5 Essential Keys to Stay Motivated After a Job Loss

No matter the circumstances, losing your job can be a hard time and it can be hard to stay positive and motivated - right when you need it most. 

Whether you’ve recently lost, or are concerned you’re about to, lose your job there are some fundamental things you can be doing to keep yourself upbeat and motivated as you navigate the situation. 
 
Check out these 5 Essential Keys to Stay Motivated After a Job Loss. 

1. Allow Yourself Time To Pause And Reflect  

Our survival instincts can quickly kick in and lead us to action taking at a time like this, especially if the job loss was very unexpected. But, before you allow instinct to take over and get into applying for roles online, try and take a moment to breathe, pause and reflect. Even if it's just half a day to do something that makes you feel good, take a conscious moment to process what happened. You can consider reflecting on all the value you brought to the role, what you learned from it, and start to make a strategic plan for what is next for you based on your learnings.

2. Tune Into Your Why 

While it can be an emotional time for some, it’s a great opportunity to re-connect with the bigger picture. In fact doing so, can help alleviate some of the emotional charge attached to this one situation. Tuning into your why, the overarching driving force behind what gets you out of bed to work everyday, can help you to understand your bigger picture beyond just this one job change. What's your reason for going after this next move? What's driving you to want to find this next step? And how will life be different for you when you get it? Keep all of this front of mind as you go into job searching. It’ll help ensure you chase the right next move too. 

 3. Get Clear  

Use any time out that you’ve got wisely by taking the chance to dig deeper into yourself, and get clear on what you want and don’t want from your next move. You can unpack what your priorities are now, what are your negotiables and non-negotiables, what areas can you compromise on and not. You may have a short term goal and then a medium - long term goal to work with here. For example if finances is a pressure, you may have a short term goal of bringing income in, while the medium-long term goal is about finding the dream job. Being clear can help you to stay motivated as you’re less overwhelmed by everything and the goals you’re chasing have real meaning behind them - things that truly matter to you.

 4. Put Yourself First 

It can be VERY easy to allow your self-care and wellbeing to take a back seat as you work through fixing and finding a solution to your new problem but that’s one of the worst things you can do. Avoid falling into this trap and remember to put yourself first, because without you being in your best state you will not perform at your best through this process. Think about how your nutrition, sleep, and exercise affect the way you can tolerate setbacks, and how you show up and interact with others when you’re looking after yourself. You’ll be far more effective in your job search, networking and interviews if you look after Number 1 first. Be aware of what gives you most energy, what makes you feel your best and make sure you keep those things up. If that means getting the hair cut, and saying yes to the coffee walk with a friend - do so. I’d argue both of those are networking meetings after all! 

5. Manage Your Expectations 

Alright, so we want everything to go swimmingly but let’s be real, setbacks, knocks and rejections are likely to happen so we want to prepare for them and embrace them as part of the process. We don’t want to feel blindsided and give up at the first hurdle. So, if you manage your expectations and do what you can to pre-empt the setbacks so that when they happen you don't give up, you’ll be far more motivated to keep going. Be optimistic but realistic with your job search, don't take it personally, keep focused on your why and doing the steps above to keep looking forward. 

If you want a copy of my Job Search Checklist to ensure you're tackling your job search in the right way and have the right foundations in place, you can grab a copy right here.

In the meantime, good luck and I’m sure that even better things are coming your way.