We’ve all been there. Those frustrating moments when you just don’t know what to do yourself. For many of us it’s a temporary fleeting feeling when we’re bored with our lives and want a task or just something fun to keep us busy.
Other times it’s a roadblock in front of your new career, or maybe you were just laid off looking for something to point you in the right direction. Either way it can be a difficult feeling to experience of confusion and unrest.
Our society has taught us that we always have to remain busy, we can’t be out of a job for too long, and there’s a logical path we must follow to be ‘successful’. Sociological forces being our parents, teachers, etc. have taught us this, the media also enforces this idea so it’s basically all that we know.
Here are some smart things you can do when you come across a period in your life when you just don’t know what’s next, and can help you prepare for a better future.
Sit back and enjoy the ride
While many people may get up tight in these types of situations (understandably so) it’s best to take a moment and realize what you do have. It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity, thinking about all the things that are going wrong. Instead, challenge yourself to make a list of all of the goodness you have in your life.
Find new hobbies, or relive old hobbies
In busy times you don’t necessarily have the time to do some of the things you love. Now that you’ve made a list of all that you’re thankful for, spend time actually doing these things. You may be surprised to find that doing things you love may bring you closer to your next step into the future. Try something you’ve never done before that you’ve always wanted to do, there is no better time.
Establish goals for the future
Goals both personal and professional are very important to help you get started back on the right track. Without clear measurable goals you may find it difficult to get yourself going again, however, once you have set goals you can check and see if you’re making progress and being productive.
Self Reflection
Oftentimes your next step isn’t going to be found written on the Internet, or in some networking group. You need to take some time for self-reflection in order to find out what it is you really want. Think about everything in your life that’s brought you to the point that you are now, not knowing what to do. This is another process we don’t have time to do enough so take advantage of this newfound time and maybe some answers will come to you.
Learn to sell yourself
As you’re getting ready to go back out there in the professional world, one skill you need to have is the art of presenting yourself. Learning how to speak with confidence, raddle off your skills, and recite your amazing characteristics is super important when going out there to find a new job. It can be hard to come up with great things about you, and it’s even harder to tell them to future employers.
Start with coming up with all of the great things about you, if you need extra inspiration ask previous colleagues or do some more self reflection and remember times in the past where you’ve really succeeded. Practice presenting yourself by speaking to yourself in the mirror or recording you to do some self critiques.
If you really want to sell your future employer the full package make an awesome Emaze presentation to highlight all of your capabilities and strengths. When you’ve demonstrated that you can present yourself, you’re not only selling yourself to the future employer but your killer presentation skills which are necessary in nearly every job you’ll acquire in the future.
