It’s really frustrating. You want to find a better job, but it seems that there’s nothing out there. Or maybe you went to a few job interviews and they all went bad.
You even start to think that all those people that got a really good jobs are just lucky or have a good connections or are more talented…
After all it’s not your fault. You’re smart and educated, so why it is so hard?
It’s easy to feel defensive and even angry about the whole situation. It’s easy to start blaming yourself, job market or economy. If you keep going you can find endless reasons why things are not as they should be.
It’s normal to feel like that. A lot of people do. I remember feeling basically the same when I was looking for a job and couldn’t get one.
When you feel like that, it seems that the only solution is to actually get a job. So you push even harder. Doing more. Thinking about the problem all the time. It’s the default behaviour for most people.
This doesn’t work well for a few reasons. The main one is that you will be stressed out. This is guaranteed.
And when you’re stressed out you will be too narrowly focused. You won’t see possibilities that are in front of you or opportunities that are non-obvious.
And even if you get some interviews you won’t be at your best. You won’t show your true potential. You will accept jobs that otherwise you wouldn’t even consider as an option.
It’s just the way our minds works. Stress means danger. You body and mind will switch to the survival mode. And when you are in this mode it’s difficult to get optimal results and often it’s even hard to get any results.
For a long time this was my default approach. If I had a problem I would focus on solving it so strongly that I would burn out really quickly. When I found one it usually wasn’t the best one and often it backfired later on.
It’s interesting that after finding the solution, without the pressure, I usually come up with much easier ideas to solve the problem. But that’s counterintuitive, right?
Getting a job is a complex problem. There are a lot of changing variables to consider. So it pays off to be a little inventive about how you approach the problem. Especially when you see that current approach doesn’t work.
And the first step to get yourself in balance and get some fresh ideas is to get out of your head for a while. Clear your mind by focusing on something you enjoy doing. At the beginning it can be tricky.
Your mind will be active and it will be difficult to relax. But there’s one way, that always works for me, and it’s very effective.
I really like to spend time outdoors. When I’m physically active I’m so focused on the activity I can’t really think about anything else. I’m in the zone.
This clears my mind pretty quickly. Plus, endorphins kicks in and for a short moment you can feel a bit better. You’re no longer wrapped up in your job problem. A lot of good ideas came to me that way. It’s like a breath of fresh air for your mind.
If you don’t like physical activity you can try reading something good or going to movies. The point is to focus differently for a while. Put the pressure off the problem and off yourself. Then approach the problem from a different angle.
The point of all this is not to find one brilliant solution. It doesn’t work like that. It’s a gradual process. It’s more about keeping yourself in balance so that you are able to come up with brilliant solution.
It’s counterintuitive for many people. It was for me. I was convinced that to find a solution is to try harder. I see that most people think that this how they will find the solution. Instead they get tired, discouraged or worse.
When you can distance yourself from a problem you start to look at it differently. You can be more objective and look at it from more productive perspective.
If you’re struggling to find a job, take a break. Do something to keep your mind off the situation. I know it’s difficult right now. But just try it.
Leave your comment below and tell me what is your way to keep yourself in balance?