<!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content Start--><div id="crestashareiconincontent" class="cresta-share-icon fourth_style"><div class="sbutton crestaShadow facebook-cresta-share" id="facebook-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fpushing-the-comfort-zone-getting-past-a-setback%2F&;t=Pushing+the+Comfort+Zone%3A+Getting+Past+a+Setback" title="Share on Facebook" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-facebook"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow twitter-cresta-share classic-icon" id="twitter-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Pushing+the+Comfort+Zone%3A+Getting+Past+a+Setback&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fpushing-the-comfort-zone-getting-past-a-setback%2F&;via=SimpleMindfulns" title="Share on Twitter" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-twitter"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow linkedin-cresta-share" id="linkedin-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.simplemindfulness.com%2Fpushing-the-comfort-zone-getting-past-a-setback%2F&;title=Pushing+the+Comfort+Zone%3A+Getting+Past+a+Setback&;source=https://www.simplemindfulness.com/" title="Share to LinkedIn" onclick="window.open(this.href,'targetWindow','toolbars=0,location=0,status=0,menubar=0,scrollbars=1,resizable=1,width=640,height=320,left=200,top=200');return false;"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-linkedin"></i></a></div><div class="sbutton crestaShadow pinterest-cresta-share" id="pinterest-cresta-c"><a rel="nofollow" href="javascript:void((function()%7Bvar%20e=document.createElement(&apos;script&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;type&apos;,&apos;text/javascript&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;charset&apos;,&apos;UTF-8&apos;);e.setAttribute(&apos;src&apos;,&apos;https://assets.pinterest.com/js/pinmarklet.js?r=&apos;+Math.random()*99999999);document.body.appendChild(e)%7D)());" title="Share on Pinterest"><i class="cs c-icon-cresta-pinterest"></i></a></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div><!--www.crestaproject.com Social Button in Content End--><p>Life has a rather cruel way of teaching us lessons sometimes. Just when we think we have things figured out, the Universe slaps us down and makes us figure out how to get back up again – but the old methods don’t work anymore.</p>
<p>At the end of 2007, I was let go from a company where I worked as the VP of Finance for eight years. The company had been sold and I was given a nice severance package. Because of the package and my prior ability to find a new job relatively quickly, I didn’t start searching for a new position right away.</p>
<p>Actually, I didn’t start looking until the severance ran out (nothing like a little procrastination to motivate you).</p>
<p>From prior experience, I thought I would spend a few weeks online, sending out a few resumes, going to a few interviews and – bingo – I would have a new job in no time.</p>
<p>That was late 2008 after the economy tanked and jobs dried up. Silly me. What was I thinking?</p>
<h2>The Universe Speaks to Me</h2>
<p>It took a couple months of searching online with no results for me to finally realize that I had to do something different. The Universe dealt me a major setback and I had to figure out the solution.</p>
<p>Everywhere I read that jobs at my level were impossible to find online (less than 5% were hired this way). I had to get out and network and meet new people, make connections, in order to get my next job.</p>
<p>Did I mention that I’m a total introvert and networking seemed as fun and interesting as a root canal (actually root canals aren’t that bad since I don’t have to talk to anyone)?</p>
<p>As much as it scared me, I felt that the message was loud and clear: Either get out there and meet people or remain unemployed.</p>
<p>So I found some organizations to join and started calling everyone I knew in the business world. I attended all the meetings of the organizations. I called people I met briefly at these meetings and set up one-on-one coffee meetings. If I was going to do this, I was going to go all out.</p>
<p><em>And it scared the crap out of me.</em></p>
<h2>Accepting the Message</h2>
<p>It took at least another two months of hardcore networking before I started to get comfortable meeting new people.</p>
<p>I figured out how to get meetings with just about anyone and how to have great conversations.</p>
<p>I turned <a title="Win the Networking Game" href="https://www.simplemindfulness.com/win-the-networking-game/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">networking into a game</a> that was fun to play.</p>
<p>Seven months later, after I had turned networking into my full-time job, I got a paying job. Having to be in an office all day, I now missed the constant interactions with new people. I actually missed networking.</p>
<p>Ironically, I got that job and the next two from people finding me online, not from networking. Go figure.</p>
<h2>Learning the Lesson</h2>
<p>Looking back I see how I took on that setback of not being able to find a new job quickly and turned it into a new, extremely valuable skill. I got out of my comfort zone (kicking and screaming inside) and made it happen.</p>
<p>As the Einstein quote goes: “We can&#8217;t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”</p>
<p>Getting past a setback usually requires that we reach outside of our comfort zone, learn something new about ourselves and become someone bigger and better.</p>
<p>I believe that everything happens for a reason.</p>
<p>Setbacks happen to make us grow – if we choose to take them on.</p>
<p>What setbacks have you faced and how have you learned from them?</p>
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Pushing the Comfort Zone: Getting Past a Setback
