Recently I polled a number of people in my job search networking support group about what they look forward to doing again when they get a job. Although the answers varied, they had one thing in common. People wanted to return the life they had before they were let go from their job.
Some of the answers were going on vacation, eat at exceptionally nice restaurants, go to Broadway shows, visit museums and make plans for the future. I expected answers like pay their bills, buy a new house, car, and new clothes. It was interesting to see they missed the finer things in life. These are the things that are driving forces to get back to work.
It was fascinating to see what they missed. Instead of missing the camaraderie of colleagues or learning new skills, they missed their lifestyle. They feel like their lives are on hold and that bothers them. The inability to make plans for their leisure time and retirement concerns the, especially if they dip into retirement savings to get by.
However, it’s the dreams that keep them going because as soon as they get back to work they are going to _____________. I’ll let you fill in the blank. Having a fun goal keeps their thinking about other things than the mundane things about going back to work. I don’t think anyone is looking forward to being stuck in traffic, filled in boxes, or endless meetings. Instead, they are thinking about a fine meal at a 5 star restaurant or seeing the latest Broadway show.
The fun things done after work is what’s driving them forward to search for jobs. And who can blame them. Because now they have more free time than they like, but they can’t do the things they want to do.
What are you looking forward to doing when you get back to work?
Arleen Bradley is a certified career coach and certified job loss recovery coach. She assists clients in moving beyond job loss grief in order to land dream jobs. To learn more about the Job Loss Recovery Program and how you can benefit from it, log on to www.arleenbradley.com.
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