Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving – A. Einstein The pandemic of 2019 quickly changed your life in 2020. Who knew?
We are now in 2023. The pandemic is clearly not over and the pandemic effects of social distancing and wearing a mask continue to be unmistakably visible everywhere you go affecting the mental health of many. Yet, despite of all the above, you find yourself looking for a job at a time when the fourth industrial revolution aka Industry 4.0 or 4IR is moving full speed ahead. What Can You Do"What can you do? In the words of the famous Einstein…You just have to “keep moving”. Whatever transitional situation you are in, your focus should be on your mental health. These are tough times and you must strive to remain positive. If you are not sure how to stay motivated, read my blog, “Stressed? Go on! Start with the first big inhale”. Readers tell me it helps. Moving forward with a positive mindset is the most common and paramount advice. As long as you are moving, no matter how slow, you will not fall into the “I am feeling stuck” mode. Think of it as staying productively busy! This positive mental state of being constructively engaged in your job search will help you reach your goal of finding a job. Keep MovingHere are some suggestions for you to reflect on and be creatively occupied in search of employment:
Next...Reflect On Your AnswersThe above questions are meant to increase your personal awareness of who you are and what you enjoy doing. Can you think of other questions that are relevant to your particular situation? Write them down and explore the answers. Writing your responses and reflecting on them will clarify the type of job you are seeking. They lead you to customize your resume and produce creative cover letters that describe who you truly are. They provide the key to your interview preparation. More importantly, they build self-awareness skills so that you can move confidently knowing who you are and what you are pursuing. Now Is A Good TimeNOW is the time to move. Do not wait too long!
Your opportunity is waiting for you. All you have to do is reach out and grab it promptly.
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Too often, family, friends and even clients phone me to say, “I thought I would talk to you because I have this thing that I need to do but I do not feel like working on it”. Say What?Initially, I started wondering…
I needed to dig deep to understand whether I should feel good or bad about this.
ContemplateReflecting on my conversations with everyone, I primarily thought that this was due to — what everyone tells me — my being a good listener. With a bit more pondering, it was clear that the urge to hustle comes from talking about their reasons for procrastinating — to me. I narrowed our motivational conversations and brainstorming chats to one question. I personally use the following method to move forward productively all the time. It became obvious that it works with others as well because the urgent requests to chat, when needing to beat dawdling, keep coming from friends, family members and clients. One Reflective QuestionHere is the one question you need to ask yourself to slay the dragon of procrastination:
When I use it, I focus on the task at hand. For example, when I am not eager to write my blog, I ask:
And finally, writing my blog is part of my mission to increase career literacy. This reflection process doesn’t take too long and soon I get the urge to set the timer for 30 minutes thinking that I will just write for 30 minutes and stop. Notice how I transitioned from procrastinating to working on the task? Here is another example. You need to start working on a project. You know that it needs a couple of hours at least but you find yourself delaying and finding excuses. “In a few minutes” quickly changes to “later” until a few hours go by and you still haven’t started. Depending on your situation, your reflective questions will have a few possibilities:
Why are YOU Doing THIS?Take a few minutes to answer the questions and see what happens. Your answer/s should motivate you to start working on the project.
I use a timer if the urge to start working is not that strong. 20 to 30 minutes are usually enough. You can use the timer on your phone like I do but there are many timer apps available that you could use such as, Promofocus Now it is YOUR turn. Fill in the blank Why am I…? Stay reflecting and keep moving forward productively! Need more ideas? Let me know. Have you ever thought about creating your personal Education-Career Portfolio? It is okay if you don’t have a portfolio yet. However, you really need to have one. And it is never too late to design and create your first portfolio. Why Do You Need A Portfolio?Here are the three reason to have an Education/Career Portfolio. A portfolio helps you: ONE - Get to know what makes you happy – who doesn’t want to be happy? It is about developing confident knowledge of who you are. - What truly makes you happy? - Is it about finding a challenge? - Does involve finding need a "purpose"? - What are you passionate about? - What does your next mission or whatever you would like to call it look like? TWO - Create a career action plan - experiential learning or employment opportunities you want to explore. A portfolio also helps you design your next steps or goals that will lead to your success and overall happiness. THREE - Have the knowledge and tools to regularly update your resume – an important skill these days. Using artifacts and memorabilia of your accomplishments will help you identify stories to market your skills – think interviews, LinkedIn profile, resumes and so on. What To Include in a Portfolio?Ok, not convinced? Humor me and ask yourself this question. What will you include in YOUR portfolio? It is easy and can be fun! You start building your portfolio by collecting mementos that you value. These mementos can remind you of good or bad moments in your life. The choice is yours! Getting StartedHere are some ideas to get you started but remember that it is your portfolio and only you get to determine what to include in your education-career portfolio:
Value Your VoiceYour voice is central to the creation of the education-career portfolio. You get to decide what to include in it, how to create it, and how you will utilize it in the future. Most importantly, beware that the eventual focus is on scaffolding you to use the portfolio as a tool to launch your experiential learning or to develop and maintain a successful career journey. It's In YOUR HandsThe responsibility for the betterment of your future is in your hands. Zoom your focus on developing skills and pursuing intentional practices along with iterative lifelong learning, experience processing, and continuous reflection.
The more involved you remain in your career story creation, the happier you will be with your storyline. Neet help getting started? Work with me! |
HodaI am Hoda! You Education and Career Coach. I can help you transform the way you craft your career. ContactInvest 1 hour in your success. Book a free consultation to learn how Hoda helps you succeed.
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