Currently listening to: The Parrots – Soy Peor
So I started 2019 unemployed. Many people would absolutely baulk at this idea – associating it with a tonne of things: laziness, the problem with Gen Z, etc. Others would use this fact to smirk and prove themselves right when saying that a degree in the humanities doesn’t lead anywhere. In a society where the spirit of late capitalism reigns supreme, and where your salary seems to define what you are and who you are, an unemployed individual is expected to almost play the ‘sick role’ in society.
However, I viewed my unemployment as an opportunity to reflect on what I really want to do in life…an opportunity to spend some time indulging in my passions and actually doing things that have long been delayed, including:
- Spending more time on my musical projects.
- Kickstarting a possible path in writing and starting this blog. I’ve been writing in a creative manner all of my life…however after a series of unfortunate rejections, I never found the courage to write publicly until now.
- Starting a de-cluttering campaign (see my second post).
- Going through some major life-changing episodes with a clearer head.
- Discovering and exploring the world of freelancing.
- Finding the time to catch up with some long-delayed appointments.
- Nurturing my mental well-being.
- Spending some well-needed dates with myself.
I guess every cloud has a silver lining…and while unemployment leaves a dent in your pocket, I believe the key is to appreciate it as a window of opportunity for self-development, and not to perceive it as an in-between phase lost in a frenzy of panic, CVs, and interviews. Who knows, maybe unemployment can be the key to finding your next passion in life, leading to something truly worthwhile, after all.
Janelle Borg 