My career coaching client Denise was saying to me recently that she was trying so hard to remain positive in her career search, that she got frustrated with herself when she wasn’t able to always be optimistic. I think trying to stay positive all the time is counter-productive. Yes you want to lean towards optimism as much as possible when you’re looking for your dream job, but there are going to be days when you’re frustrated. That’s ok!
Sometimes we need to allow ourselves to get stuck in the mud a little bit in order to get out of it again. Instead of resisting the negative thoughts or feelings, it’s actually often more productive to address them, look them in the eye and figure out how to move through them. Otherwise they can come back to haunt you. You don’t want to always shove them under the rug. When you’re in your job search, go ahead and have a pity party sometimes if you have to.
I gave this advice as an assignment to one my career coaching clients years ago, Allison. I told her she was supposed to go home, eat ice cream and have a pity party for an hour. You have to allow yourself to feel and process your negative emotions in order to move through them in your career search. It’s ok to get stuck in the mud, just don’t stay there forever.
If you’d like further help in your career search please contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
Hallie Crawford
Job Search Coach
