Did you drag yourself to work today? You feel kinda trapped? You wish you could just escape? It’s a lousy feeling.

I Ran Away Once

I ran away from home once. It was 7:15am. Summer. And I didn’t want to go to school. I was 5 years old. School was a drag. I hated the routine. I had a feeling of dread in my gut. It’s still vivid in my mind.

And in my career I’ve felt the same way a number of times. But now I’m big, running away isn’t really an option. There are responsibilities.

1 Strategy to Cope

So how does one cope? Well, for one thing, one can make a planned escape. But this is for another post.

Short term – today – the strategy with the best results – you WILL be surprised – is the one where you just do the next thing you have to do, and you do it right.

Forget the pressure. Just do one thing right. Get the satisfaction of doing something right.

Switch off the phone. Shut down your e-mail. Just for an hour. And do something right. Plan something. Complete something. Cross something off your list.

You may well need to change jobs. But for now … your short term goal should be to develop positive momentum.

Changing job or career is tough. Rather do it off a base of strength than off a base  of being disgruntled, weak and slow. And here’s the kicker: you may find that a new mental approach helps you be happier, even
now.

Personal Reason for the Topic

The reason for this topic – my daughter Zoe (7) although top of her class, is waking up every day saying: “I don’t want to go to school.” And I’m reliving my experience.

Interesting Links

1) See a copy of a CV I wrote that got the client (who had no qualifications and patchy experience) 3 job interviews immediately, a choice of offers, and the highest seniority position (Group Procurement Manager) he’s ever had. Go to www.wowcv.net/johnjonas.pdf

Just remember – EVERY CV is different. This one was right for him. Something else may work better for you. That’s why in my CV writing I take a personal approach.

2) There’s nothing quite like feeling fit and strong to pep up one’s performanace at work or chances of coming across ‘switched on’ and bright in an interview. I recommend this, it gets results and doesn’t take more than 15 mins. Click here. [Funny link, I know, but perfectly safe.]

Over the last 4 months I’ve completed my new book – being edited as we speak. It’ll be like nothing else you’ve ever read in terms of practical, step-by-step job search tactics. Will let you know more soon.

Something interesting: never saw myself as a hotel person. But man, when you have kids like us – Zoe and Ethan, 6 and 3 – hotels with all their facilities and food laid on are cool, cool, cool!

So what are your goals for 2009? I never achieve mine. So I don’t have any. BUT … what I do have is an overall philosophy or approach that I know, if I put it to work, it’ll result in big benefits. The approach is based on 3 things:

1. Knowing what’s really important to me – what I value most, what I really want for my family and me, what I want my business to be about, what I want for my health and wellbeing, etc – this underpins any decision making I have to make regarding what to do with my time/resources/energy.
2. Drawing up a basic schedule of activity – booking blocks of time for things that are of real importance, whether personal – like exercise – or family – like doing something like walking in the woods every Tuesday late afternoon – or work – like writing CVs, marketing, or writing blog posts, etc.
3. Being ruthless. “ruthless: hard hearted, showing no mercy”. I won’t always feel like doing stuff. But I know that if I don’t do ‘stuff’ I can expect a frustrating year of little or no progress. I’m excited by what I could achieve. But discipline has to keep me on track, when all hell is breaking loose.

So, that approach is nothing new, but it helps to have something in place, huh?

Please share your ideas and approaches below.