Confessions Of A 'Technically' Unemployed, Ex-Backpacker Who Is Pondering Jobs, Careers & A Purpose

I love John Holcroft's illustrations <3 td="">

So-confession time.

I'm basically in 'life-limbo' right now.

Which is ridiculous really, I shouldn't be postponing my life until we find a house/I find a perfect job/until this situation that is beyond my control resolves itself.

It's silly, AND furthermore, I'm literally wishing my life away.

The first few weeks of January I felt a bit blue and I keep noticing this repeating feeling of 'Everything will work out when X, Y and Z happens'

Which is a whole lot of made up mind crap, so I kicked myself in the butt (I've been doing yoga y'know!) and decided that with this 'limbo-time' I was going to prioritise myself and my well-being and get rid of those niggling feelings.

Yes, this situation is temporary but I know that I should feel gratitude to be able to have this me-time. I'm not hurting anyone else with my life decisions, if I had to I could go out and get any mind-numbing job and that would be the end of it. BUT I want to build my own career and have this freedom that I've experienced from backpacking the past three months.

I've been reading this awesome book called Free Range Humans and one of the exercises was to write down your perfect day if time/money/work etc was not an issue. I wrote mine down. Then I had a realisation. The general day's that I'm living at the moment are SO CLOSE to my perfect day. Weird huh? The only difference is that I would be somewhere where the weather was better and I had a rescue dog :') I just want each day to be healthy, mindful, immersed in nature, be a school day, revolve around great vegan food, be filled with interesting stories and of course spending quality time with my loved ones.

So if you're having similar feelings; perhaps you're feeling the pressure to make 2017 the 'best year yet', or you're feeling a bit fearful of this turbulent political time. I wholly recommend taking some time for yourself and realigning your priorities. Since coming back from travelling I've made myself a priority, which can sound pretty selfish when you put it that way but once you've come to terms with yourself, your personality and what makes you tick, only then can you go out into this crazy world and make a difference.

My honest advice would be to quit your job and travel the world for a bit to get a new perspective on things but obviously, I know that is not a viable solution for everyone right now...

If you're stuck in a rut in your job, I wholeheartedly recommend reading Free Range Humans by Marianne Cantwell or even checking out her blog so you can work through the exercises without doing anything drastic like quitting your job, however you can plant a seed in the woodland of your mind and see if any ideas begin to bloom. Because I'm a kind soul, I've found a sample chapter here for you to read.

If you're unemployed, I've said this before (last time I was technically unemployed) DO NOT PANIC! 

Everyone will ask you how your job hunt is going, everyone will ask what you're next big plans are and it can feel pretty overwhelming. You just have to remember that some people (especially of the older generation) had completely different circumstances 'back in the day'. They were expected to get a job when they finished education and stay there until the pension kicked in. 

The world just isn't like that anymore, no-one really has complete job security and honestly, so many people are petrified of change that they only dream of pursuing their passions only to regret it later in life.

 I know I may have an unconventional view on this topic and you might not feel the same way. I'd just love for you all to think about it for a minute. What would you do if you could do absolutely anything in this world? I'm not saying we should all be bums and live off the system, what I'm trying to express is ultimately life is short. We should prioritise our happiness. I'm sure a few of you absolutely love your job and are living an authentic life, I'm sure a few of you hate your jobs and fantasise about handing in your notice. 

 Ha, I know I'm a bit of a new-age hippie but an 'alternative' lifestyle really interests me. I find people who have escaped this 'conventional, corporate' world to be incredibly fascinating and they generally have a good outlook on life. 

I can't complain, in the last two months I have committed to an exercise regime, rebooted my desire to learn by finally tackling my nutritional therapist course (yesss I'm still doing it), had my articles published in a physical magazine (and got paid for it!), decluttered more of my life, spent more time with family and became responsible for myself. I like this way of life, more importantly, it has spurred me on to create something better for myself.

One of my favourite quotes ' Life is too short to just pay bills and die'

I just wanted to write a little thought piece about this to see what you guys think about the subject. So please let me know below or let's connect on Instagram :D

Thanks for reading,

Rachelle xxx