What to do when you’re feeling stuck... It's time to go have fun

Almost Everyone Feels Stuck at Some Point

I want to make sure that we identify and address the feeling of being stuck. This is really important because I can't in fact recall anybody who hasn't felt that feeling before when you either know that you need to make a career change or you've just been laid off from your job and suddenly you have submitted a hundred resumes out around town and gotten no calls, and all you feel is just stuck in the mud and that, and then suddenly discouragement starts to creep in or despair, wondering, "How am I going to pay my bills? How am I going to find another job? How am I going to advance my career?

The Past Does Not Equal the Future

And the one thing that I just want to remind you is that the past does not equal the future. . Regardless of what you have done in the past or what you have experienced in the past, those things are not going to happen again.

Certain things similar may happen. It's possible, but it's not probable that a lot of those things are going to happen, especially if you start doing different things. And so the key point there is do different things to get different results, but no matter what, just remember that even if similar things do happen in the future, the exact same things that you've experienced in the past are never going to happen again. It's always different.

Your Career is a Journey, Not a Destination

Your career is a journey, not a destination. And it's fluid. Everything that we do the one constant is change. It changes every day, every job is a little bit different, every company and every person. And a lot of us might have been a different person in our younger years than we are today.

The Importance of Having Fun

So just keep that in mind that if you're feeling stuck remember that the past doesn't equal the future. And another thing is I want you to have fun. . This is your career. This is your life. It does not have to be a stressful anxiety inducing experience. And we're going to do different things to get different results. Have fun. ? If any part of this feels horrible or you just don't enjoy it, then don't do it.

The one thing is unlike what a lot of people think that their only option is to surf the internet for their next job. If there's something that you don't like, that's part of all this, then don't do it. Because there's so many different approaches and so many different tactics that you can employ to go out and build your career. The things that make you miserable, it's okay to let them go.

And so if you're feeling overwhelmed by negativity or discouragement or anxiety I want you to stop. I want you to stop doing what you're doing. And look around, start looking inside, and let's find the things that are a better fit for you.

Just like nobody wants to have a miserable job, nobody wants to have a miserable job hunting experience. And another example would be we're going to talk a lot about networking in this workshop, but if you're a highly introverted person and networking is just not your thing, then don't do it.

We're going to lean in to our strengths and our talents and our tendencies, and we're going to stay away from those things that just aren't really who we are, or aren't really a good fit.

It's Not Too Late to Start Over

Another thing to remember is that it's not too late.

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, until he was 43 years old. So just remember that no matter where you are in your career. I've actually done this workshop for a lot of baby boomers and people that are sort of in the twilight of their career, and maybe have experienced some ageism in the face of competition from younger millennials and other folks.

Yes, those circumstances do matter. But it doesn't mean that it's too late, regardless of where you're at. Let's say you didn't go to college and you don't intend to go back to college. It's not too late to develop skills. It's not too late to start a business. It's not too late to change which field you work in.

Stay positive and remain encouraged.