Remember the times when you just fresh out to work, you were filled with energy, drive and enthusiasm. But, as times go by, you might find all your hard works and contribution are not appreciated by your company as much as you expected. You beginning to lose interests and passion for your job, soon you become unhappy and dissatisfied of your job.

According to a job satisfaction survey by HRM Guide, the job satisfaction for the age group of 35 and above has been declining since year 2005. The main reason is not only caused by job but other factors as well, such as, family, health and marriage problems. Mature professionals are normally sandwiched between work and family. Most of you could be at managerial or executive level when great responsibilities and expectations are required at your workplace. In addition, the heavy burden at home to take care of your family needs and aging parents’ health are another contributing factors. Majority of the mature professionals also have to deal with rebellious teens’ behavioral and educational problems.

Once you have lost your job satisfaction, you will feel stuck and your career will become stagnant, there are no more joys and satisfaction going to work everyday. If no action is taken to rediscover your job satisfaction, it is going to affect many aspects of your life. Below are some steps that could help you to reignite your lost job passion and move forward quickly. Give it a try!

Identify the Root Cause
First, find out what are the things that are bothering you? Things that make you unhappy with your job, list them down, think of solution and take action to fix them. You may find that you may have a list of problems so set priority of what you want to achieve first. The priority must also align with your career goal and personal life. For example, you cannot have new challenges in your job and at the same time want to spend more time with your family.

Aligning your goals with personal priorities will ensure less conflict and confusion thereby making your life more smooth sailing. Ultimately, you will have more peace of mind which help you to focus on your job more effectively.

Seek Professional Help
Sometimes, when you are stuck in the mud for too long, it blurred your visions thus affect your ability to judge well. You should seek professional help either from your HR department or external career coach for advice early. These professionals could offer you valuable insights which you might have overlooked and help you to restore your passion for your job.

Revisit Your Goal
Your daily busy work schedule may have drowned your goal that you have set long ago. It is high time you revisit your goal and check where you are now and where you want to go. Doing so will help to uplift your spirit as it goes through a soul searching and reflecting process.

Identify the shortcoming and see what can be done to help you to reach your goal faster. If it was due to lack of job advancement in your company or mismatch in skills, do you want to look for new job opportunity or venture out on your own? Keep a constant check on your goal will help to rediscover your passion and satisfaction you have long forgotten.

Learn New Skills
At times, you must have realized your lack of certain skills would hinder you to perform well in your job. Or it could be there are skills that you would like to learn but just lack of time. Make your decision today and take action for your long-overdue skills training. As we know, skills have short lifespan especially in this technological age so learning new skills should be a constant investment.

You will soon realize that learning new skills will not only give you new confidence level but also increase your work efficiency. The once-seem daunting tasks can now be solved with so much ease.

Sort Out Your Personal Life
According to a study findings published by Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, there is a causal link between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. It stated that if you are unhappy with your life, it is less likely you will find satisfaction in your job. Being the middle-aged person, you will encounter more family, marriage and health problems than ever. Such problems may spillover to your job and affect your work performance thereby job satisfaction.  

You need to seek help early. Sometimes it could be due to lack of communication, you should try to communicate frequently with your spouse or family members. Let them understand your thoughts and at the same time, try to understand their thoughts. Many problems should be solved by just opening out to each other.

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Very often when things are sorted out and moving forward, you will find yourself gaining back new confidence and happiness in your job. It might not be easy to find back all the past job happiness but your attempt will be rewarded. Once you rediscover your job satisfaction, you should feel fulfilled and happy again of working everyday. You can tell the differences by seeing the reactions from the people around you.

What techniques do you used to rediscover your job satisfaction? If you have any success, please share it at the comment below.

You are hardworking, loyal and fully dedicated to your company for many years.

One day … a pink slip suddenly slipped into your hands and the next moment you know, you are shown to the door.

You are shocked, angry and lost!

“How could it be!”

“Why me?”

Your heart cried out in pain and agony!

Anyone who experienced laid-off will overwhelm by bunch of unpleasant feelings – sad, disappointed, depressed, betrayal, frustrated, helpless and etc. Some were hit so badly that their lives were completely destroyed after the laid-off. Layoff is very common today especially during this gloomy economic period, almost everyone experience once or more layoff during his/her working life. What is most important is you know how to pick yourself up quickly after the laid-off so you can continue to survive and thrive. It may be difficult at a start especially when you haven’t get over the emotional turmoil but the longer you delay taking action, the more harm it can cause you so try the below methods to restore your life now. 

