We are constantly blasted by negative messages today and if you run a business or if you’ve been laid off or had your salary cut, you’re experiencing changes that confirm the talk.
Anxiety is a natural consequence of all this. Is anxiety or fear helpful? If these emotions are on display in your next job interview or for your team at work, they are likely to cause you to stumble badly. Here’s a timely reminder from the Career Encouragement Blog:
It’s so hard to meet a potential new boss and convince him/her that you are really excited about a new opportunity if you are still frustrated about losing your old job. Yet we all know that a hiring manager is going to be more attracted to candidates that are upbeat and positive. This quote by Jim Rohn sums up this imperative neatly:
“Don’t bring your need to the marketplace, bring your skill. If you don’t feel well, tell your doctor, but not the marketplace. If you need money, go to the bank, but not the marketplace.”
It’s hard to hide it from a new employer if you have been laid off from your prior role. However, it’s up to you whether or not you come across as negative about the layoff, or as someone who has realistically absorbed the event and is moving forward.
So, how exactly do we absorb the negative events and move beyond them? First, recognize that anxiety is valuable. Stop running from it. Accept it into your life and embrace it. Really. Don’t just pay lip service. Take some time out for this.
There is a message for you underneath – your anxiety wants something. Some action is required on your part to address the unmet needs driving your anxiety. Don’t assume that your needs are the obvious ones. It’s not just money that you need. That’s an oversimplification that won’t get you anywhere.
Maybe your most pressing need is not getting a job – maybe it’s a radical lifestyle change your anxiety is asking for. Maybe cutting your expenses is more pressing than getting a job. In a quiet time and place, ask yourself about the roots of your anxiety – and then listen patiently. Accept your anxiety into your life now and embrace it. Go deep and hear its real message.
It was very likely a conversation like this that led Leah Bird and her husband, Ed Wright, to trade their comfortable two-bedroom apartment in Beverly Hills, California, for life in a trailer on a five-acre Oregon farm. This is not to say that everyone that gets laid off should move to a farm – most likely your needs are not that extreme!
The point is that your anxiety has something important to tell you about your life and your next move. When you listen to that message and you act on it, you should find the peace and positive energy that you need to jump back into the world offering your skills in place of your fear and frustration.