Photo by niklas_hamann on Unsplash
It is happening right now. Maybe it is happening to you or to someone you love. Maybe it is happening due to no fault of your own.
What is going to happen? When will it happen?
I am talking to anyone who is in the process of looking for their next great opportunity.
You are unemployed or in transition. Maybe today is Day 1 or maybe it is Day 100. For most people, the prospect of being without income in the face of a global pandemic is terrifying. The reality is that you should be scared. You may have to make tough decisions. You are experiencing both a real and existential threat simultaneously.
BUT… if you let fear take the wheel, you will quickly realize that it’s a terrible driver and needs to sit in the back seat.
Recognize that income pays the bills. Bills don’t care where the money comes from and money doesn’t care what bills it pays. You care though where the money comes from. You might say things like… ”That position is too junior for me.” or “X role is my sweet spot.” Ok, but you aren’t 100% in control. The macroeconomy is an influencer, a potential employer is a decider, etc. Where you need to go requires support, luck, timing, and buy-in.
BUT… you might say, “If I take a Y job, it won’t make sense of my career goals.”
How do you know where that role will lead you? Even if it is a whiff, don’t you have the luxury of blaming your decision on Covid-19?
Perhaps now is the time to get to work and give 100% to that work. Because, if you keep waiting there is a very good chance that confidence will start to fail.
I am starting to see this. I had a call today with a proven industry executive who is looking for his next great opportunity. I could feel the change in our conversation from the first time we spoke, a couple of months ago, to today. He is starting to doubt his decisions, his strategy, maybe even himself. What this means is that when he gets his next interview, there is a good chance that his former self… the proven industry executive… won’t show up, but rather his desperate, anxious twin. Do not reach this point!
Do not let them see you sweat.
People want what they can’t have. Confidence is the projection of the lack of anxiousness and insecurity. We are hardwired to be drawn to this. You are every bit as awesome today as you were yesterday. Remember this, repeat this, and project this.
Then, go get it.
Written by: Austin Meyermann, Founder and President of Hunter Crown, LLC
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