{"id":2437,"date":"2010-05-09T20:09:33","date_gmt":"2010-05-10T04:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=2437"},"modified":"2013-08-22T09:03:06","modified_gmt":"2013-08-22T17:03:06","slug":"the-5-essentials-of-reinventing-yourself","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/the-5-essentials-of-reinventing-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Essentials Of Reinventing Yourself"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While Wall Street claims that the recession has run its\u2019 course, the jobless rate continues to hover at more than 10 percent and millions of people are experiencing prolonged unemployment.\u00a0 In fact, in a recent report put out by Rutgers University entitled \u201cNo End in Sight: The Agony of Prolonged Unemployment,\u201d<\/em><\/a> experts state that economic improvements have had little to no positive effects on those still searching for work.\u00a0 Eight in ten people who lost their job in the recession have yet to find a new one, and those that have found work have been forced to take a pay cut, work without benefits or take a job they don\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

Unemployment itself is bad enough and prolonged unemployment, described as those who have been searching for more than 6 months, is quite simply put\u2026 a nightmare of the very worst kind.\u00a0 People have lost their homes, sold valuable possession to make ends meet, borrowed money from friends, dipped into their retirement funds, overlooked medical care and the list goes on and on.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not forget to mention the physical and emotional toll that joblessness takes on a human being.\u00a0 Insomnia is on the rise, and it goes without saying that stress levels are too.\u00a0 Anxiety, anger and depression are all results of this economic debacle the world is facing.<\/p>\n

In fact, as you read this, you might even be nodding in concurrence because of your own harrowing experience or that of a friend or relative.<\/p>\n

Those of us who are out of work wonder if we will ever find another job again.\u00a0 We wonder \u201cwhat happened?\u00a0 I was so good at my job.\u201d\u00a0 But then, after 6, 7 months, even a year without a job\u2026 a year of sending out resumes into the world wide web to seemingly anonymous employers, of waiting for those anonymous employers to respond, a year of rejection emails\u2026 a year of trying to hold your head up high as you walk to your mailbox anxiously awaiting your next unemployment check (of course, that\u2019s only if you\u2019ve been approved for an extension)\u2026 we can\u2019t help but wonder \u201cwas I really good at my job<\/em>?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWill I ever get hired again?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cDo I even want to continue working in that field?\u201d<\/p>\n

And that brings me to my point\u2026 as difficult and challenging as unemployment – of any amount of time \u2013 is\u2026 could this also be a chance to re-evaluate your career path?\u00a0 To re-invent yourself?<\/p>\n

In an article I wrote a few months back, \u201cThe Upside of the Economic Downturn: Why Being Unemployed Isn\u2019t So Bad\u201d<\/a> I asked:\u00a0 Is this a chance at your dream???<\/em><\/p>\n

Think about your life before your first job.\u00a0 What was your dream?\u00a0 Not your goal or your plans, but your dream\u2026 that far away, far-fetched idea that you spent late nights discussing with your college buddies.\u00a0 Did you dream of owning your own business?\u00a0 Or maybe you wanted to become a writer, nurse, lawyer, or singer?<\/p>\n

There are certainly a lot of factors involved in making the decision to reinvent oneself.\u00a0 And it is a personal decision that one must make oneself.\u00a0 This piece has not been written to suggest that you neglect your responsibilities of paying bills, caring for your children or finding a job.\u00a0 But, rather, it was written to suggest that in the 8 hours a day you spend looking for that job, I think at least 60 minutes could be taken to work on achieving your dreams as well.<\/p>\n

Here are a few tips to help start the re-inventing process:<\/p>\n