added a couple of pounds this past year, and I want to get rid of them. Each night, I make a commitment: beginning tomorrow. I create a weekly menu. I create a plan: I will stock my kitchen with the appropriate foods. I will avoid calorie-rich foods. Yes! Tomorrow, I will begin! … but tomorrow, I make a few exceptions…and by Friday, my healthy food plan has been compromised. My commitment is sincere, but my behavior is weak.

Since I read Switch: How to Change Things when Change is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath, I get it! The authors report: “Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by 2 different systems – the rational mind and the emotional mind – that compete for control.” I make a commitment to lose weight – my rational mind – but when I feel a craving for a snack – my emotional mind often takes over.
Without a well-defined plan, it’s like being told to “eat healthy”…not likely to produce change in spite of my intentions. When I decide to eat fewer calories, I’m being rational, but it’s too easy to reach for that cookie.

I think that’s what happens in job search: The search seems ambiguous and emotionally draining. You know you should be networking – or revising your resume – or updating your LinkedIn Profile…that’s your rational mind. But you just can’t get started. Perhaps because you are afraid that you’ll mess it up, or perhaps because you haven’t broken it down into manageable pieces.

My research on transition showed that people handle the job search in two ways: Problem Focused Coping and Emotion Focused Coping. Both are legitimate, but the ratio will determine outcomes.
My personal belief is that without acknowledging the emotional side of job loss, we cannot make good transitions – but if our emotional mind is in the lead, it could be a very long time between jobs.

Do you agree? Disagree? If you are tempted to comment, please do!