As I navigate LinkedIn and other networks searching for a job, I come across layoff posts left right and center. There are condolences, recommendations, beggars, amplifiers. It feels overwhelming. Even though I am out of work because I chose to, and I should feel thankful that I have that privilege, I am in the same waters as people losing their jobs and I can’t help but feel the flood of the world around me. Just like when news of towns in Pakistan or Venezuela disappear under water currents hurt me, I also feel the pressure of all these people now unexpectedly looking for a place where they can do their best work and get paid for it. The reality is I am in the pool as they are, no matter how I ended up there.
And that is the thing about being a global citizen, with as wide a perspective as I can fit in my brain. It comes with all the perks. It means I have access, in theory, to all these job opportunities across all these geographies. It means I can expand skills and knowledge in a way that makes me, I hope, more inclusive and effective. But being a global citizen also means I carry the madness of the world on a spine that feels like it’s collapsing under all this weight. The load of megalomaniacs using global channels to give a voice to their very loud, annoying, and hungry egoes. The load of citizens being violently censored. The uninspiring and repetitive startups who keep on defining themselves as “the fastest growing startup in [region] aiming to become the leading [solution] for [users] in the [industry]” that opaque the more sensible teams.
But amidst the tide that surrounds me I try to keep swimming and searching to find a place where there is still sensibility and humility. I apply systematic and logical skills learned during years of working different jobs to keep me focused. And I mix that with the emotional and social skills that allow me to process the reality with acceptance and compassion.
One part I treat it like a sales job: it’s all about the actions I put in. Send 5 applications today. Send 10 tomorrow. Send 15 the day after. Get rejected 1, 2, 3, 4 times by a bot. Get no feedback. Keep going. You’ll maybe close 1 deal of 100, or of 1000. Keep going.
Another part I treat it like a product job: solve a problem that is worth it. Your needs are worth it. Define your success. Find users (companies) to test your prototype (yourself) on. Learn from the results and iterate. Keep testing and iterating. Keep going. Pivot. If not this technology, try that. If not this industry, that other. If not that market, then that other one.
And the last part I treat it like the job of life: a game of balance to stay sane and lift each other. Play Mortal Kombat. Walk the dog. Dance to a song. Help someone. Read a fiction book. Turn off Wi-fi. Exercise. Write, draw, create. Go out with a friend. Build something. Hug someone.
If you lost your job recently, take a break. Let yourself be sad, angry, scared and disappointed. Don’t let yourself get lost in that only, though. Pick your sh*t and get it all in a bag, and then go put a plan together of how you will approach your job search and why. Then, go search and find.
I wish us all success. Whatever success means to each of us.
Happy Friday,
Maria 🌺
Discover more from Maria Lasprilla
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Maria Lasprilla 
Social media breaks are super helpful, even if just for a day or two. One thing that I need to remind myself of frequently is that bad news get amplified a lot more than good news – because humans are wired to respond to risk and tragedy faster than to “boring” things that simply go right.
For every big name that is announcing layoffs, there are lot of companies who continue to look for talent.
For every megalomatic wanna-be king of the world, there’s loads of people solving real problems.
That doesn’t change the reality. And yet, it helps to restore some kind of internal balance that there’s good in this world, too.
And if you are looking for science-backed, solution focussed journalism, check out the Visible Women podcast by Carolina Criado Perez. Her stories have brought light to some of my darker moments.
You’re right. Recently I found myself endlessly scrolling in LinkedIn. After revisiting what was and wasn’t working, once I started feeling drained and unachieved, I’m now choosing to go with a specific intention to avoid getting trapped.
It is an example of how easily our brains fall for the automatic, that I find myself recommending someone, for example, to avoid the traditional news every day while I end up falling for the same through other channels.
Thank you for the recommendation 🙏.