Uncertainty is a gate that often holds people back from making big changes in their life. Nothing says uncertainty quite like a pandemic. As the Coronavirus continues to hover over like a dark cloud, it is forcing change in our lives, while also presenting new opportunities.

Arguably, using the words “opportunity” and “pandemic” in the same sentence might seem contradictory. However, whether you are one of the millions of people who lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19, or if you are employed and expected to work longer hours and take on more responsibility, this is an opportune time to pivot and reinvent yourself.

This article addresses some ways you can make the best of these unprecedented times while recreating yourself both personally and professionally.

It’s Not You, It’s Me

Start by taking a good honest look at yourself. Avoid the blame game, but instead, dig deep and ask yourself what self-imposed barriers have been holding you back. Be open to this inward process of self-assessment, and ask yourself:

• Do you have antiquated habits or routines?
• Are you afraid of making mistakes or have self-doubt?
• Have you had a lack of will or courage?
• Do you have a fear of change?
• Are you unclear what you want?
• Have you been open with your boss about your professional goals?
• Are your self-perceptions creating obstacles?

Answering these questions will likely inspire more questions and indeed, you might discover you don’t like all the answers. Self-scrutiny is uncomfortable, but it is imperative. I like to remind people to go into this process with the mind-set, “Never failure, only feedback.”

The information you delve from this activity is the golden ticket that will allow you to start chugging down the road to newfound success. Keep a list of the barriers you identify and look back on it periodically to ensure you aren’t returning to the same pitfalls.

Set Goals

Goals are critical to get to next level both personally and professionally.

Take for example a runner who consistently wins races, yet isn’t improving her time. After some consideration, it is determined that she has only been motivated to run as fast as necessary to win a race. This realization gives her incentive to push herself to run as fast as she can, improve her time, and maybe even break some records. It gives her a target to aim for and motivation when running gets monotonous or grueling.

Goals create accountability and focus. They are measurable, ward off procrastination, and foster control over your life.

When setting goals, make sure your goals are:

• Realistic and attainable – If you set unobtainable goals, you risk becoming disheartened and losing confidence in your abilities.
• Measurable – In order to gauge your success, it is important to set specific ways to quantify your progress. Going back to the example of the runner, instead of just saying she wants to improve her times, she should determine what she wants her new running time to be, for what distance, and by what date.
• Relevant – Keep goals aligned with the over-arching mission you want your life and career to take. Otherwise, you are striving for something that won’t benefit you in the long haul.
• Specific – In order to get where you want to go, define precisely what you want the end result to be. Hence, guiding you in the creation of well-defined goals.

Your Next Act: New Opportunities

In my career, I have experienced both being laid off and working through some very challenging times. Albeit difficult periods in my life, I can honestly say they were times of greatest growth and when I had the utmost self-discovery. Positives came from what some may have considered negative situations and they presented openings for me to accept new undertakings, learn new things, and get to work with new people in new environments. I gained new strengths and developed professionally in areas I never even considered.

When faced with arduous times, rise to the occasion and take the time to discover new things and invent the next act in your career.

• Take risks - Be proactive and don’t wait for someone to create opportunities for you, but create them yourself.
• Get a mentor and be a mentor - Good mentors can help you solve challenges and often see possibilities that you do not see.
• Go outside your comfort zone - Raise your hand for new challenges.
• Be vulnerable - Let down your guard and take on new things. You might make mistakes, but at least you tried.
• Don’t wait for permission - Be proactive. If you see a problem, find a solution. If there is a job to be done, do it.
• Connect internally - Get to know people in other departments and fields of work. Oftentimes, opportunity lies within other areas of an organization or outside of your profession.
• Explore - Research occupations and take the opportunity to uncover where you want a career to take you.
• Take inventory - Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and don’t be afraid to ask others to weigh in on what they see as your strengths.
• Leverage your network - No matter how many connections you have, they can’t help you if they don’t know your situation. Reach out to your network and make them aware of your position while being specific about what you are seeking. Don’t limit your points of contact within your network because you never know who people know. Making these touchpoints will also help expand your network in the long run.
• Realize your priorities - Identify what is most important to you in the next phase of your life. Do you want more financial stability or are you seeking more time with your family? After all, if you are looking to spend more time with family, taking a job that requires you to travel a lot and work long hours will not be a good fit.
• Remember it’s a process – Just as beetles undergo metamorphoses in order to become a ladybug, and butterflies transform from a caterpillar, keep in mind that alteration takes time, patience, and persistence. “Change doesn’t happen overnight – it’s molded by people who don’t give up,” Author Mary E. Pearson.

Give Yourself a Round of Applause

Among the many great things about making positive changes is the opportunity to celebrate your accomplishments. Celebration reinforces the hard work and dedication you put toward meeting your goals. Even if you feel that your hard work has gone unnoticed by others, remember these great reasons why it is important to applaud your achievements.

• The law of attraction – Hanging your hat on your victories helps reinforce and cultivate a success mindset that will carry over into your work and future goals and attract more success.
• The happy factor – Celebration releases endorphins, which relieve stress and pain and are said to produce a feeling of euphoria.
• Gravitation and motivation – Reveling in your success is important to keep you inspired to move forward and gravitate towards making new goals.
• It takes a village – Give a shout out to those who helped you meet your goals. Praising those who supported you helps strengthen relationships, recognizes how much you value their assistance, increases the chance of them helping you in the future, and makes those who championed you feel good.
• Reflection – While celebrating, evaluate what worked well throughout your journey, what you learned, how you handled obstacles, and what you would change next time?

Enjoy the Ride

In the words of Motivational Speaker Gabby Bernstein, “Fun in the present ensures flow in the future.” Don’t just focus on the end result, but be sure to have fun throughout the process.

If you fixate too much on achieving your goals, the outcome can start to feel to feel like a struggle. Fun is good, and creates happy feelings, which can make attaining goals feel less taxing. Choose to make each day enjoyable. Block out time on your calendar if you have to and remember fun doesn’t have to be related to your goals.

The Bottom Line

There is no time like the present. Things are uncertain and upside down, but it isn’t necessarily bad news. Focus on the future and take this time to open your eyes to see new opportunities. Wouldn’t it be great if you can look back one day and say that the pandemic didn’t define you, but you defined the pandemic?

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Wendy Byrne is Marketing Manager at law firm Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP. Connect with her on LinkedIn.