4 Lessons I have Learned from Being Unemployed

Today I have a little more personal post to share with you because I feel like that from every single situation we face in life we have the opportunity to learn some lessons. Even those moments when the circumstances are not so easy we can always change our perspective and still get something positive from this experience. 

We can't always control the things that happen to us, but we always have the power to choose our mindset so today I would like to tell you a little bit more about how I have changed my perspective during my year of being unemployed and the lessons I have learned from this experience. 

But first, I would like to give some more context, last year I have left my office job, the one I had for the last 7 years of my life. And although this was my decision, it still felt kind of difficult in the beginning. I'm a person that started working very early when I was 18 so until that point in time, I had no idea of what it was like not having a job. 

During the first months, I felt lost, out of place, and I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and my time. I started to desperately look for a new job because I couldn't stand the idea of not having my life organized by that 9-5 schedule. I went to a couple of interviews but nothing happened. The months went by and I was still unemployed. 

It was really hard because at this point I have started to question my skills and started to think that maybe I wasn't going to find another job. I had that believe inside of me that my value was related to my job and position. And not having any job at that moment led me to think I had no value. That was really wrong. 

After 6 months of this situation, I have decided to change my thoughts on my unemployment situation, I stopped the desperate job hunting, relaxed and that's when everything started to change. I focused on the positive and now I can see that my year of unemployment gave some really valuable life lessons that I have learned:

1- To take some rest

As I previously said, I have worked since I was 18 and I grew up in a family where working was very important and something that the people around me seemed to valued. Therefore, in the beginning, I didn't allow myself to rest. I wanted to go back as quickly as possible to being productive again. Therefore, I see it as a hidden blessing that I didn't find a job right away because I had to learn to allow myself to rest, to recover, to recharge my batteries during that time. I have learned that it's OK to have some time off because I had many years of working full time so it was just a natural balance that I had the opportunity to rest then.

2- To appreciate the time

In the same line with the last point, when I was unemployed, I realized all the time I had available and I started to think about what I could do with that time. I decided to focus on my blog and use my time to make it grow, to practice a little bit more with my photography and editing, to learn how to use a new software, to interact more with other bloggers, etc. 
I also took the opportunity to do some courses, learn new skills and to explore my career options and alternatives. I realized that this was the time I have to really think about what I wanted to do in the future, what kind of job I wanted to have and what I needed to do in order to get there. 
In addition, with all that extra time, I tried to see my friends more often and spend more time with my family, which also gave me a lot of support during those times. 

3- To stay positive and motivated

This is definitely one of the biggest lessons I have learned because sometimes is really hard to stay positive when things don't go the way you want them to. When you go to an interview and you don't get the job is very easy to feel sad and defeated but I came to understand that it's all part of a bigger process. I learned to accept the present situation and to trust myself, to trust in my knowledge and skills and to stay positive knowing that at some point things would change for the better. Also, when you are not at your best situation you have to find the motivation yourself to get up every day and do something valuable.

4- To appreciate the things I had

Last but not the least, when I was unemployed for such a long period of time, I learned to really appreciate the things I already had because I didn't have a salary to be buying new stuff every month. I needed to feel satisfied and happy with what I had and I think that is very important because if you don't feel satisfied with what you already have, what
makes you think that you will be when you have more? It doesn't work that way.
I have also learned to manage my finances more responsibly and to really evaluate my needs and desires when buying something. 

Anyway, I really wanted to share these thoughts because as I said, I think that even in difficult times there is room for learning and growth. Being unemployed is hard but it's up to you to make this situation something that you can benefit from in some way. And that goes for everything else in life. I hope you find this post interesting and let me know in the comments if you have had a difficult situation in which you have grown? What were the lessons you have learned?