Just Like Starting Over

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” ~ Meister Eckhart

Let’s suppose that you have been at your job for 14 years and that about a month ago, your immediate supervisor let you (and others) go due to corporate restructuring. Let’s further suppose that on Tuesday of this week you received an email stating:

Dear Mr. Jones,

Thank you for your interest in So and So, Inc. and for the time you spent completing our online candidate process.

At this time, we have other candidates who more closely match this position’s needs. Therefore, we will not be advancing you in the process.

Sincerely,

Jane Doe

So & So, Inc.

Let’s say that you had been counting on snagging an interview with So and So, Inc.

Let’s say that did not happen.

What are you going to do now?

In conversation with job seekers, more often than not, the notion of “starting over” arises:

I am too old to start over.

I am not willing to go back to entry level.

I refuse to change my resume each and every time I reply to a posting.

I can’t take a salary cut.

I have no interest in looking outside my industry, even though there aren’t that many jobs in my field.

I started over when I was 35 – I have already been there, done that; why should I have to start all over again?

Starting over is not easy. Starting over requires forging ahead even though you have not one clue about what’s in front of you. Starting over means that things will be different. Starting over means dealing with unknowns, uncertainty, unrest and a roller-coaster of emotions. Starting over means that you may feel scared, frightened, frustrated, and fearful of what’s next. Starting over means that you don’t know where you are going -- you simply convince yourself that you are going.

Starting over means that what job title you have been in the past may not be what job title you become in the future. Starting over means tapping into self-discipline and focus to find your way forward. Starting over means motivating yourself on a consistent basis. Starting over means tracking your own job search performance. Starting over means opening your mind, your eyes and your heart to the possibility of what might be. Starting over means that the predictability of yesterday has been replaced with the ambiguity of tomorrow.

Starting over is not for the faint of heart. Starting over takes every ounce of energy, commitment, and confidence you can muster when you receive yet another letter of rejection. Starting over means choosing hope over despair, even when you see not one shred of evidence to keep you hopeful. Starting over means that you get a chance to greet each new day with gratitude and optimism as you begin anew.

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."
~ Nido Qubein

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