84.

Flip Burgers

Be prepared for times when you feel you're going to go crazy if you don't find paid work. Some kind of work. Anything. You just need to get back into the game. I've been there, and it's okay to feel that way—and to act on it. You can get on Craigslist and find some sort of hourly part-time job. You need not consider it a comedown or a failure on your part, or that somehow you've given up.

So much of life is a matter of attitude—and attitude is often based on your interpretation of events. So let's create an empowering interpretation of why you're taking an hourly job doing something that's way below your capabilities: First of all, you're not giving up. You're maintaining your sanity. This job isn't forever. You just need a little structure for a short time. You need to earn some money for your labors, to contribute in some way to someone's organization, to feel part of a team.

This strategy you've chosen to pursue temporarily to keep sane and do something is known as “flippin' burgers.” The term comes from the idea that when you're down on your luck and life seems hopeless, you are willing to do whatever it takes to get by. For me, that's sales. As someone once told me, “If you can sell, you'll never starve.” It may not literally be flippin' burgers, but it's something.

Your version of “flippin' burgers” may be bussing tables or doing database entry in an office. Whatever it is, congratulations! You did what you had to do to get by financially and emotionally. This job won't last forever and you'll probably be able to quit in a short time. But you can feel good about yourself—which may be the whole point.

Besides, sometimes doing something very different can shake things up. I've found that going off track in this is often just the right move—suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, I'm getting calls for jobs I applied to months before. This short-term “money job” can buy you some time so the universe can catch up to you. You've shown you really will do whatever it takes to get through. You're tougher than you may have thought. Now maybe you know that you can—and will—eventually succeed!