Wake up, get ready, eat breakfast, commute to work, work all day, commute home, eat dinner, unwind and sleep. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat. The monotony of many people’s working lives is enough to make anyone weary, uninspired and longing for more. So, how do you deal with the challenging realities of full-time work? How do you transform your boredom and malaise into engagement and renewed vigor?
Related:5 Things Successful People Do Before Breakfast
Below you will find five tips designed to help you break free from the daily grind. It is possible to transform your attitude!
1. Exercise Your Heart Out
A great way to unwind and forget about the stress or tediousness of the day is to exercise. Whether you play a social sport, hit the gym or run through your neighbourhood, burning off calories and lifting those weights can have positive effects for both your mental and physical state. Not only will you lose a few pesky pounds and tone up, but exercising triggers the release of endorphins, chemical-like structures that make us feel happier. Getting into an exercise routine will break up your days and give you something to focus on that is not work.
While the leap may be too big for some people, a career change can really alter your life for the better. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that you are too old or unqualified to try a new profession; new skills can be learnt at any age. Australian businessman Ron Bakir is a great example of this. After entering the entrepreneurial world at just 17 years old, he experienced financial and personal difficulties that saw his company enter liquidation. Several years later, Ron Bakir successfully reinvented himself as a professional businessman and is now the CEO of a large property development company.
3. Hire A Life Coach
Does the name Tony Robbins ring a bell? It should. Author, motivational speaker and successful businessman, Tony Robbins has built an entire empire of helping others reach their goals. He is not alone. Life coaching is becoming an increasingly popular and well-recognized profession, especially in the corporate world. A life coach will help you to identify your goals and problems, provide you with expert resources and be a source of constant motivation and support. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
4. Be Thankful
Sometimes all we need is a slight attitude adjustment. It is incredibly easy to dwell in the doldrums, wallowing in self-pity and employing the least amount of energy possible, but if you truly want to escape the daily grind, it’s up to you to act the way you want to feel. Start by writing down a list of the positive aspects of your job. Then think about the number of people who wished they had a job like yours. If you are still unconvinced, look up statistics on global unemployment. It’s all about having a fresh perspective.
5. Socialize More
It is also important to realize that there is more to life than your career. By refocusing your energies on other aspects of your life, you will naturally be less affected by the repetitiveness or stress of your job. Reconnect with old friends, make new friends, and get in touch with family. Try a new hobby, journey to new destinations, or simply read a book.
What works best for you? How long have you been in your current role? Share your stories by commenting below.
This post was originally published on an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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