Job Loss
5 Steps to Get Your Midlife Mojo Back
February 15, 2011 | 
Author If you’re in midlife and out of a job or worried that you might be, it’s normal to think your options are somewhat limited. You may have even lost some of your self-confidence and have trouble believing in yourself.
At this age you’re expected to demonstrate confidence. Now you’re venturing into something new and with everything going on in the economy, you may be wondering if you have what it takes to go after what you really dream of – especially if it’s totally new.
I believe you have it in you. I don’t even need to know you personally. I just know that if you’ve gotten to this stage of life, you have a lot to offer. That confidence may have gotten shaken up a bit but it’s still under there. You just need to bring it back out.
These 5 steps can get you believing in yourself again and open up all sorts of possibilities.
1. List your accomplishments. Dig deep. Think professionally and personally. What was the challenge? How did you address it? What actions did you take? What was the result? When you get them listed out – review them all together. And then take a bow. You’ve accomplished quite a bit. You just may have forgotten some of them.
2. Focus on your strengths. Identify your strengths and worry less about trying to overcome your weaknesses. Take a look at your list above. What were your common strengths? Group them together to get a good picture of yourself. If you’d like a more formal assessment, try the book StrengthsFinder 2.0 to access their assessment.
Now look for situations both personally and professionally that makes good use of your strengths. As you think of new career possibilities, compare the required skills of the position to your strengths. Find a good fit.
3. Reach out. Knowing what your strengths are, where can you use them today? What and whose problems can you help with now? Even if you are searching for a new job or developing a new career, reaching out to help others takes you away from yourself. Feeling like you’re making a difference is a great way to boost your self-esteem.
4. Express gratitude. Being grateful for what you have in your life is a powerful way to feel more positive. Take time each day – in the morning to start your day or at night as you head off to sleep – list what you are grateful for that day. Try for 5 – 10 things that were good for you that day even if it’s a day of sunshine. Expressing your gratitude helps you open up your perspective to more possibilities.
5. Take action. Go ahead and just put yourself out there. Dare to believe in your dreams! Decide to live a life you love. Start with small goals as to not overwhelm yourself. It’s amazing how a few baby steps add up. Taking on something new can be so rewarding and empowering.
As you start to believe in yourself again, you’ll be amazed how your mind will open to so many other new opportunities.
ACTION:
Execute the steps above and start living your next chapter now!
If you’d like more structured help finding and living your dream career possibilities, see my website http://www.YourNextChapterNOW.com
Posted in Job Loss, Personal Branding, Personal Development | 
Tags: accomplishments, dream career, gratitude, job loss, life you love, midlife, mojo, new career, opportunities, possibilities, strengths | 
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Laid Off? Exit Gracefully
How you leave your company is the ultimate test of professionalism. You might want to storm out, send a scathing email to your boss or even higher up. Tempting as that is, it will hurt you in the long run. Never burn your bridges, no matter how good it may feel initially.
Stay cool and professional. Leave on the best terms possible. Good handshakes, smiles, hugs and best wishes to all. In most cases an email goodbye to your network is appropriate. I’ve been amazed at the range of letters I’ve received from people leaving. Too many were a few bitter lines sent off on the last minute of the last day. This is the last contact you’ll have with many of your colleagues. Is that how you want to be remembered?
I decided to do it differently. I wrote my goodbye letter as a chronology and memory of my 36 years with the company. I mentioned many friends that I enjoyed working with over the years, some fun stories. I was surprised how good I felt writing it. The guy who laid me off even mentioned it was one of the most gracious letters he’s seen. That felt a little sweet – see what he’ll miss. And that’s how I’ll be remembered.
A nice side benefit of sending the letter several days before my last day was the overwhelming response. It was so gratifying. People wrote about specific things I had accomplished and what they’d miss about me – things I actually used later when I pulled together my list of skills and talents. And lots of offers of help reaching into their networks.
Sad as I was, I stepped up and held my head high. I was proud of how I left, heading to my next chapter.
Action:
Please comment below about how you left you job.
Posted in Job Loss | Tags: accomplishments, gratifying, job loss, laid off, network, professionalism | No Comments »
Laid Off? 8 Tips for Immediate Coping
Hard to believe that this month it’s been 2 years since I was laid off. It took a bit but I finally saw it as a midlife opportunity to do something different. Something that I truly love. It wasn’t easy at first though. Those first minutes and days were not my finest. I know a few people who volunteered to be laid off. They already had plans lined up. But that wasn’t me.
So here’s advice given to me that really worked as well as what I learned the hard way – either from my own experience or those of friends.
1. Don’t take it personally. This is a really hard one at first. You’re shocked. Your immediate reaction is Why me? How can they do without my skills? What did I do wrong? But then you realize there are others in the boat with you. It’s more of a numbers game. For me, about 8 other people I know in similar positions were let go the same day including my immediate boss.
2. Allow your release. It’s natural. Go ahead and cry. I did. I just put my head down on my desk and cried. Fortunately, I worked at home. But I needed that release to get over the shock. But I didn’t panic or let my fears or anxiety take control of my thinking. I ran out of tears after a while and then started figuring out what to do next.
3. Don’t hang on to anger. You will get angry. It’s a natural stage of grief and you are grieving your job. But if you hold on to it, it turns into bitterness. You won’t be able to think clearly. It will drain your energy and prevent you from moving forward. I had a couple of friends who let it take over and even now after getting new jobs, they hold onto that anger. It’s not pretty. Let it go. Anger is for victims and you are not a victim. You need this time to take charge of your career.
4. Control what you can. This was great advice given to me by someone who had gone through a couple of layoffs (yes, lightning can strike twice). His advice was to list everything that was happening around me and that I thought I needed to take care of. Then divide them into 2 columns. Ones I could control and ones I could not. And only stay focused on those I could. Stop wasting energy on those I could not. This really helped me move on.
5. Don’t make decisions. You’re in shock and not thinking clearly. The best thing to do is NOT make any immediate, big decisions. Give yourself a bit of time to absorb what’s happening to you. After you pull together the list of what you can control and maybe do a bit of financial planning, then make some small decisions or adjustments to your lifestyle. Hold off on anything drastic – perhaps as long as 3 months if you can. You need that space to clear your head.
6. Create a support group. Reach out to those in similar situations from your company or through other organizations and outplacement firms. But be careful, if there is too much negativity, try to move the group forward. If they won’t follow you, leave. It will drag you down. You want to surround yourself with optimistic, supportive people. You need to remain focused, positive and inspired.
7. Reach out to those left behind. Another odd thing that happened was that I hardly heard from anyone still left in my company. If I wanted to stay in touch, it was up to me to reach back. Turns out many people are as shocked as you are. They actually have a survivor’s guilt. But it’s not their fault and they are still part of your network. Since about 80% jobs are found through your network, you still need to stay connected.
8. Take a break. Take a vacation. Step away from your regular environment. I know that may sound crazy when your salary is gone. But this was by far the best advice I got. My boyfriend (also laid off same day – how’s that for a double whammy) and I took our frequent flyer miles and went as far away as we could – diagonally across the country to warm weather. Luckily we were in off season and found a great hotel across from the beach for $103 a night. We ate reasonably and walked the beaches and walked and walked and walked – often each deep in our own thoughts. Oh, we got a massage too. It’s really important to take care of yourself at this time. Your immune system is very vulnerable now. We finally started feeling human after a few days.
Action:
Follow these steps and you will be recharged and ready to plan your next chapter!
Posted in Job Loss | Tags: career, laid off, midlife, network, opportunity, outplacement, support, survivor | No Comments »