Since last week’s post was about motivation, let’s keep that ball rolling. Today we will focus on acknowledging your successes.
I know it’s a bit of a grind when you’re looking for a job. Every day feels like more futile launching of your resume into the ether, another ghosting after an interview, one endless day of feeling useless after another.
But what if you learned to celebrate the little wins instead? What if you gave yourself credit for sending off those applications? For reaching out to people in your chosen industry? Heck, some days you can give yourself credit for just getting out of bed in the morning! These may seem like small things, but they add up. Each little step you take is getting you closer to your goal, so honor that. Set small daily objectives for yourself, things that you know you can accomplish. I like a whiteboard for this, but your phone’s notes or a scrap of paper or some calendar entries will work fine, too. Use what works for you!
And then figure out what your reward will be. This doesn’t have to be big, but it should be something you look forward to, and that you only get when you complete your tasks. You can take a nice long walk or play a round of your favorite game or watch an episode of a show you like, or maybe a glass of wine with dinner. You might even just stop and spend a moment thinking about what you’ve accomplished. The main thing is for it to feel like a little reward for your efforts.
I also like to think about larger rewards for larger successes. For instance, if you do everything you set out to do in a given week, you might treat yourself to a blueberry muffin or a weekend hike. And when you get your first paycheck from your new job, you might give yourself a new outfit or a nice massage. Again, what the reward is doesn’t matter, as long as it’s something that feels celebratory to you.
In a job market like this one, your search is likely to take longer than normal, so it’s more important than ever to find ways to celebrate those wins. Try to shake off the things that don’t feel great, and instead really focus on the ways you’ve been successful. One of the hardest things about looking for work is that you aren’t getting the built-in rewards of a job (a paycheck, benefits, coffee in the break room) so you’ll need to find your own ways of staying motivated
