After a beautiful weekend in Vermont with friends and family this weekend, I was reminded how important both of these messages are:
Refresh and Reprogram
When was the last time you truly unplugged? No email, no texts, no electronic devices? Just you and the people who surround you!
With life running 100 miles per hour (or faster) it is so easy to accept the norm and rev into high speed. But try to stop. It is hard. It is really, really hard, especially with the ease of access to technology.
What happens when we unplug? It forced me to focus on the here and now. It forced me to engage in face to face conversations with little opportunity to tune out. It forced me into the place I don’t like going…and I was uncomfortable.
This is where the reprogramming comes in.
When we are forced to step away from the norm it serves as a reminder that we’ve become too comfortable where we are. I was forced into a pattern of thinking very outside of my normal loop. I was coerced into discussions and debates on things I don’t normally think about and it was truly uncomfortable.
This can only happen when we allow ourselves to be exposed to new ways of thinking or different sets of people we don’t normally associate with.
You may be thinking that this is unnecessary. I’ll argue the opposite. It is incredibly necessary. Especially now, during job search. It is sort of like trying to get physically fit by working out. Those muscles hurt the next day, and the next, and the next. Until finally you don’t hurt and instead are becoming stronger.
When you start a new job, it will force you into a zone of un-comfort and you’ll be surrounded with new ways of thinking. All this will be easier to adapt to if you begin stretching today.
As you begin this new week, how will you refresh and reprogram yourself?
When will you unplug and for how long?
What new set of patterns will you stretch your mind to process?
Who will you hang with that will help make either and/or both of these things happen? (Because I am not convinced it will or can happen while hanging solo!)
Hannah Morgan speaks and writes about job search and career strategies. She founded CareerSherpa.net to educate professionals on how to maneuver through today’s job search process. Hannah was nominated as a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Forbes, USA Today, Money Magazine, Huffington Post, as well as many other publications. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.
