Finding Job Search Zen
How are you feeling about your work or your job search? Nervous? Anxious? Scared?
If so – dwelling on those feelings of fear or dread or scarcity will attract more scarcity into your life. This is the law of attraction – scarcity attracts more scarcity, and fear attracts more fear. We must learn about ways to overcome those feelings of scarcity, and focus only on abundance. Positive thoughts and positive energy will bring more positivity into your life.
But how do you stay positive when it seems like everything is stacked against you, and the world becomes more stressful by the day?
One way is by looking to the past. When past generations experienced fear and uncertainty, they turned to spirituality. But today, almost one third of Americans do not affiliate with a religion, which is up from only 5% of people who identified as religious non-affiliation in 1972.
I’m not telling you to go to church. But I am telling you that you don’t have control over most things in this life. The economy will go down, or up, or back down again. Your company will grow or shrink, or possibly need to reduce headcount. Your industry may be impacted by all kinds of external shifts - from political to technological, and those shifts may impact your work.
What can you do about it? Mostly nothing. Obviously you can future proof yourself by building your knowledge and expertise, and there will be other newsletters about that. But this newsletter is about how you get through the days. And there are ways to connect to spirituality to help in this effort.
For thousands of years, people who are part of Hindu and Buddhist spiritual traditions have focused on Chakras. This is a sanskrit word that means ‘spinning wheel.’ Chakras are mentioned in ancient Hindu spiritual books like the Vedas and the Yoga Upanishads. There are seven main chakras in the body, from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. This age-old belief has become integrated into many New Age styles of thought. And I think that being aware of your chakras, and learning how to clear them, can get you into a positive headspace to thrive in your career.
Chakras are thought to provide subtle energy that helps your organs, mind, and intellect work at their best level.
If you are feeling poorly about your work, and your efforts to find new work, you are going to attract more negative energy to yourself. It is vital that you find a way to feel great about yourself and your situation so that you can attract great things into your life. One way to do that is to focus on your chakras and to clear them.
Let’s start by talking about the root (Muladhara) chakra.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the base of the pyramid holds our needs: food, water, shelter - the things we can’t live without. Similarly, the root chakra is the base of the chakra system. The root chakra is what connects us to the Earth - and by being connected to the earth, we are connected to all living things.
Writer Tori Hartman says this about the root chakra: “The first chakra relates to your energy and how you are building your foundation. Think about this – if you are not yet creating what you say you desire, you may need to grow your energetic roots deeper and wider into the earth plane.”
If you are feeling anxious, depressed or disconnected, you could do some work to unblock your root chakra. Clearing this chakra will allow you to reconnect with your passion and purpose, and give you back your drive to grow into the life you were meant to live.
Ways to unblock: there is always Yoga and meditation. But if you hate the idea of sitting still and meditating, just remember a few mental tricks to clear your root chakra, and feel more grounded in the earth. Remember that you are connected to every living being.
-The root chakra is connected to the color red. It can be helpful to just close your eyes, and picture everything around you bathed in red, and remember the root chakra energy flowing from you, to your surroundings, and back.
-Eating red foods can help you clear your root chakra. Take a bit of an apple, a strawberry, or any other naturally red food, and say to yourself: “I am safe. I am abundant. I accept the flow of life.”
-If something physical helps you - you can carry a piece of black tourmaline or hematite in your pocket, as those are associated with the root chakra. Same as above - putting your hand in your pocket and repeating some of the affirmations in your head can ground you: “I am abundant. I am safe. The universe wants only good things for me.”
-Journaling can be a great practice for anyone to process their emotions, and get clarity on what they want. But journaling specifically about the root chakra can be helpful. Writing down sentences like this: I am open to possibilities. I am grateful for all the challenges that helped me to grow and transform. The trees, the grass and the stars are all connected to me, and their energy flows through me.
-Touching part of nature can be a great way to clear your root chakra. Do any of the above while touching a tree or plant, or looking at the sky. Try taking your shoes off and standing on the grass. Imagine the energy of the world flowing into you, and remind yourself that you can achieve anything you want - and that the universe is giving you all the gifts you need to be successful.
This might seem silly or ‘woo’ to you. But if the alternative is crippling anxiety or fear, then what do you have to lose? Try it out. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But remember that the whole point is for you to start feeling better about your situation, so that you keep bringing great things to yourself. What’s the harm in trying to feel better?