1. Accept with Courage
   Let yourself grieve about your layoff. Give yourself a few days to feel bad, mad, and sad about being laid off. Many individuals react to bad news with anger or depression. In such situations, it is important to let your feeling out so it would not cause damage to your health. Being laid-off should not make your self-esteem down. Job doesn’t define the worth of a person, and this won’t degrade you at all. Although perhaps you may feel embarrassed, fear and lost of your identity, accepting the reality with courage will definitely give yourself a reality check and help you come up with practical action plans. You are then ready to play the next set of games in your life. 
 
2. Stay Positive at All Times
   It is easy to lose confidence after the laid-off but it is critical to remain positive as it brings strength, energy and initiative to your life. Letting yourself fill with negativity will destroy your life. Positive and negative are like directions, it affects your actions so think like a winner and be a winner. If you find it hard to do so, take deliberate actions like watching motivational movies or reading motivational books such as the following:
   1. Staying Positive in a Negative World
   2. Music for the Mind: Positive Outlook
   3. The Be (Happy) Attitudes: 8 Positive Attitudes That Can Transform Your Life
   4. Laid Off & Loving It! How People Like You Conquered a Career Crisis
   5. Surviving a Layoff: A Week-by-Week Guide to Getting Your Life Back Together
   6. Laid Off & Loving It for 2010: Rebuilding Your Career or Small Business with Social Media’s Help

   Remember when one door shut, another opens, by remaining positive, you can find new opportunity amid crisis which may end up better than your last job. 

 
3. Talk About It
   Believe it or not, the best way to restore yourself back to normal is talk about your laid-off openly. Many people felt a stigma attached with laid-off and most prefer not to talk about it. Unknowingly, many employers today view layoff is due to business decision and not to individual performance so there is no stigma attached. Make sure you are aware of this so that you can talk about your laid-off openly, it can not only help to gain support and understanding from your family and friends faster but also help to cure your wounded ego quicker.
 
4. Do Things You Enjoy
   The most effective way of picking up yourself fast is to do things that you enjoy most as they will always bring you happiness and satisfaction. However if you run of things you enjoy doing, try the list below, they are not difficult to achieve and are great ways to boost your spirit.
   1. Get a good massage, bath and have a peaceful sleep.
   2. Watch a comical movie or listen to your favorite music.
   3. Try a new image and make yourself feel like a brand new person; get a new hair style, hair color, makeup or clothes.
   4. If you enjoy cooking and eating then cook yourself and your family a hearty meal and eat merrily.
   5. Go walking with your pets in the park or beach, the nature breeze will calm your mind and soothe your spirit.
   6. Learning new things like going for seminar, workshop and training to stimulate your minds and get inspired.

   I believe there are many more things you can do to make yourself better. Remember, don’t overdo anything, be nice and give more compassion to yourself.

 
5. Make Your Overdue To-Do List
   Make a list of things that you want or interested to do but did not have the time for it. For example, catch up with old friends who you haven’t seen or talked in a while. Bond with your family – create special moments with them such as watching movies or going for holidays.It is also a good time to devote some of your attention to your hobby or community. The former gives you pleasure in life and some people found a breakthrough in their life when they turned their hobby into a professional business. If you haven’t had time to help out in your community, take the chance to volunteer your services now. You might find new hope when your network expanded.Some people find that their laid-offs came at the perfect time to address health concerns. So utilize this period to go and visit your doctor, work out, eat healthy foods, and go for retreat. It gives yourself a time to decompress and be ready for the next chapter of your life.
 
6. Exercise
   Go outdoor, get some fresh air, sunlight and exercise. Research showed that exercise is a good form of mental stress relief as it will help you to stay refreshed and keep you motivated. In addition, exercise will produce endorphins in your brain and help you feel more positive about your situation and life. This doesn’t necessarily involve intense work outs, a simple walk in the park could lift up your mood. If you prefer, engage in some sports such as golfing, tennis, cycling, swimming, walking and dancing. These sports are good ways to help you relax and energize especially dancing; it is not only an excellent way to stay mentally and physically fit but also an excellent way to socialize, mix and mingle with new friends. Dancing is more pleasurable and entertaining than other sports, most importantly; it has therapeutic effect which can help you to recuperate faster.
 
