6 Lessons I learnt from being unemployed

"We regret to inform you…."

“Tjo, another rejection. But at least this company had the decency to let me know daram!”, I think to myself as I receive yet another rejection. These days I’ve grown numb to the rejection, the way it happens so often. You can apply for over 30 jobs in a week and receive radio silence from all of them. At one point I even thought the platform I was using was broken but I then remembered that I am using a lot of different platforms so- no moghel, that’s not it. I redid my CV and even filled in those CVs that companies provide on their platforms but still -dololo. Some weeks are better than others where you are motivated to fill in all those profiles but other weeks you wonder how long this will go on for. How long will I sit at home, broke and gaining weight lol?!

I know I’m not the only one, there are many of us out there. The unemployment stats in SA are shocking and somewhat discouraging but that's not what I want to touch on in this post. I'd like to talk about the more personal experience of being unemployed.

In the beninging (beginning) hahaha….
When I arrived in South Africa after spending a year in Korea, I was pretty chilled. I was not naïve to think that I'd land a job as soon as I arrived but I was hopeful that as soon as I started trying, I'd get one in no time.

My first few months were spent chilling, travelling and enjoying life while lazily job searching. ‘Go no le monate maan!’ I was living off the WONS I had made in Korea so life ‘ene ele grand!’

Soon the year drew to an end and money ran short and the question of where I would get more started to consume my mind.

Before we go further- I must put it on record that not all my money was spent on reckless spending hao! I did try to up skill myself by doing a course and selling hair and perfumes.

This thinking and stressing of not finding a job soon wore me down and I began to doubt myself and my abilities. This type of thinking and constant doubt can lead one into a state of depression but I thank God that I have a great support system around me to help me out when I’m feeling down.

There are a couple of things I’ve learnt from this experience that I’d love to share.

Own race own pace
Mna I have a problem- I can spend hours scrolling through peoples Facebook and Instagram feed and wondering why they are so lucky and I’m not. So I decided to cut Facebook and Instagram out of my life - temporarily. I felt that that was the best decision for me at the time and to be honest, I found that I had a lot more time on my hands. I also found that my overall outlook on life has become far more positive as I am not constantly comparing myself to others.

I’m not saying you should do the same but I am saying that you shouldn’t compare your reality to other people’s highlight reel. It will only cause you to feel anxious and make you miss the blessings that are in front of you. And besides, we all only put up the nice parts of our lives on social media, so think about that.

Where you start is not necessarily where you’ll end up.
Start something! If you’ve always wanted to start a business, start by writing the plan for it. If you wanted to start a blog, start by writing a paragraph. If you want to write an app, start by learning how to code. See what happens when you start dedicating a few hours of your day to a project you have always wanted to do. You may grow that project into a success or that project may lead you to something else that’s better. Either way, START!

"Wena bula company, nna ke tla bua le mayara!"

Family/friends (dogs) support goes a long way.
I’ve realized that during this time, the support -from my family, friends and boyfriend -has been what has kept me going. They are the ones who deal with my late-night phone calls where I'm are crying about what direction my life is taking. They’re the ones who will encourage you to apply one more time or to take you out for a coffee when you’re having a bad day. Cherish those relationships and be there for them too.

My babies...

Don’t let yourself go
I believe you don’t have to wear your unemployment on your face, aowa! ‘Shesha geza moghel!' Bath, put on some makeup –‘o fleeke!’ Luckily, I bought wigs that I have brought back to life over and over because I can't stop wearing them. When you look at me you'd swear I have a job. Exercise, fetch that body that you've always wanted. Take care of yourself because it will make you feel good and you'll have the motivation to keep going.

Reduce, reuse and recycle!
Hahaha, so I have put on a little bit of weight recently and my clothes no longer fit me. I have decided that instead of using the money I have on buying more clothes, I should rather try to lose the weight. By fire by force, I will fit into those outfits- struu! Try to see where you can cut down costs, whether it is cooking more and not eating too many takeaways or just reducing time on social media to save data.

Also, don’t be afraid to say no to your friends when they want to hang out or go somewhere that you cannot afford. Live within your means and don’t be apologetic about it.

Trust in the Lord 
Lastly, if you are religious, then trust in the Lord’s plan for your life. He surely has a plan for you so you should trust in His timing. Pray and trust in Him and hopefully with time things will work themselves out.

Those are some of the lessons I have learnt and I hope that sharing them with you will help you on your journey. Life is filled with ups and downs and it is perfectly okay to have those days where fear and doubt takeover but don't let it end there. Get up and keep going always remembering that in this life, nothing lasts forever.