Is Unemployment an Opportunity for Adventure?

Have you recently discovered that you are at the intersection of “same old” and “the unknown” in your career? Maybe you are in your forties and you hate your job. What do you do? Choice 1 - Stick with it. You're not getting any younger and there's no guarantee that the next job will be any better. Choice 2 - Stick it to the man. You're not getting any younger and it's guaranteed that a new job couldn't be any worse. Or maybe you were recently downsized and find yourself wondering what you really want to be when you grow up. What do you do? Choice 1 - Don't be dumb. You're too old to change the course of your life. Choice 2 - Throw caution to the wind, buy unicorn onesie pajamas and work on personal projects. Didn’t you just love skipping back and forth in those old choose your own adventure books trying to figure out which choices led to the best ending? It’s too bad that in life – and your career—it isn’t as easy as skipping ahead to see how our decisions turn out. For many introverts, career or job transitions can be hard. It’s not uncommon to have conflicting feelings about it, regardless if the transition was planned or not. In this episode, we talk about our recent career transitions and explore how we’re navigating our individual creative crossroads. Dust off your old hobbies Both of us are spending time exploring our creative inclinations. But where do you start? Many of us have lists of things we’d like to do if we had the time. Start there. Don’t have a list? Looking to your past can be a great way of re-discovering old interests or passions you’ve set aside over the years. Whether you made intricate portraits of soap opera stars with elbow macaroni, wrote fan fiction for your favorite movie characters, or spent your weekends on an intramural basketball team, consider reconnecting with some of your old hobbies. Okay, so maybe you can’t commit to an entire intramural season anymore, but you could spend some time shooting hoops during open court times or maybe organize a regular game with some friends. The point is, be curious. Take that class you’ve always talked about. You may be surprised how pushing your comfort zone can jumpstart your transition. Look forward While we’re spending time looking into the past to rekindle our creative spark. Spending time obsessing about how life would be different if we’d zigged instead of zagged may not be productive. Who knows what would have happened? We’re focusing on what sounds interesting and fun now and in the future, and letting that guide our path. Oprah Winfrey, aka the goddess of wisdom, says “Forgiveness is giving up the hope that the past could have been any different, it’s accepting the past for what it was, and using this moment and this time to help yourself move forward.” Get focused Of course, being unemployed isn’t all about rediscovering your love or macramé and finally perfecting your macaroni and cheese recipe. After all, there are bills to pay. Set a daily goal and meet it – Whether or not you’re the type of person who needs structure, setting a daily goal for your job search (or your next endeavor) keeps you accountable for how you spend your time. Join professional organizations – Maybe you want to tap into the underground job market or just keep up with your industry, professional organizations offer a variety of resources to help you find new opportunities. Consulting – According to research the gig economy is still rising. What skills and knowledge can you offer to companies who are looking for short-term or project based help? Volunteer – Helping others can be a gateway to finding clarity in your own situations. Plus, it feels good! Give yourself a time limit – If you’re lucky enough to be able to truly take some time off to reconnect with your passions or you want to give consulting a go, give yourself a time limit to get the job done. Successful creatives and business people know that limits are one of the best ways to spark creativity and innovation. Stuff we talked about Mel Robbins 5 second theory excerpt, (full interview here). SCBWI Jobscan Introducing the Introvert 360 Podcast It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we launched the Comm Capers Podcast. In the course of putting together the content for each episode, we realized that we had a habit of framing each topic from an introvert’s perspective. For 2019, we’ve decided to finally put on our introvert-colored glasses and rename the podcast The Introvert 360 Podcast. We’ve got some fun topics coming up, like how referrals can jump start your job search, surviving the networking and interviewing process, the introvert’s guide to creative brainstorming, and more. We’ll see you in 2019!