We are entering a new world.
The COVID-19 has resulted in unprecedented changes in our professional and personal lives. Additionally, there is a slow job market and uncertainties about our careers. For those who are facing loss of work and wondering ‘What terrible timing!’, it’s a difficult phase.
Well friends, this is a bend in the road, not the end!
Here are a few thoughts on how we can prepare ourselves for a different world.
Focus on the positive:
- Focus on what you can control. There is no point focusing on what you cannot control. Be in the ‘here and now’ moment to see how you can make a difference in the present.
- Seek out positive news. There is still a lot of positive news out there. Find it. Stay updated on headlines, but don’t let negative news overshadow the good news in the world around you.
- Take time each day to express gratitude in your life. Gratitude for self and for your loved ones. Gratitude for clear skies and chirping birds.
- Acknowledge your emotions. Name your emotions, whether it is fear, grief, anxiety or something else. Acknowledge it and share with family and friends.
Reinvent yourself
- Reinvent and rejuvenate yourself. Up-skill and learn new skills and new ways of working. Survival in challenging times depends on ability to adapt to the new environment quickly.
- Be open to change. What can you do differently? Keep an open mind and look at work opportunities you might not have considered – a passion you wanted to follow, a skill you wanted to develop, a new channel to market yourself or deliver products/services, a new market you want to address, a new customer need you could fulfill or a new technology. Think outside the box.
- Honour your core values. Choose activities and careers which will honour your personal values, whether it is ‘love for service’, or ‘thirst for learning’, or ‘giving to others’ or any other value which would give you internal peace.
- Ask yourself each day, how did I reinvent myself today? Did I learn or do anything new? A few steps each day will add up to miles very quickly. When jobs start opening up, there will be a new and reinvented ‘you’ out there!
Stay connected
- Reach out to people in your network. Selflessly support others in whatever way possible. Similarly, your friends, family, colleagues, neighbours, community can help, advise and support you. Now is the time to expand your circle. Talk, chat, conference to stay motivated. Seek company of people who have a positive outlook.
- If you are an introvert, give yourself some quiet time to think about how the current changes are impacting you and those around you. Analyse the situation and identify opportunities that might have been overlooked. Connect with close friends, family and gather information from reliable sources on how you can do things differently. Support others in your own way. Read positive posts, write-ups, updates.
- Expand your professional circle. Join online communities in your profession, attend webinars or talks. Stay updated about your profession. Share and exchange ideas on what you could do differently. Support others in your profession.
Most importantly, stay fit and enjoy it!
- Choose any enjoyable fitness activity which you can do at home. Be creative. Try new ways of exercising indoors during lock-downs, use online facilities, social media to keep you motivated. If you are an extrovert, find an online buddy to exercise and enjoy workouts in virtual teams.
In words of Rumi, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
Stay safe! Think positive!