As I was sitting in a lobby waiting for an appointment to begin today, I was reminded to practice patience. I kept looking at the clock and thinking of all the things that I needed to do. And then I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I started slowly counting to ten and practiced patience. I reminded myself that everything is working out for me and that things unfold as they should. My sense of urgency was self imposed and not being pushed by anyone but me.
I talked to a potential career coaching client last month who didn’t think she would need my help. And this past week she contacted me with great news. She was expecting two offers and wanted help to negotiate and maximize them. I knew she would be back after talking with her the first time. She had great skills and experience. She was taking action each day on her job search goals and the momentum was there. I just needed to be patient and so did she.
To often we are racing toward our goals only to find out that achieving them isn’t as satisfying as we thought they would be. It’s like someone in high school being told to focus on getting good grades and the right sports and activities so they can get into a great college. And then saying that they need to choose the right major to ensure that they can get a great job after college. And then saying they need the right internship and then to get the right job in the right company after graduating from college. And then they need to find the right person to marry to start that part of their life.
Do you do this? Focus on the future so much that you forget about today. Many of us are so focused on our long-term goals and checking them off our list that we forget to focus on now.
I’ve learned that happiness and joy are found in the small moments. The practice of patience and being fully present now instead of thinking about the past or the future is difficult. But it pays off because this morning I had a quiet few minutes to myself as I waited. I turned off the stress and stayed present by being patient.
There are daily habits you can build that will help your job search. Things related to storytelling, networking, and marketing that will build momentum and great results. Too often I talk to clients and they are frustrated and disappointed that they didn’t get the offer they expected. And it can be the smallest of things that ultimately makes you THE candidate chosen to receive the offer. Practicing patience is important, but it needs to be balanced with taking the right actions. If you need help with your job search, schedule a free strategy call by clicking here. https://go.oncehub.com/DLcall