How should you start a job search?
Sometimes, we are forced to accept certain jobs because we need the money and because we haven’t gotten the job we truly want yet. Instead of using these jobs as just stepping stones, a lot of graduates either become too comfortable or don’t take the time to plan their escape. They become demotivated and lose their drive to succeed. However, what they don’t realize is that they can escape virtually any scenario with the proper planning and execution. Think about it this way (although this probably isn’t the best example): do you honestly think a successful prison break happens with overnight planning? Obviously not. It takes months, maybe even years, to plan a successful prison break. However, with a lot of planning, persistence, and patience, anything is truly possible. Here is how you plan your escape, from your current job or unemployment.
Creating the Plan
You have to create a game plan, one that not only provides you with flexibility but also guarantees results. That is why I suggest you create a checklist game plan. This way, you can be more flexible in terms of time instead of having a strict time- based schedule to follow. Let’s face it, things happen. There are those nights when you can’t follow the schedule exactly, so having a checklist could create the perfect game plan for you. Example Game Plan (Checklist Edition)
Monday--Friday
Saturday--Sunday
Executing the Plan
Okay, so you created the plan; the next part is to execute it. The hardest part is executing the plan. We (humans) are lazy by nature. We like to procrastinate as much as we can. A lot of times, the idea of having a plan that will be executed is enough to satisfy our present state of mind, isn’t it? We also tend to make a lot of excuses for ourselves as to why we cannot execute it on a particular day. Whether it’s because we have to wake up early the next day or because we’re too tired, who are we really kidding by saying such things? Heck, if we dedicated the time we use making excuses to being persistent, we’d have achieved all our goals already!
One of the best ways to push yourself to execute the plan is to remind yourself that you cannot afford to waste another day. Have you ever heard the expression, “One today is worth two tomorrows”? Well , it’s true. Your actions today will be worth twice as much the following day, because you are essentially planting the seeds of your own success. You should close your eyes and focus on all the benefits that would come into your life if you were to achieve your goal. Next, remind yourself that you will never achieve that goal unless you take this first step. Also, think about all the things in your life right now that you are most dissatisfied with and how this goal is the solution to those dissatisfactions. You must know that things can always get better, and get worse too, and that your goals are the solution to making your life better. Now, act.
Keeping the Plan
After you’ve created and executed the plan, the next part is keeping the plan. The first few days after execution are always the easiest. However, after a couple of weeks pass, something will happen. You’ll either get bored or become discouraged with the lack of results. It is important, especially in times like these, that you remain persistent. One way is to remind yourself who and what you’re really fighting for. Why do you think executives have pictures of their families on their desks in their offices? Besides having something to look at, the pictures are also used as a source of motivation to be productive. It is for reminding themselves of who they’re fighting for every day. Just because you don’t have an office with a desk doesn’t mean you can’t have your own objects of motivation. Whether it’s a piece of jewelry or any small object from a loved one, keep it close and look at it when you feel you need it the most. Even the smallest objects can draw the right emotions to get your head straight.
At the end of the day, the key is keeping the plan. A famous bodybuilder once said that the hardest part of bodybuilding isn’t the actual exercise routine, it’s tricking your mind into getting “pumped up” for a workout and stopping yourself from getting lazy. They visualize their goals and what they’re trying to accomplish, which eventually pushes them to keep moving forward.
Why do people wake up early in the morning to go to work? Mostly because they need to make money and because they don’t want to get fired. Ask yourself, how often would you show up to a full-time job that doesn’t pay you any money? Not often (not at all , in my case). This is the kind of mindset you must have with keeping your plans. You must constantly remind yourself why you are doing what you’re doing, because planning and executing may be easy, but keeping your plan is the real challenge.