From jobless to joyful with a considerable chance of success
Permanently breaking free from unemployment is not impossible. You’re sitting at your desk minding your own business. Your boss calls you into her office and announces, kindly or unkindly, that your services are no longer needed. Should you panic? Is unemployment a tragedy? Smart people are breaking free from unemployment, and you can, too.
For sure, you’d better head to the local unemployment office to open a claim, or you can do that, in most states, via the Internet. Once you’ve filed forms, you have given yourself time to breathe, regroup, reorganize, and decide what you want to do next.
These are the next three things I would do.
- Go home, change into something comfortable, brew a cup of herbal tea, and relax.
- Call a friend or lover and make plans for a delightful evening.
- Take at least a week off with no intention of job hunting or stressing myself.
To work or not to work
In today’s economy, it isn’t unlikely that it will take time to find employment if you choose to do that. I know more than one qualified person who applied to more than 50 jobs before they found a match. Spend part of your week off making a plan, not searching the Internet or the classifieds for work, just organizing your thinking. You can start Monday morning to look for a new job if that’s your choice.
In most U.S. states, your unemployment compensation may last up to 99 weeks.
Take your time. Figure out your dream career and go after it, or choose to go back to school and prepare yourself for that dream. If you have other kinds of support, appreciable savings, or a way to replace your employment income, you can choose to go a different direction for a while or forever. It’s all up to you.
But wait, do you have to work for someone else? What about freelancing or a great side hustle?
Not unemployed, self-employed
Here are tips on overcoming obstacles while breaking free from unemployment.
- Analyze your skills, strengths, interests, and passions. Identify areas where you excel and the type of micro business or side hustle that would align with your core competencies and interests.
- Conduct thorough research on niches and markets to identify opportunities and gaps. Learn the challenges and requirements of starting a micro business or side hustle around your passion. Find relevant books, articles, online courses, classes, or workshops to expand your knowledge and improve skills. Grow as an expert.
- Develop a business idea that addresses a specific problem or need. Make sure your idea is unique and has the potential to generate revenue. This research is the difference between success and failure.
- Create an action plan. Outline the steps you need to take to start and grow your micro business or side hustle. Include goals, target market, competitors, marketing, and estimated expenses.
- Connect with experienced entrepreneurs, mentors, or professionals to gain valuable advice. Attend networking events, join relevant online communities, and participate in industry forums to build relationships and broaden your knowledge.
- If you require additional resources, explore options such as personal savings, loans, grants, or investments from friends and family.
- Launch your micro business or side hustle on a small scale. Test the market and gather customer feedback.
- As you grow your micro business or side hustle, be prepared to adapt and evolve based on market trends, customer feedback, and your personal circumstances. Flexibility is crucial for long-term success — you can only grow if you adapt.
- Hone your time management skills to maximize productivity and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
As your micro business gains traction, consider ways to scale it. Expand your offerings, target new markets, or leverage partnerships to reach a broader audience. Freelancers can scale, too.
Breaking free from unemployment — rocking your unemployment
Regardless of what direction you decide to go, this is the time to fill your life with joy, remove stress-causing obstacles, and open a door that could lead you to something truly extraordinary. Adjust your attitude.
Wake up each morning and spend ten minutes meditating on your good fortune. Push away the internal critic who might be yelling, “You need to get out there and find a job right now. You’re desperate. This is an emergency!”
You are not desperate. It’s not an emergency. Have a delicious and healthy breakfast while you check your e-mail. Go for a walk.
I’m not saying shirk your responsibilities; just take care of and nurture yourself. Begin a new life pattern so you move toward what you need to make a living and support yourself, but build in ample time for relaxation, spiritual growth, mental growth, and joy.
From that position, your meditations bring answers seemingly with little effort. If you need to find a job, you’ll know that. If being an entrepreneur is the answer, you’ll find that out. You can meditate on what sort of side hustle would suit your needs. If it’s time to live on other resources as you attend to your heart’s desires, you’ll figure that out, too.
Losing a job doesn’t have to be a tragedy. Change can be exciting and an opportunity to reinvent yourself. Don’t overlook your chance to stand quietly and watch the clouds roll by, giving way to your golden moment in the sun.
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