🕊️ Currently a free bird? Here’s what you can do during your inactive period.

You might be waiting for your next job, just got laid off, or just resigned to take a breather.

In today’s world, things are always changing and they’re changing quickly. The fast pace might be a mix of the unpredictability that comes with a crisis such as a pandemic, and the current of digital economy that seems to be going strong still.

Amidst all the hustle culture and the hectic life so many are prideful to have, unemployment is inevitable for some. Though seems otherwise, it is not always a bad thing. Find the hidden gems of your inactive period by working on and for yourself.

Realistically, now what?

After spending quite some time with a routine that you felt have given you purpose, leaving a job could make most people feel lonely and clueless. What to do now that I have all this free time? Am I even deserving of it? Shouldn’t I be doing something with my life? The answer is yes and no.

Just as most things, a balance is needed to enjoy your free time while staying on top of your game. While you figure out your next moves, make your time off productive by:

1. Taking a week off of life.

2. Looking after your mental and physical health.

3. Brushing up on old skills, or learning a new skill.

4. Figuring out your finances.

5. Scheduling informative interviews (not to be confused with job interviews).

6. Doing what you love—but not all the time.

7. Getting some perspective by reflecting.

Find more tips and learn more on each suggestion in the full LinkedIn article here.

Finally, you come first!

As exciting as it is to have the freedom that you now have, at one point you might start to second-guess the situation. Years of formal education and work might shape your idea of self-worth and tie it closely to productivity. As if one can not exist without the other.

Self-worth is fragile when it is tied to uncontrollable external things. A resilient sense of self-worth comes from a focus on process, not the outcome.

When going solo, it is easy to feel like you have to go back to your intensive job search right away, day and night. Sometimes, it is good to take a step back and focus on you first, as that might even elevate the quality of your job search later.

Take control of how you see your current situation:

• Realize that it is not a shame to be unemployed.

• Acknowledge that your intrinsic worth is not tied to your work situation.

• Remember that your current situation is not set in stone.

• Focus on the process, not the outcome of your job search.

• Practice gratitude.

• Find smaller, easier wins.

Read the full article on how to elevate your spirits and empower yourself during your off time here.

Take a career turn, maybe?

Some people might have experienced an inactive period for a month, 3 months, a year, 5 years, or even longer. The infamous optimistic quote says that opportunities are out there, and that the possibilities are endless. So maybe, it might be time to challenge your idea of being “employed” and “successful”. Maybe, the opportunity has been here all along.

In his journey of becoming a solopreneur, David Shriner-Cahn, Co-Founder of the BestNetwork, has started a Podcast series called “Going Solo” where he talks about the challenges of a challenging transition—from unemployed to self-employed, finally becoming self-employed at 60, and the differences between being an employee and an entrepreneur.

Click the icon above or head here to hear all about his stories in over 100+ episodes.

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