Worried about Your Next Job?

2 Ways to Beat back the Fear and get it Done

Losing a job, is like being stranded on Mars with a note left behind for you …” We’ll be back soon.”

A Job is not work. A Job is not a paycheck.

A Job is a position in space, allocated just for you, that states unequivocally, that you are here, and that you have value.

That’s why losing a job can be so disorienting. Finding something new can be a challenge and exciting, but during most of our lives, having something that is known, understood, stable and easy to find, is a great comfort. No one likes being made uncomfortable just to make a point.

Covid-19 and the resulting chaos is not typical. This is not 2008–2009, when jobs disappeared because corporations and decision makers focused on profit above all else and got their corporate knickers in a monumental twist that took years to resolve.

The situation we are in right now is all about survival. Well planned or not. Well organized or not, the actions taken have been done to improve odds, reduce risk and keep the economy circling the airport until solutions start making themselves know.

So …

First and Foremost — Don’t lose your shit.

Seriously, call it whatever you like. Staying positive, maintaining a great attitude, being hopeful. It all comes down to maintaining who you are and keeping in full sight — what you can do.

Fear and anxiety start eating away at confidence. You lose confidence, you lose hope. Lose hope, you lose the best chance you have at a seamless transition to the same job or a new one.

Let’s not make it any more complex or harrowing that it already is. A virus is so small, several million of them could be having lunch on the tip of your finger and you wouldn’t know it. And yet, look at what this one (Covid-19) is doing to our collective psyche.

We have enough to deal with in maintaining peace of mind and an outlook that there will be enough collective leadership across our country to get us through this. But if they don’t rise to the occasion and it all goes a little pear-shaped first — then we still have our own skills and competencies to get it done.

Focus on the future.

You’ve mowed the lawn, painted the shed, re-tilled the vegetable garden and taught Roscoe 6 new tricks — what’s next. Put the future there. Visualizing the future is not some New Age BS, it’s something that’s been successfully done for the last 5000 years.

It’s a way for you to create something when you’re feeling like the world is starting to move away from you and potentially leaving you behind.

Being at effect sucks. The nail found your tire, you didn’t go looking for it. The bird pooped on your suit jacket. The one you’re wearing to the job interview in 20 minutes.

Life is filled with amazing moments when we’re standing there wondering what just hit us. So, we’re well-versed in this role. Let’s move out of it and try something new.

Focus on your future. Put it there. Think of what you want to have happen. Look at your children for inspiration. The tooth under the pillow. The candles blown out on their birthday cakes. Wishes are made AND believed. Guess how many come true for them? More than you think. Why? Doubt is an adult concept. Something we learn — go figure. Kids just believe. Well … believe.

What worked before will work again

In simple terms, when a job goes away, temporarily or not, you don’t suddenly lose all your skills and abilities. There is no expiration date on them. When the time comes, you’ll still know how to drive that forklift, manage the collections department, run the mail room or supervise the build-out of the new rental units.

What you know, that is what you are capable of achieving day in and day out, applies to any and all jobs. If the old job is not there anymore, there will be others out there that are similar or the same.

If you need to re-tool your skill set and go after something different, you’re still the same. Again, you don’t stop knowing what to do, when the world hiccups.

Through the 1990s I went through 14 jobs in 10 years. I felt like a foreigner in a new country and my Visa kept expiring. It was like walking on ice, whenever I thought I had gotten my stride back and confidence started to return, I went ass over teacup and landed on my head.

But I got through it. By doing 2 things.

I didn’t lose my shit. I misplaced it a time or two, but found it again.

I never stopped believing that I could do the next job, whatever it was. And I did.

There are lots of ways that all of this can go wrong. If you’re so inclined, start making a list. But I can guarantee you, you will be depressed before you get to the end of it.

Why bother, focus on what you want. What you need to see happen right now. Believe in it.

Life appears to work on the principle of — Keeping it real. Buying a Lotto ticket to pay the bills, being an example. So, keep it real. You know how to do it. You’ve been doing it and can do it again.

The difference between — It Can Work and It Won’t Work — is just one word.

I hope this helps.

Joe Luca is writer and editor for ILLUMINATION and a published author and writer of children’s stories, short fiction, non-fiction articles, screenplays and poetry. Publications include Child’s Life, Children’s Playmate and others. There are some other articles below — have a read. And thank you for stopping by.