Last week when I spoke at a professional mingle/networking event in the University of Melbourne, some students came up to me and asked how I stayed strong and positive during my job search journey – especially when I had to send out more than 500 resumes before securing a full-time position.

I just asked them frankly “Would you rather work hard, put yourself out there and step out of your comfort zone (even while risking failure and ridicule), or would you rather put in minimal effort and remain unknown and invisible in the jobs candidate pool?”

After putting that question out there, they had nothing to say. Each of them knew, without having to say a word, what they needed to do.

Choose.

Sometimes, asking yourself serious questions can have serious effects, results and implications.

Would you rather struggle with getting up at 6am to work out and hit the gym? Or would you rather struggle to fit in your pants?

Would you rather stress about budgeting and getting your money and finances right? Or would you rather be stressed out when you see the bank account balance?

Would you rather experiment, test the waters, risk failure and experiment with new product lines? Or would you rather maintain the status quo and let the competition overtake your business?

Would you rather find the time to volunteer and work part-time to gain useful work experience during the holidays? Or would you just while your vacation time away and then freak out when it’s time for job interviews (and you don’t have much to show)?

Would you rather put in the time and effort to upskill, grow yourself professionally and stay relevant? Or would you prefer to put in the time and effort to have to look for another job after receiving the retrenchment letter?

Would you rather pursue your dreams, seize the day and get out of your comfort zone? Or would you rather end up with regret (should have, would have, could have) for not trying, at the end of the day?

The fascinating thing about asking these “two-sided” questions is that it clarifies the consequences of action and inaction.

Most of us are concerned about the consequences and repercussions of our actions, that we might actually overlook the consequences of inaction.

Start challenging yourself with these questions. Put yourself on the spot. Put your actions/inactions on the spot. Be brutally open and honest about yourself and your situation.

You can and deserve to do so much more. Don’t let your limitations, whether real or perceived, hold you back!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...