You may have just lost your job—joining over 53 million other Americans—or have been in between roles for months now. You may be part of the millions of folks who are worried if they’ll be downsized too.
In the face of a never-ending lockdown, crumbling economy and horrific job market, it’s excruciatingly hard to get up out of bed each morning and motivate yourself to start your job search. For many people, life is like the Groundhog Day movie, as everyday is endlessly repeating itself.
No matter how down and out you feel and want to pull the covers over your head and stay in bed all day long, you must fight back against this desire. You can’t give up. Dig deep and find the inner strength to push forward; otherwise, you’ll never find a job. Yes, it’s easier said than done.
Here’s what you need to do to get yourself motivated each and every day.
Start With Little Baby Steps
We all hope to get what we want right away. In this environment, it won’t be easy to find a new job in short order. This will be a long and arduous journey, but it’s achievable and you will prevail.
Start with small incremental steps. Push yourself to get off the couch. Stop scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. When Netflix sends the message asking if you’re still watching—because you’ve been binge-watching for six hours—it’s time to shut off the television.
Prepare An Attack Plan
You can’t get anywhere if you don’t know where you’re going. Establish a goal for yourself. Know the type of job you want and the companies you’d like to work for. Then, start searching job boards for openings at these places and seek out the hiring managers and others who could get you in the door.
Update your LinkedIn profile and résumé. Tailor them for the specific jobs you’re applying for. Build your network. Introduce yourself to recruiters that specialize in your niche.
Change Your Mindset And Improve Your Game
Start weeding out all of the toxic people in your life that are holding you back. You don’t have to discard them, but—perhaps—put them on a temporary mute. Find a group of people who are mutually supportive, positive, like-minded and make you feel good about yourself. This will be your tribe that you can kick around ideas, share job leads and commiserate with.
Interviewing in this current environment is like entering a Tough Mudder challenge, along with participating in a marathon and triathlon all rolled up into one event. You’ll be forced to drag yourself through the muck, scale walls and leap over seemingly insurmountable obstacles in your path. Even when you are totally exhausted, you must find inner strength to keep going until you reach your goal.
To have the endurance for this overwhelming feat, you should start a regiment of eating healthily and getting sufficient sleep and exercise. Cut out the junk food, alcohol consumption and drugs. Eat right, sleep well and exercise. You should have a balanced diet and workout routine, go to sleep early and wake up early. If you don’t do this, you’ll constantly feel tired, rundown, cranky and irritable. These traits don’t go over well in your interviews.
Talk To Yourself Like You Would To A Person In Need
We’re all our own worst critics. We constantly look back at all of the bad decisions we’ve made over the years. Negative thoughts are allowed to run rampant through your mind. You need to change the way you talk to yourself. Start by being kind. Forgive yourself of all of your former mistakes and faults. Reach out to people you’ve wronged and apologize to them for your transgressions.
Then, start replacing the self-defeating ruminations with positive affirmations. Make a mental list of all of your strong points and positive attributes. When the bad thoughts start creeping in, immediately substitute and remind yourself of all of your awesome qualities.
Celebrate Each Tiny Victory
Your ultimate goal may be finding a new job. This could take a long time. You need to reward yourself for all of the little victories along the way. Savor every small win. Keep each win—no matter how tiny—in your memory bank. When you’re feeling down and out, replay each and every time something positive happened or when you overcame obstacles in the past. It will boost your confidence and remind you that you’ve confronted and surmounted tough times in the past.
Find Your Larger Purpose
It helps to keep motivated when you have a larger purpose guiding you. Think of the reasons why you want to find a job—above and beyond securing employment. Is it that you will be able to have sufficient funds to buy a home, pay for your kids’ college, save for a long retirement or give money to charity and the needy?
As you face the adversities attendant with the job search, recall why you’re enduring the torture. Having a purpose and working toward a meaningful goal can power you through the darkest days.
Source: Forbes
