I was recently having lunch with a friend of mine who was laid off several months ago. She had just received a job offer that was very good, however the position was doing virtually the same thing she was doing before and she had determined to use this time to make a career change. I think the timing is great to assess what you really want out of your career and focus on making the changes you would like to make, but you have to balance that with your financial situation.

As we continued the discussion, she told me she was grateful for the offer because she really needed it financially. She was trying to decide what to do and was really struggling with it, which I completely understand. You don’t want to continue doing something you don’t want to do and stay in that vicious cycle. However, in this economic climate I suggested she take the position and view it as a short-term gig to tide her over until things begin to turn around. It’s still very important not to forget your dreams and to continue to focus on what you really want, even if you’re doing things like reading about it, taking classes, meeting with people in that industry, etc.

I’m all about following your dreams and your passion, but if you’re in a tough financial situation and you get a job offer it might make sense to take it for the short-term even if it’s not ideal. It’s a balancing act, but if you’re in a desperate financial situation it will be really hard to follow your dreams and make any significant headway. You don’t want to be in survival mode if you can avoid it because it forces you to make decisions that aren’t best for you.

During the last big downturn in 2001, I was out of work and offered a job at a much reduced salary but I took it and was grateful. I still focused on trying to figure out what I really wanted and used that time to explore multiple options. You can view a job as a short-term opportunity and not feel guilty about it. The career landscape has changed and you have to look out for yourself. That’s not to say that you don’t work hard if you take a short-term opportunity, you can still do a good job and focus on yourself and what you want.

We all get into a routine and think we have to do everything sitting at our desks in front of our computers. The problem with this is; it squashes creativity. It’s hard to have breakthrough ideas or creative insights when you’re in your routine. Your brain craves new experiences and challenges, plus who can come up with great ideas with new emails coming in every minute!

I’ve been reading some books and articles on the brain and creativity and a recurring theme it’s suggested to get out of your routine and try something new. By giving your brain something new to focus on gives it the space to allow solutions to come through. Have you ever had an “aha” moment while driving down the road that just comes out of nowhere? Your brain relaxed enough to allow a fresh idea or insight to bubble up through the subconscious.

Some ideas for getting out of your routine when you’re trying to have creative insight:

• Visit a museum over your lunch break
• Drive a route you’ve never driven before or go on a long, scenic drive
• Play a musical instrument
• Listen to classical music or some other music you don’t normally listen to
• Get a massage
• Spend some time writing, just jotting down things that come up as they come up (stream of consciousness)

Just taking an hour to do something like this away from your desk will give your subconscious mind the opportunity to allow some insights to bubble up to your conscious mind. I’ve been trying some of these tactics and I’ve found that I don’t necessarily have the insight while I’m doing the new activity, it comes an hour or so later but it’s definitely working!

I’ve recently had a couple of people ask me what my New Year’s resolutions are, and to be honest I don’t do resolutions. The word resolution, doesn’t inspire me. It sounds like I have to use a lot of willpower and force myself to do something I don’t really want to do. It’s something I know I should do, but I really don’t want to do it or I would have done it by now.

I like the word aspiration much better. So, for 2009 I’m setting Aspirations. Yeah, I like that much better… So, I thought I would share them.

1. Create my own economy.

2. Play more.

3. Spend less time in front of my computer. Do more brainstorming and creative thinking in unusual places and get myself outside of normal routines to create a space for new ideas to bubble up.

4. Notice the beauty around me and connect with the planet on a daily basis. I was noticing the sky tonight and how remarkable it was. I usually forget to do that unless I’m on vacation.

5. Allow more. Give more space to people who are different or who annoy me, be easy and gentle with those I disagree with.

That’s it, those are my 2009 Aspirations. I also have set goals of course, but that’s a different post. I saw a quote today that I love and think it’s representative of the times and this post.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

ciao for now