One of my favorite movies is Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.
It struck me the other day that being unemployed can feel a lot like being stuck repeating the same day over and over again. You wake up, putz around the house, do chores or exercise if you are particularly motivated, look for work, take a nap, network, make dinner, veg out in front of the TV. Rinse and repeat the next day. And the next. Sound familiar? When you are unemployed it’s hard not to feel your days blur together and it’s easy to give into self-destructive patterns of behavior. Who isn’t tempted to just curl up under the covers and never get out of your pajamas?
However, just like in the movie, you can go another way. You can take the time to improve yourself by learning new skills; maybe something you’ve always wanted to try but never thought you would have the time. Or you can volunteer and help give back to your community. Sometimes when you feel the most helpless, helping others is the best thing for you. Get creative and do something to change yourself. The most important thing is to not shut yourself off from others. Stay social, get out of your house, and meet new people. After all, Bill Murray’s character wasn’t able to break free of the endless cycle until he fully embraced his situation and effected real change for himself. It’s hard, trust me, I’m right there with you on this, but it is necessary. So let’s all work towards a new and better tomorrow.
Here’s one of my favorite scenes from the movie, the impetus for Bill Murray’s character to start making a change in his life.