7. Make a List and Take Action
   Make a list of the things that you have to do so that your mind is free of “overloading” and you are not overwhelmed with lot of messy tasks. Break the tasks into smaller chunks so it is achievable and organize them according to priority. Cross out those tasks once you have accomplished them as it will give you a sense of accomplishment and control. This is another effective way to gain back your confidence and help you organize your life.
 
8. Explore Other Opportunities
   You might not have many chances to expose to other opportunities when you were employed as most companies’ policies required you to fully commit to your day job. However, here is your chance now! You can explore other income-generating opportunities besides looking for job again. Consider self-employ by starting an online home business. It required minimum startup costs and has great potential to grow into a profitable business and eventually become your lifetime career. Online home business has many business models to choose from, you can always choose the one which the safest and quickest to start.
 
9. Join Support Groups
   Find and join unemployment support groups as they can help you to stay positive and keep you on the right track. Interact with those who are in the same boat and learn from their experiences. Exchanging thoughts and ideas can help you get motivated and get back on your feet faster. They can continue to uplift you and might even have connections which may lead to new jobs or business collaboration.
 
10. Manage Your Finances
    Managing finances at this moment could be the most challenging and daunting task but the earlier you get it sorted out, the earlier you can set yourself free. Tell your family about your laid-off honestly and ask for their cooperation to tie over during the difficult period. Cut down on unnecessary expenses by adjusting your lifestyles and habits, you will soon find that it is not that hard to survive with bare minimum.

The list is not exhaustive but acts as a good start for one who wanted to get over laid-off quickly. Hopefully this post can help you to overcome the emotional turmoil and bring you back to normal as soon as possible. Only those who bounce back fast will continue to flourish and succeed in their lives. Treat it as an experience; consider it as a part and parcel of working life, once you have adjusted your perspective, you will find it is not that hard to accept and you can continue with your life with more confident.

If you have better ways of picking oneself up after laying off, please share it in the comments below.

Last year, there was a jobless and a 49-year old man named Paul Nawrocki took to the street of New York wearing a suit, tie and sandwich board that read:

‘Almost Homeless. Looking for employment. Very experienced operations and administration manager.

‘Desperately seeking full-time employment with insurance benefits. For self and family. Disabled wife on 15 medications.

‘Request a copy of my resume. Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.’

Paul Nawrocki had turned to the depression-era tactics of trying to land a job after nine-month of fruitless job searching. It was reported then he was yet to find a job even after such extreme tactics.

It is a tough job market now for older job seekers as employers generally prefer to employ younger employees as they view mature professionals as inflexible, expensive and over-qualified. Mature and experienced professionals have suddenly found that age has become an obstacle than asset while looking for job. These groups of people are highly skilled, experienced and qualified but struggle to get back to workforce after retrenchment. In addition, these groups of people normally have the highest expenses to meet due to family commitment. 

If you were in the same position, what will you do? Devote all your energy continues looking for jobs and never give up! Try a job switch and take on anything at less pay. Swallow your pride and take your order from a younger and inexperienced boss. Continue praying and hoping tomorrow will be better; when the economy gets better, you will get a better job. 

As the saying goes, when opportunity doesn’t knock, build the door. If you can’t get a job or better job, MAKE it yourself! Do what you can, with what you have and where you are. Utilize your wealth of knowledge, skills and experience and convert them to a profitable business. Your business is not necessary to be big at a start, take it one step at a time and start it from your home. A home business will take less risk and cost but at the same time can be fulfilling and satisfying.

With the advent of technology and the trend of working at home, starting a home business is not a daunting task. If you know your market well and have picked the right business model, creating a sound home business is not impossible. Many great business empires have started their business from their home bedrooms or apartments. Apple Computer is one company well known from starting its humble beginning in the garage. Click here to check out the other 20 great business empires who have also started their humble beginning from home.

All these successful business founders have found opportunities amid of difficulties and setbacks. The common reason they were successful was they pursue their own passion and love what they do. Therefore, if you are thinking to spend all your time and energy to find or switch to another job you are not interested, starting a home business could be your next alternative. With your experience, talent and credentials plus your mature mentality, you are qualified and suitable to run the business by yourself.

So for those who were retrenched and over the hill, is there still job for you? The answer is definite yes, the path to successful and secure life-long career actually starts from home.