Dealing with your ‘in the meantime’ malaise

Make good use of your time while climbing that mountain!

It’s pretty hard to focus on the world around us when we are going through a challenging time, including lacking luck in finding a job. Whether it’s a job search, stagnant sales, or any of life’s challenges, we can be heavily burdened by our fear, stress, and uncertainty.

Therefore, I challenge you to alter your way of thinking, embrace the challenge, and be proactive in the meantime. You know, your in the meantime – time spent in your holding pattern until you achieve your goal. So, here are some tips for springing into action, whether you feel like it or not, to endure and thrive during your in the meantime.

1.         Volunteer

If you are looking for a job and having no luck, continue to improve your skill set by identifying volunteer opportunities. You may be involved in your home owner’s association, place of worship, or children’s school lunch volunteer program.

Participate in your high school’s career day, and speak to youth about your career successes and challenges. If the school does not have a career day, start one! You never know if it will lead to a new career opportunity hand delivered to you by a high school alumnus who has an opening at his job that matches your qualifications and interests. Even if it does not, at least you have developed organizational and interpersonal skills planning the career day that you can reflect on your resume.

2.         Improve your community

One of the best ways to shake off the sullenness is to focus on others. Use your energy to help improve your community. Whether hosting a neighborhood watch program with the local police, or encouraging neighbors to participate in a community clean up, your efforts will benefit those around you.

 3.         Educate yourself

Education does not have to be in the form of a four-year degree. You can sign up for a certificate program in your career field, or general interests. Your in the meantime allows for you to participate in a class you never made time to take while you were working, including website design or learning a foreign language. Your leisurely classes can also be an added benefit to your knowledge, skills, and abilities.

4.         Improve yourself

Your in the meantime can lead you to explore ways to improve who you are. There is now time to explore your purpose and connectedness with others. It is a great opportunity to reinstate family dinnertime, reading a book, and building relationships with loved ones.

Developing your In The Meantime Plan

No matter how you choose to make the best of your in the meantime, there are three steps to help you make the best of your decisions: conceptualize, strategize, and implement.

Conceptualize what it is you want to do or pursue, like organize a book drive for the local library or joining a board of directors. What is it you want to do? Is it a benefit to your in the meantime? Next, strategize your approach. Who should you talk to in order to get started? How much time do you want to spend on the in the meantime activity? Finally, implement your plan. It is great to identify positive ways to occupy yourself in the meantime; however, all will be for naught if you do not follow through with your endeavors.

How have you dealt with your in the meantime? Let us know in the comments section.

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Ode to a Peacemaker

We could take a few lessons from The Peacemaker

A treasured mentor and fellow Sorority member passed away last week. She meant many things to many people in Philadelphia. To me, she was an exemplar; someone who had the uncanny ability to always know what to say and how to respond – even in the throes of conflict. For more than 50 years, this Peacemaker dedicated her life and wisdom to bettering the community in which she lived.

The reason I am writing about The Peacemaker on Ask The Strategist is that the lessons she taught me, and indeed, all she touched, are also germane to the principles of business. There are three that should become mainstays:

1. Hold your tongue: Before launching into action, and in the process saying things that may be regretted later, The Peacemaker always quietly reflected on the situation before saying anything. Most often, she did not say anything at all, wisely waiting to gauge the barometer and addressing concerns only when, and if, necessary. In business, we sometimes have a tendency to become defensive, often speaking before assessing the situation, and ultimately say things that may come back to haunt us – with coworkers and clients.

2. Hold others in high esteem: It is so easy to criticize and make suppositions when it comes to others. We may feel that the way they think is wrong, or that they are clueless in their actions. The Peacemaker always held others in high regard, even if she did not agree with them. She saw the best in others. You have undoubtedly heard about Jaheel Robinson, who was fired from his job at the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles yesterday, for complaining about customers and his employer via Twitter. He may have benefitted from The Peacemaker’s modus operandi on dealing with others before blasting them on social media sites.

RMV employee fired for Twitter rant : MyFoxBOSTON.com

3. Make Peace, Not War: I have witnessed The Peacemaker step in and create peaceful harmony in the community, when folks were at odds. Reaching out personally to everyone, whether they were involved or not, created such an air of camaraderie and widespread introspection that her actions inevitably led to a peaceable outcome. In the workplace, we can each be a peacemaker and inspire calm during intensive situations. Everyone has a part to play in creating a great environment in which we can work, play, and create.

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