I have been reading a book called "The Decision Book: Fifty Models for Strategic

Thinking." The authors are Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler. I'm a big
picture kind of guy, which means before I dig in to learn something, I like to
understand the context and how it fits in with other things I am interested in. So, I
love studying models that help me understand things.

One of the models in the book caught my eye because of how it can relate to job
searchers. The model is called "The rubber band model: How to deal with a dilemma."
A dilemma is usually a decision we have to make that seems evenly balanced for or
against. The rubber band model shows how we are often pulled in two directions. Or
more accurately, we are pulled toward something we want, but also held in place by
other forces.

The resolution to this kind of dilemma is to identify what is pulling you (where do you
want to go, what do you want to do), versus what is holding you back (fear, security,
comfort zone). This is a little different from the usual list of pros and cons because it
engages our emotions. 

Some of us are naturally motivated to pursue what attracts us. The clearer we become
about what we want to move toward, the more excited we become. And this
excitement allows us to overcome whatever holds us back. Others of us are motivated
to avoid what appears risky, or scary or threatening, and this is what holds us back. 

Procrastination is essentially the problem of avoiding what we want to do or what

would be good for us to do, because there is something about it that seems risky or
threatening to us. Perhaps we are avoiding fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear
of the unknown, or fear of commitment. But whatever it is if we can identify it, we
can recognize that we are focusing on the negative value instead of focusing on the
potential benefits of action. Whatever we focus on gets stronger, so it is vitally
important during job search to focus on the positive in order to build motivation and
overcome indecision, avoidance and procrastination.

So, if you find you have been avoiding your job search responsibilities, then list what
is pulling you and what is holding you back. Then spend an hour focusing only on
what is pulling you by listing all the potential benefits of pursuing it, and list how
these actions utilize your strengths and talents. Imagine how things could be better if
pursuing it works out positively for you.

If after doing this for an hour you still find what is holding you back to be stronger,
then you may need to work on minimizing the feelings that are holding you back by
understanding that fears are not reality. What if your fear never comes true? Was it
worth avoiding something that could have turned out well because of something that
is actually unlikely to happen?