I received some advice recently that reset me mentally and possibly did the work of 2 therapy sessions. I’ll share the bits with you in case you need them. For context, life has been lifeing. Not in a crazy way– I’m having some new adulting experiences that a 26-year-old professional is expected to have. What do I do next? What professional route can I take that will make me feel most secure? Should I pivot?
Also… the current state of the world as reported by my news notifications and social media feed SUCKS. I’m feeling the doom of the 20-somethings; I don’t need my government stressing me out as well. My usual, “fuck it, we ball,” motto was just not cutting it.
The advice I received was from a fellow freelancer and was intended to be applied and interpreted professionally. However, a lot of it could be applied to the wear and tear the current political state is doing to our emotional state.
Nowhere is forever
Professionally, go into every opportunity– full-time or freelance project– knowing that they cannot promise you permanence. It’s just not the way it works. I was trying to base my career decisions on where I would feel more secure and permanent, and it was stressing me out a lot. When the layoffs happen, contracts end, or scope doesn’t extend to the next quarter, it’ll feel better to have known it was temporary from the start than to feel the world come crumbling down by the shock of its lack of permanence. It’s okay! Things end, we move on.
Culturally and politically, we have to remind ourselves that this era is temporary. Just as things feel like they did a 180 out of nowhere, they can shift again. While it feels like we have time traveled to times unfamiliar to us, we must remember that we (the people) are smarter than we’ve ever been, more connected than we’ve ever been thanks to our devices, and therefore will persevere through this temporary period.
Move in a way that benefits you
When you’re unsure what your next move should be, offset some of the indecisiveness by remembering to prioritize what benefits you at that moment. Worry less about your commitment to a job title, work style, company, etc., and make the move that you need to make for yourself when it’s time.
When it comes to socializing IRL1, let’s not interpret this in a way that would encourage individualism. Right now, we must move in a way that benefits you as a collective. This is some do-what-you-have-to-do-to-sustain advice, which means being very intentional about your politics, community building, and organizing.
Look to your network
This is the advice we’ve heard before, but sometimes need to be reminded of. For whatever it is that you need professionally– advice, a brainstorm, support, or a referral– look to your people! Like actually reach out and connect with people without thinking that you’re a burden or feeling too scared to ask.
The same goes for IRL. You need people. Individualism is part of what got us to the political place we are in now. If you’re unsure what to do, look to your friends and family. Hanging out can be the serotonin boost you need to keep going.
A few extra tidbits:
- Trust your instincts; make the pivots and decisions your body tells you to.
- Look at change optimistically and with a mindset of abundance
- If you’re a creative, you can envision and mold the life you want to live– there’s so much power in that!
Your task now? Journal! Whether you do that physically in a notebook or in your head in bed at night. Do some soul-searching. What’s calling out to you professionally and/or socially? What do you truly want your life to look like? What top 2 causes/issues do you care about the most?
-Akosua
- I use “IRL” to differentiate from work life. Work is real life and personal for some people! My work is marketing, so it’s not for me most of the time. ↩︎
