“I need a cookie,” her two-year old voice stated firmly, referring to one of the cookies we had just baked.
“No,” I said coaching her on word usage, “you want a cookie.”
“No Nana! I need a cookie,” she loudly restated in case her grandmother (that’s me) had not been tracking her request.
We had several conversations about the words: need and want.
However, despite my persistent corrections, she never budged.
As you transition from the emotional upheaval of job loss to reclaiming your career prosperity, do not budge from focusing on four needs that will help you reclaim the future you desire.
1: Focus on Needs Over Wants
First, you need to understand your absolute, immovable job musts.
Desiring it, craving it, or wishing for it is distinct from the must-have state of necessity.
Our wishes or wants, conscious or unconscious, are not our needs. And, not paying attention to the difference often preclude us from seizing a great opportunity, exploring a new path, or moving through a fear.
Yes, you need a job, but must it have three weeks vacation, a twenty minute or less commute, and a same or better title than before? Is a car allowance, work-from-home option, and a dental plan a necessity or a desire?
Clinging to perceived wants can sabotage your job hunting success and your future.
So, differentiate your job needs from your job wants by taking a realistic look.
- Get out a piece of paper or start a new document on your computer. Label two columns with the headings: My Needs and My Wants.
- Now ask yourself:
- What are my absolute needs for the next job?
- Then, what would I like to have, i.e. what are my wants or desires?
Once you have articulated and understood what your immovable needs are, stay focused on them. This focus will enable you to move from wishing and hoping to targeted acting and doing. That important shift improves results.
2: Tap Everyday Cheer
You will need some everyday cheer to keep you going. With or without a job, your life continues. It unfolds through the everyday acts of living; the regular stuff from paying bills to raising a family to getting through life’s challenges.
Everyday cheer is found in the little things that sustain and deepen us. We find cheer in hugs and smiles and gifts of time. We find cheer in the difficult moments, shared experiences, and ongoing struggles. And it is also in talking and sharing of life’s disappointments as well as its joys.
Let everyday pleasures strengthen your heart during this difficult time. Allow those who love you, to love you. And love them back.
This is an opportunity to deepen your relationships, with yourself and with others. And who knows, you may someday look back on this job loss experience as a positive one. I know, ultimately, it was for me.
3: Grow a Thick Skin
Next, you need to do something about the thickness of your skin. Disappointments. Rejections. Almost good news.
This emotional roller coaster requires thick skin.
The reality is that in virtually every situation you face, thirty percent of people will like what you do, thirty percent will not, and the rest will not care either way.
Piercing words, difficult feedback, or rejection can diminish our sense of well-being or courage. Or, cause us to change direction. But, in this age of instant messaging, anonymous blog ramblings, and self-appointed experts, thick skin is a prerequisite for anyone who wants to reclaim career prosperity.
The movie “Gracie” contained a line that I love. Gracie is a teenager in the 70’s who is competing for a spot on the boy’s high school soccer team. In one scene, dejected and on the verge of giving up, her mother, played by Elizabeth Shue, tells her, “If you want to limit yourself, that is fine. But don’t let other people do it for you.”
Do not give up on your talents, abilities, and life dreams because someone else decided you were not the right candidate for a job. Your time will come.
4: Own Your Job Loss
Finally, you will need ownership on your journey back to career prosperity. Whether you lost your job in a sweeping dismissal of thousands or an individual occurrence about you, this unasked for event is now part of your life. Like the Italian proverb reminds us, “Experience is what you get when you did not get what you wanted.”
But, experience is also what you get when you wisely use what you didn’t want — to learn from it, grow from it, and fashion from it a bridge to your future.
Of course, blaming those who made the decision, or those who executed it, is much easier. But how does blaming someone help you? Creative excuses and finger pointing get you nowhere. Do not waste time in the blame-game.
Look at what you can do, what you can offer, what you can improve.
Taking ownership of where you are changes the energy you bring to every interview, network event, and personal exchange. Taking ownership enables you to come up with solutions, ideas, suggestions, and enhancements and move forward with the mantra “I can.”
An Individual Path
In discussions with others, their path may look the same, their destination of a great job might sound like yours, and the hurdles can appear similar. But don’t be fooled.
Your path to career prosperity is not like anyone else’s. It is unique to you.
Your needs and wants are different. Your talents are uniquely yours. You do some things better than other people; other people do some things better than you. The emotional baggage, financial challenges, and personal obligations you carry are lighter or heavier.
Learn from other traveler experiences but do not compare the job loss or job search journey. Your potholes, mud-traps, scenic overlooks, and ah-ha moments will be yours. See them for what they are. Rest when you need to rest. And when you do, heed where you have been, noting the progress you’re making one day at a time.
Bottom Line on Career Prosperity
Your career prosperity path is yours alone. Sometimes it may feel lonely and overwhelming; sometimes insightful and awakening. But the bottom-line is this: every day there’s only one need for you to remember: just continue.
More About Recovering from Job Loss:
- 3 Tracks to Accelerate Your Recovery from Job Loss
- Coming to Terms with Change: Letting Go
- Job Loss Questions for Career Success
- Handling Job Loss Worries
- 4 Things to Know About Your Job Loss
- We ALL Need Help Sometimes
- 7 Steps to Restart Your Job Search Momentum
- How to Get Your Job Search Unstuck
- 3 Evergreen Keys to Job Loss Recovery
- Beating the Job Search Blues
About this author…
Job Loss Recovery Expert Nan S. Russell discovered a Stanford degree didn’t protect her from being fired from her first professional job. From minimum wage to Vice President of a multi-billion dollar company, she learned the hard way. Now she helps others with what does and doesn’t work at work. The author of three career books including, The Titleless Leader, Hitting Your Stride, and Nibble Your Way to Success, Nan is a national speaker and work issues consultant. More at NanRussell.com; and her job loss seminar: Rebooting After Job Loss.
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