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Letting Go

My speeding ticket message last month of slowing down continued when I smashed three toes into the base of my desk chair rushing to a Zoom appointment. My national morning meditation message two days later really resonated: She Let Go, a poem by Reverend Safire Rose. Whether letting go of pushing (as in my case), letting go of a lovely season like summer, or letting go of resentments at work or from job loss, it can be a challenge. Letting go is what can create space for the future, for better things to happen, for new attitudes and behaviors.

Naturally my book, Help Wanted: An A to Z Guide to Cope with the Ups and Downs of the Job Search, has a reading on Letting Go.  I invite you to share it (below) with a job seeker you may know, and also to take in the last two paragraphs for your personal life.  I was delighted to receive a note this week from a speaker colleague, Dave Jakielo, who wrote “I realized your advice just isn’t for folks searching for a job, it can be for numerous situations in life.”

May you find the inspiration you need for your challenges, and when needed….let go.

Letting Go Excerpt from Help Wanted

We can get stuck in negative emotions during the search. Letting go gives a path forward. Sometimes a job transition is not your choice. You may have been “let go.” Sometimes we’re currently employed but in a poor career fit or toxic environment. Sometimes we feel treated unfairly in the job search process. It is natural to feel a range of emotions, including anger, frustration, and bitterness.

Feeling and expressing emotions in a healthy way is helpful and possibly even necessary to moving forward. Punch a pillow, write in a journal, hammer nails, see a counselor. Do whatever works for you. Moving through and letting go of negative emotions can lead to more acceptance and make room for hope and opportunity. Forgiving someone is more about helping you than the perceived offender.

If we do not let go of past hurts, they can subtly seep out as negative energy in networking meetings and job interviews despite our thinking we are projecting our best self.

Affirmation: I let go of past hurts so I can move forward authentically.

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

Joseph Campbell

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Time – Travel Story

After getting a speeding ticket today, I was inspired to write about TIME. Ironically, I was rushing to get to a massage appointment. Dovetailing, I am including the Time excerpt from my book, Help Wanted: An A to Z Guide to Cope with the Ups and Downs for the Job Search. Over 80% of the Time reading applies to everyday life, not just the job search, so I hope you’ll read on.

I have a complicated relationship with time.  Mostly I underestimate the time it takes to do something or try to get just one more thing done before leaving. I’ve even drafted in my head how this would be the answer to my “What are your weaknesses?” question, with well-crafted examples of self-talk about how I am self-aware and have made progress. I often joke that if there was a Time Disorder in the DSM mental health directory, I would have it.

So in these “lazy days of summer,” are you allowing yourself some time to slow down, relax, rejuvenate, reflect, enjoy the ride? A nice touchstone are lyrics from a favorite James Taylor song of mine, Secret O’ Life.

The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time

Any fool can do it. There ain’t nothing to it.

Einstein said he could never understand it all.

Planets spinning through space, the smile upon your face, welcome to the human race.

James Taylor, Secret of Life

Link to the song.

And if it’s time for your or a loved one to explore greater career happiness, I’d be happy to help, More info here.

TIME

Excerpt from my book, Help Wanted: An A to Z Guide to Cope with the Ups and Downs of the Job Search

Available through on-line and brick and mortar bookstores everywhere. Signed copy via my website.

Time can drag when you are waiting to hear from an employer. Time can feel like it’s running out when you’ve been in the job search process for a while, facing impending financial pressures. Some days fly by productively, and some languish in misery.

We try to control time by all manner of goal-setting and time management techniques. While some strategy is important in the search for productivity, pause to reflect on the bigger picture. Allow yourself time for family, friends, and self-care. A layoff may even be a gift of time for things more important than work. You may have heard it said that on one’s deathbed, we don’t say we wish we spent more time with work.

Looking at the past brings regret and looking at the future brings worry. The only time that is real is the present moment. Accept it. Make the most of it. Be fully present whether with friends or family or in your job search. Take a breath and trust your time will come.

Affirmation: I accept the present moment and will make the most of it

Bonus inspiration: The quote on featured picture of my dining room clock.

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Will a Robot Take Your Job?

When I spoke at the Maryland Career Development Association annual conference last month, I enjoyed a keynote address from the president of the National Career Development Association, Sharon Givens. Among other fascinating trends and facts, she shared these about automation:

  • 47% of US employment is at high risk of automation in the next decade or two (Oxford Martin School)
  • Roughly 50% of work activities are automatable using current technology (McKinsey Global Institute)
  • In 2022 AI will eliminate 75 million jobs (World Economic Forum)
  • Over the next few decades approximately 25% of US employment will have experienced high exposure to automation (Brookings Institute)

Then the coolest thing was her introducing a website where you could look up your job to see the chances of a robot taking your job!

To see the future of your job click below to go to:

Will Robots Take My Job?

You can also see lists of jobs at high risk, low risk and a “hot jobs” list of low risk, high growth, high wage jobs.

Here is a diverse sample of jobs at low risk from the top 50:

  • Occupational Therapists
  • Neuropsychologists
  • Special Education Teachers
  • Photographers
  • Supervisors of Firefighters
  • Fitness and Wellness
  • Lodging Managers
  • Security Managers
  • Conservation Scientists
  • Clergy

(Plus many health care and teaching jobs.)

Here is a diverse sample of jobs at high risk from the top 50:

  • Food Science Technicians
  • Tax Preparers
  • Manicurists
  • Real Estate Brokers
  • Legal Secretaries
  • Insurance Claims Clerks
  • Umpires and Referees
  • Credit Analysts
  • Cytotechnologists
  • Models

Check out this Forbes Article for tips from embracing AI to becoming highly emotionally intelligent:

WORRIED ABOUT AI TAKING OVER? HERE ARE 13 WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR JOB

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