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I Got Laid Off, Now What Do I Do?(Part II - Nobody Loves Me)
In Part 1 of this series we got you through your last day with your dignity, reputation, finances and health insurance intact. Now you've been home for a few days and the reality has begun to sink in. You've lost your job in a down market and you don't have another lined up. No recruiters are calling. Your last paycheck has been deposited and you aren't likely to see another for a while. If you're like me this is when the numbers at the bottoms of bills start to loom large and a little anxiety starts to build. It's also at this point that you start to doubt yourself. Many people use their job as a way of defining themselves. It's natural to doubt your skills, your marketibility, your value to society and your value to your family when laid off. Instead, view this situation as a normal part of a lifelong relationship to work. Like any relationship it requires effort and tending and still many don't last. That's fine. If you start to think about this situation in a negative way you can easily get depressed. Let's go over how can you turn this situation into a positive event in your life. "A great many worries can be diminished by realizing the unimportance of the matters, which is causing anxiety. Our doings are not so important as we naturally suppose; our successes and failures do not after all matter very much." ---Lord Bertrand Russell GET IN CONTROL: Uncertainty is a breeding ground for fear and stress. In order to gain power over the fear you need to reduce the uncertainty. Much of your reaction is a personal choice. Move away from this as an event that happens to you. Make in one that you control. Don't be a victim. Don't whine. Don't let people whine to you. Get busy on the next phase of your life. "I am an old man and have had many worries, few of which ever happened to me." ---Mark Twain MAKE A PLAN: Before you start a technical project you perform analysis, collect and prioritize requirements, write a specification and then get it approved. This is Project Management 101. Why not do this for your career as well? You now have time on your hands. Rather than flail about grasping at whatever crumbs fall your way, take some time to decide what you would like the end result to be and the tasks required to achieve it. ESTABLISH A ROUTINE: It's OK to lay around the house for a few days in your robe and slippers. You've probably earned it. Longer than that though and it's likely to drag you down. Set up a 'work' day routine that you follow. Include pleny of exercise in that routine. Having a regular schedule deflects some of the self doubt and exercise insulates you from depression. "What does not kill me makes me stronger." --- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzche (1844-1900) "Maxims and Arrows", Twilight of the Idols USE ACTIVITY GOALS: Sales people operate in an environment where people are constantly telling them "No!" The good ones take this in stride knowing for every X number of No's there will be a Yes. They are happy for every No because then they are closer to the Yes. Is this self delusion? Yes, but it works. Make your goals acitivity based: send out ten emails this week, talk to three recruiters, have one face to face meeting at a company. Start collecting No's to get closer to that Yes. "Noble souls, through dust and heat, Rise from disaster and defeat The stronger." --- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) "The Sifting of Peter" Ultima Thule, 1880 GET REAL: This was just a job. You'll get another. Think of how many times you complained about that job. Take this as an opportunity to make some real progress with your life. Carpe Diem. "Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." --- Goethe |