By Catherine Thorburn, Executive Coach
You know the old saying – if you fall off a horse you must get right back on it and continue riding. The theory is if you don’t, your fear will set in, and you won’t want to try again later.
Well, what happens if you lose your job and when you begin to look for another one you seem to have no desire?
You begin looking at the job boards and there appear to be jobs posted but when you go to read the job description you can’t get through to the end before exhaling a big yawn? Or worse yet, maybe you get this sudden ill feeling in the pit of your stomach?
What should you do if this happens to you?
You’re too young to retire and you certainly don’t have the financial means even if you wanted to. You have to work but try as you might, you seem to have lost your mojo. You just can’t seem to get excited about the idea of returning to work.
If this has happened to you, I’m here to tell you, you’re not alone. I’ve experienced this myself and so have many of my clients, and it can happen for a few different reasons.
You’re tired.
That’s right. You are tired. Perhaps you’ve been working full-time since high school. Except for a 2- or 3-week vacation once a year, you’ve been working for the past 15+ years.
In that case, it could be as simple as you need a bit of a break to recharge your batteries. If this is the case, take the break that you need. Put your job search on hold for a little bit and go do something you’ve been wanting to do but have been putting off due to lack of time.
Don’t push yourself to look for a job now as chances are even if the perfect one appeared, you would be too tired to appreciate it. Instead, give yourself permission to rest.
You need a change.
You’ve been doing the same line of work for years now. Perhaps it’s time to change things up. But how? What does that look like?
Maybe just changing companies isn’t enough. Maybe you need to change industries too. Maybe you need to change your career.
There’s no rule that says what you started out doing is what you have to continue doing until retirement. Lots of people change careers at some point.
In fact, it’s becoming more and more common for people to have not one, not two but three or more careers in a lifetime. If you think about it, people are living longer, healthier lives and therefore are often working for more years than what their parents might have done.
Do you want to be doing the same line of work for decades? For some, that might be ideal but for others, a change is needed and that’s perfectly alright.
By making the change now you could be re-energized to work another 15+ years in this new role.
It’s time to consider self-employment.
Or dare I suggest – maybe you are looking for more than a change in careers and you are actually looking for a change in your employment status.
Maybe it’s time to finally become your own boss and do your own thing. Nothing can get those creativity juices flowing and heighten your mojo more when you allow yourself to explore this possibility.
Whichever of these three categories that you might fall into, recognize if you seem to have lost your mojo it’s time to explore why that might be the case and realize that the answer isn’t to just push through.
Take the time now to figure out what’s right for you and then proceed. Enlist the assistance of a coach if you find yourself stuck figuring this out on your own.
Good luck!