10 Hidden Benefits Of Being Jobless That You Don’t Know

Change your mindset towards being unemployed and make this low moment the best in your life and career

Photo by Timur Weber from Pexels

Being jobless is a condition no one enjoys. We frown at the thoughts of being unemployed.

We cannot imagine not having a monthly paycheck to look after our basic needs.

This is understandable.

Being jobless can be challenging. It can bite hard into your bones, making you look like a false reflection of your true self. Depending on the length, it can make you lose confidence in yourself and give up on life entirely.

Source: YouTube

But guess what, being jobless is not as bad as you may think. In fact, it can be one of the best moments of your life and career if you change your mindset.

It’s a moment when you are left alone to be the architect of your dreams and the driver of your career.

The days I was jobless turned out to be the best moments in my career. Even though I would not like to re-live the experience for obvious reasons, it’s one of the defining moments in my life and career. I understood my identity and became the best version of myself.

So why was this low moment important to me?

1 — I Had Time To Rest And Connect With People

Believe it or not, you don’t realise how disconnected you are from yourself and from the most important people in your life when you are busy with your 9–5.

Don’t get me wrong. We need a job to keep going, but the moment you are out of a job can be a time when you unwind, relax and spend quality time with your family and grow your connections.

This moment was crucial for me, as I spent quality time looking after myself and connecting with family and those that matter to me.

2 — I Developed Critical Skills

You can’t afford to lose both ways; you should be learning if you are not earning

The period I was unemployed was when I had so much time to develop critical skills. Because I had so much time to do nothing, I channelled this effort into learning what I had always wanted. The things that I loved.

All I needed was an internet connection and a PC to access millions of resources to continue to develop my skills.

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3— I Took Risks Because I Had Nothing To Lose

When you are out of a job, you have nothing to lose. You have no boss to report to. You aren’t afraid of an upcoming performance review. You aren’t under pressure to impress for the next performance bonus. No one is chasing you around with an insane deadline.

Like me, knowing this is time to take all the risks you can and try out a million things you have always wanted to try. It’s a moment to take career risks without thinking twice.

4 — I Became An All-Rounder

When you are unemployed, the first thing you notice is how cash strapped you have quickly become. It only takes a few months to exhaust your savings from your previous job, if you had any at all. It’s understandable as you have to look after yourself and your immediate family.

Becoming cash strapped was a crucial milestone as I started to think of what I could do outside of work to make money.

I developed a mindset to go all out to provide services to earn an income. I set up a consulting firm and became involved in short online gigs like developing simple websites using a content management system and editing videos — all of which I had to learn from scratch.

I also learnt to develop professional newsletters using CorelDraw; thanks to Canva, it’s now easier. I became skilled at doing many things and learning various software to earn an income.

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So change your mindset, go all out and make a difference by learning new things to provide services to earn an income. The good news is these skills are readily accessible on the internet, and what you learn will remain with you for life.

When I chat with friends and colleagues, they wonder how I can do so many things and have these skills in web development, programming, designs and UX, data science, etc. I tell them the unbelievable yet straightforward truth — “unemployment”, or should I say “self-employment”?

5— I Became A Good Money Manager

Your brain automatically adjusts to the new norm. The money tap has been turned off — there is less to spend

You will undoubtedly become a great money and time manager if you are unemployed. It’s one skill no one teaches you to learn the moment the last paycheck comes in.

I thought about every dollar because I spent to ensure it was good value for money.

You will indeed become a good manager if you are unemployed. It’s a skill you don’t have to learn — you will adjust automatically.

6 — I Became A Good Time Manager

Your free time is money

As an unemployed guy in his 20s, I quickly realised how important time was. It understood time was money, and how much I learned and earned depended on how I spent my time.

I became a skilled time manager as I had to provide different services to clients, either online or in-person and attended several appointments. I realised effective planning was vital to have a rewarding day by making every minute count.

You will find yourself a great time manager when you are out of a job and have to engage in self-employment to keep you running.

You will become terrific at time management.

7 — I Developed Strong Entrepreneur Spirit and Skills

You become your own boss, and your future is in your hands

I find the part quite interesting. As an unemployed individual seeking sources of livelihood, I developed strong entrepreneur skills and spirit.

I quickly realised I was my own boss, and my future was in my hands. I became self-driven because of the many entrepreneur skills I had developed.

Do not look down on your unemployed self. You can quickly turn your employment into self-employment if you have specific skills. You can learn and become great at anything if you put in the time and effort.

It can be a crucial moment as you develop vital entrepreneurial skills that will be valued for the rest of your life’s journey.

8 — I Had Time To Reflect and Find A Job That Fits

You hardly have the time to assess your strengths and interests when you are busy with your 9–5.

When I was out of my job, I had all the time to try many career options to understand my strengths and interest. This moment was crucial for me, as I was able to reflect on past career choices and determined my strengths to help me land my dream job.

So, ignore that you are unemployed and use the moment to re-evaluate your interest and strengths to help you redefine your career goals.

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9— I Became Incredible In My Next Job

You will become a machine in your next job

Imagine the energy that comes into starting your next job after going through a moment of unemployment and running your own show all day and all night.

It’s no brainier that you will be incredible at your next job. You suddenly become a highlight and come into the limelight of colleagues.

You become an all-rounder and find yourself involved in several projects, providing intelligent feedback and thinking through complex problems.

You will become a highflyer.

10— I Became Unstoppable

The world will become your oyster

Imagine going through an unemployment phase, developing many skills and navigating your own life and career. What else could scare you? Almost nothing. You have had it all.

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As you live on, you just become unstoppable. You have a positive mindset. You believe you can achieve the impossible. You feel confident that you can take on the world.

Closing Thoughts

Unemployment might seem like a curse, but it can also be a time of great opportunity to recharge, re-discover your strengths and purpose if you don’t give up.

Use this time to focus on your growth and development. Unemployment has its benefits, but we seem to always focus on the wrong sides of it.

It all starts with your mindset and how you react to this dip in your life and career. It’s like the stock market — it either goes bullish or bearish. Don’t remain on the low — Rise.

Source: Author’s YouTube Channel

Embrace your jobless self, use the moment to upgrade to You 2.0 and become unstoppable in your world.

Rise to the challenge and become incredible.