Mid-Year Check Up: The Full 360
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Okay, I can almost hear what you’re thinking: “Washington is making massive job-killing mistakes, employers are either getting by with less or unwilling to expand, and besides it’s summer. So, what can I possibly do to move my job search forward?” Frankly, if you’ve honestly been taking reasonable steps in conducting your job search, and assuming you’re using every opportunity to show your value and build relationships, there probably isn’t much more you can do.

An honest assessment at your efforts in managing a job search is important. Yet, in my experience, too many people in job search become so focused on landing that new position that they lose sight of the bigger picture: their lives. So, maybe your mid-year check up ought not to focus on how you’re doing in your job search, but on how you want your life to be.

Consider the parable of the MBA and the Mexican fisherman.

If you haven’t heard it, the gist is this: A tourist with a Harvard MBA meets a fisherman who is content to sleep late, fish a little as a livelihood, play with his children, take siesta with his wife, and stroll into the village each evening to sip wine and play guitar with his amigos.

The tourist takes it upon himself to describe how the fisherman can grow his business, issue an IPO, and make millions. On the question of “what then,” the tourist tells the fisherman: “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Okay, you may wonder how this applies to you.

If you’re like a lot of other career-oriented people, you may think that the real rewards in life will come at the end of your career. So, you keep focused on finding that job…or perhaps on the frustration of not finding one. But you may not have thought about how you truly want your life to be. So, whether you are currently working or not, take some time to do a life check up and consider how you may want to rebalance. Look at the full 360! In other words, think of how you invest your energy in the various parts your life portfolio, and figure out the return in satisfaction. And while you’re at it, determine to lift your level of happiness. To help you, a good summer read would be Get A Life: You Don’t Need A Million to Retire Well, Ralph Warner.

Sure, I know that considering your retirement is counterintuitive. Yet, by shifting your focus, you may discover that in creating a satisfying life, you may find you can reinvent your career in ways you may not have considered during your relentless pursuit of a new position. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a way to sell a few fish so you can enjoy your more time with your family and amigos.