to it.  For example instead of focusing on the fun and excitement I got from teaching and opening peoples minds to new ideas I started to focus on the chore of preparing for class and grading papers and tests.  While both are a necessary evil of teaching it isn’t everything. I love when I come up with creative ways to get a point across or I say something that clicks with students in a way that they have never thought before. When I started to refocus on that part of the job I became more energetic and excited about what I was doing.

So what’s the point?  When we are feeling stale, tired and stressed, it is important to focus on the enjoyment that you get from what you are doing. It may sound too simple of a solution but I have found it really works.  It takes practice and isn’t a miracle cure but if you stay with it over a couple of weeks it can have a big affect on mood and energy level.

Your thoughts.