Despite the circumstances, you success is within your reach!

Has your daily routine changed dramatically over the last few weeks?

Maybe you’re used to working in an office every day, and you’re suddenly logging into video calls from your living room. Or perhaps your job was temporarily put on hold as your company grapples with the economic effects of social distancing. You might have even lost your job amid the current crisis.

Either way, there are plenty of ways to use this setback to set yourself up for success.

Today, we’re sharing a few ways to stay calm, recenter, and emerge from this challenge stronger and more ready for success than ever before.

Grow your skill set.

Now is a great time to build your resume!

Is there a skill you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the time to? There are plenty of free or reduced-cost resources that are making it easier than ever before to grow personally and professionally.

Hop online and search for your topic of interest on sites like Lynda, Udemy or edX. From coding to fashion design, there’s course material for every kind of subject under the sun.

Use this time at home to dive deep into your industry and pursue advanced certificates that could make you valuable to future employers, or discover something radically different than you’ve done in the past! Either way, don’t pass up this opportunity to grow.

Fine-tune your resume.

When’s the last time you looked at your resume? Especially if you’ve been employed for a while, it’s likely been longer than you think.

Go through and update it, adding in your most recent responsibilities, along with any new qualifications you’ve earned along the way.

If you’re an entrepreneur, your resume might not require as much adjusting. In this case, work on your elevator pitch. This is the 30-second synopsis of your product idea that you can use to pique the interest of customers, partners, and investors. These tips can help you craft one that compels!

Create a goal map to set yourself up for success.

We don’t have to stop daydreaming just because we grow up.

This is an ideal time to reflect on where you’ve been and plan your dreams for the future. With this blank slate in front of you, what do your next steps look like?

Start by considering where you’d like to be in three months. Then, expand it from there. What do your life and career look like one year from now? What about five years?

Sketch or doodle your biggest, boldest ideas and dare to break them down into small, achievable steps.

Take advantage of online webinars.

It isn’t hard to find thousands of examples of people pitching in and helping out during this crisis. For many, this means taking to the internet to share their gifts and talents with the world, free of charge.

One resource to tap into? Free online business webinars.

Career experts are hopping online in droves, offering their sound advice on ways to navigate these next few months to position yourself for success. In just a few clicks, you can learn helpful tips on ways to manage your career, run an online meeting, and even work from home with young kids.

If you can’t make the live meetings, most recordings are available to stream afterward on your own time. Check out these webinars from SCORE to get started.

While you’re at it, why not practice your own webinar skills? This post shows you how to be an excellent online host.

Discover your true passion.

The silver lining with any job obstacle is that it gives you the opportunity to redirect your path. There’s a chance you might have stayed in your current position for years, feeling burnt out and unfulfilled. Now, you have the chance to chart a new course.

What are you really passionate about? If it’s your current field, that’s wonderful! Dive into it and learn as much as possible during your hiatus. If it isn’t, use this time to discover what really brings you alive.

Start by considering what you talk about the most. This is usually a strong indicator of where your interests lie! Maybe you excel in project planning or helping teams grow. Perhaps you’re strongest in a sales role, or you might be a behind-the-scenes technical wizard.

Maybe you have no idea and need a little help. These career-focused tests and quizzes can help you uncover years of uncertainty to reveal your true calling.

Find inspiration for success between the pages.

Did your company require your team to read Who Moved My Cheese years ago? If you said you read it but never did, now’s a great time to download the Audible version.

In this season of slowness, many people are rediscovering their love of reading. You can do the same and help your career at the same time by focusing on self-growth books designed to inspire and motivate you to professional greatness.

A few of our recent favorites include:

  • Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
  • Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
  • The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to a Career You Love by Ken Coleman
  • Failing Up: How to Take Risks, Aim Higher, and Never Stop Learning by Leslie Odom, Jr.
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Rest your mind and body.

Amid all of the job searching and professional development, don’t forget to rest! Spending hours a day frantically clicking online will only exacerbate any stress you’re already feeling. As you make a plan, take advantage of this unexpected break and indulge in all the rest you can.

Need a little help prying your eyes from the screen? Set a timer and actually pencil downtime into your schedule. For 10 minutes, look outside at nature and just be still. Watch the clouds change shape or a bird perched on the feeder nearby, allowing your thoughts to wander anywhere but to the office.

If you want to meditate during this time, use an app like Calm or Headspace to guide you in short meditations. These apps also have soothing music that can make it easier to fall asleep and wake up refreshed.

As you take time to be quiet, you can also pray, listen to soft music, or simply sit and enjoy the stillness. If you’re feeling sleep-deprived, take 15 to 20 minutes for a short power nap!

Create a Plan B.

Part of the anxiety you might be feeling is fear of the unknown.

As you dig deep into growing in your current role, it’s also helpful to create a Plan B. Essentially serving as a worst-case scenario, this plan might be unpleasant to think about at first, but it can be a surprising source of comfort.

Knowing that you have a back-up plan in place gives you even more peace in your day-to-day work. This can fuel a lifetime of positive thinking and position you to return to work stronger and more capable than before.

Setback or setup? You hold the power to write your success story.

There’s no denying the impact recent events have had on careers around the world.

If yours was negatively impacted, take heart. Setbacks occur in our lives for a reason, and there’s always a silver lining at the worst of times. One of our favorite sayings is, “There is no great loss without some small gain.” Your loss may merely be the loss of a familiar routine, or it may be as great as the loss of job security. Try to find the silver linings in those losses, however painful, and move in the direction the universe is nudging you in with confidence in your self-worth.

There’s never been a better time to take a deep breath, connect, and learn. This can be the first step toward the career you always envisioned for yourself or toward greater visibility at your current place of employment, so don’t be afraid to take it.

Need to talk to our office during this time? We’re here and ready to connect.

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