EG #21: The "Right" Time Rut
Break out of your 10 block radius.
Reframe
The first line I’m hearing now when speaking with people “I know it’s not the right time to be looking for a job.” Then their voice trails off with a heavy sigh. I can hear the distinct sound of a frown.
Here’s the thing: There’s never a “right” time.
That’s a misconception. Something we tell ourselves to stay comfortable.
Imagine if the people constructing the Empire State Building or Chrysler Building in 1930 just threw the towel in because it wasn’t the right time to build, in the midst of economic turmoil caused by a stock market crash and Great Depression.
Another layer feeding the “right” time misconception is the information that’s readily available to you.
What you see: Layoff news, questionable economic data, train derailments, violence and war.
What you might not see: Companies growing, new ideas forming and combining in stealth mode, new AI tools to speed productivity and creativity.
It’s easy to lose sight of potential opportunities with so much noise.
This very topic came up today with a gentleman I connected with on LinkedIn back in 2014. We’ve been in touch since and I’ve got great references on him. His company was just bought. Now the investors want to 3X their money. The problem is no one can agree on how to do that. They froze all hiring, set unrealistic revenue goals, started focusing on random metrics, and then suddenly stopped communicating as frequently. A kiss of death.
He used to get 10 recruiter messages a day with new people reaching out to him. Now he gets two. He’s in a Schrödinger's cat situation, feeling like he both has a job and doesn’t have a job at the same time.
Within 10 minutes of speaking, I had him set for an interview as a CTO for a FinTech I’m advising.
If you’re not where you want to be with hiring or looking for a job, let’s talk about it.
Sometimes all you need is feedback or one right connection.
Book a 7 min call here or reply to this email.
NYC
When you live in New York City, a funny thing happens. With the entire city accessible at any time you want, you still tend to stay within a 10 block radius.
So when a friend wanted to have brunch downtown in the West Village, it moved me outside of this comfort zone. While I love living in the Upper East Side, the fact remains that the food is better downtown.
The West Village is known to be a haven for creative communities of artists, musicians, and writers. It’s got a distinct bohemian vibe. The streets are lined with brownstones, charming boutiques, and tables & chairs of local restaurants. You can even find streets made of cobblestone here.
The restaurant, Morandi, served delightful Italian fare with the best carbonara I’ve ever had. It’s a pasta dish of spaghetti, egg, and pancetta (Italian ham). This pancetta was shaved thin and melted in your mouth instead of the typical chewy chunks of pork.
Afterwards, we went to a shop and found out that the best deals are not always online.
After scoping out a packable jacket online for a couple weeks, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted. Then a gentleman working at the store greeted me, asked what brought me in and let me know about a special deal on the jacket I had my eye on only available in store. The color was not even sold online.
Made me wonder about how many other deals I might be missing out on too.
Good reminder to break out of the typical radius more often.
Running
The focus in Chi Running is form, endurance, and speed. In that order.
Just like a career.
Learn what good looks like, add complexity, then arrive at the right answers faster with experience.
If you can keep form and stick with it on a run, you can do the same in other areas of your life. You’ve given yourself evidence. Success physically with a run leads to success mentally too. The mind and the body work together in a constant feedback loop. This loop becomes clear on long runs where the effort is as much mental as physical. Luckily, Chi Running fills in the gaps with short, easy to repeat form focuses.
While there is an extensive list of form focuses you can draw on during the run, here are the big ones for fundamental posture:
Align your feet & legs
Soften your knees
Balance your feet (left/right, front/back, inside/outside)
Lengthen the back of your neck by lifting through the crown of your head
Level your pelvis
Relax your glutes
Create your Column (shoulders, hips, ankles aligned)
Look for your shoelaces
One-Legged posture stance
The “C” shape (Holding upper abs in while relaxing upper and lower body)
Feel your Column with each foot strike
Relax everything but your lower abs
These give you mental & physical scripts to fix any bugs on your run.
However, no two runs are the same because you’re different each time you start physically and mentally.
The form focuses change too. What worked yesterday might not work today. You learn to sense it and adjust with experience.
What stays the same is the metronome. Consistently beeping for each step to keep cadence consistent at 180 strides per minute, whether going uphill, downhill, or changing pace. The rhythm that keeps you on track towards the next finish line.
What form focuses do you have right now at work?
What’s your metronome that stays the same at work?
Think about it.
Let’s keep moving,
Jen
> “I know it’s not the right time to be looking for a job.”
I find one thing that helps me is to think of it not necessarily as "looking for a job," but seeing what's out there.
For some reason, if I think to myself "I'm looking for a job," it just feels like I'm under pressure to land something within a certain period of time. And it carries with it a sort of implication that I'm unhappy with my current job. Neither of which are necessarily true.
If I just think to myself, "I'm just seeing what's out there," my perspective changes. I'm more relaxed, and open to applying, talking to recruiters, etc. Because I don't feel any pressure in landing a job (I'm just looking).
As a side note, that cappuccino bear just put a smile on face. Thanks for that, Jen!
Like that reframe Alvin! Thanks for adding to the conversation