Elizabeth Lotardo 01:43
It’s like, okay, but what is good for you? Your brain works the same way when your job search is vague. I don’t know, maybe something in marketing or HR or product, but also I’m kind of good at ops. Anything really, I have bills to pay. Your brain is like, okay, cool. Now I’m going to do absolutely nothing because I have no direction. Vague goals are paralyzing. You can’t move confidently towards something if you can’t see it clearly. So quick story, I once had a client who told me in our very first conversation that they were super unmotivated in their job search. They’d left a toxic job and they just couldn’t really get going. Every time they opened LinkedIn, they panicked and closed it. It turns out they weren’t actually unmotivated. They were really overwhelmed. They were applying to everything, brand jobs, manager jobs, entry-level jobs, industries that they didn’t even like.

Elizabeth Lotardo 02:41
Industries. They didn’t even understand why, because they hadn’t taken the time to define what they actually wanted. They were trying to chase that clarity through action, hoping that it would make itself more clear down the road or the universe would serve up the perfect thing and it wasn’t working. Because it’s backwards. You don’t get clear By doing more, you get clear so you can do more. Once we get specific, what kind of company, what kind of manager, what kind of work, suddenly we start applying to the right roles and it starts actually working because we want to follow up. We have that energy and it radiates out in the interview. Clarity is what can give you your spark back. So if you’re feeling unmotivated, ask yourself this. What exactly am I trying to do? And you might be sitting there thinking like, I’m trying to find a job idiot.

Elizabeth Lotardo 03:36
But let’s get a little bit more specific. Not a big scary five-year plan. Just what kind of job would you actually say yes to tomorrow beyond compensation? Let’s pretend that was just taken care of. What kind of job would make you so excited to call your friend or to call your mom or to just jump up and down by yourself in your living room? And if you’re not sure yet, that’s okay. Think about what work makes you lose track of time. What kind of people energize you? What problems do you feel good solving? What environments make you feel really alive? Write those things down. It’s not fluff, it’s fuel. You don’t have to show anyone, just keep it to yourself. No one is going to make you reject a job because it doesn’t meet one thing on your little self-made list. But the value I want you to see here is that when you have a sliver of clarity, the next step becomes obvious.

Elizabeth Lotardo 04:35 
That doesn’t mean it’s easy, it just means it’s clear. So how can you bring that clarity to a job search? Tip number one, define your non-negotiables before you apply to another job. Make a short list in your notes app on paper, whatever way you write down of what you need from your next role. Title, pay, remote options, growth potential. Whatever matters most to you, these are your filters. Without them, you’re just throwing spaghetti at the job board. Board while you’re going to be clicking quick, apply until the end of your life. Having a list of non-negotiables helps you stay focused. It also keeps you from accepting roles that are going to drain your soul six months from now. Tip number two, narrow your target. I know it deals safer to cast a wide net, but clarity doesn’t come from applying to everything. It comes from applying to the right things.

Elizabeth Lotardo 05:34 
You don’t need 500 jobs. You need one that’s aligned with you and who you are and where you’re going. So think about your ideal role like a person, kind of what do they look like? What do they do all day? Who are they surrounded by? Where do they work? Get weirdly specific in your mind because the clear the image, the easier it is to recognize when seeds of it start to show up. Tip number three, set tiny but clear goals. A vague goal is I’m going to apply to a bunch of jobs this week. A clear goal is by Friday I’ll apply to three roles that match my non-negotiables and I’ll send one networking message to someone I admire. Clarity makes effort, feel manageable. You’re not lazy, you’re human. And humans need simple, visible progress to feel motivated. And sometimes it feels like that is the opposite of a job search because a job search can be complex and take a long time to generate visible results.

Elizabeth Lotardo 06:37
So don’t try and do everything. Just try and do the next right thing. Tip number four, reconnect to your why. If you’re listening to this podcast, I know one thing about you. You care. You care about doing work that matters. You care about being seen and valued. You care about providing for yourself, for your family, for your community. You care enough to keep going even when it’s hard. So take a minute to ask yourself, why am I doing this? Why does this next rule matter to me? And if your first answer is because I need money, that’s fair, that’s legit. But go plus one to that. That is true. And we’re going to go one deeper. What kind of life would you want to build? What kind of work would make you feel proud? What would you achieve that really filled your chest with pride and energy?

Elizabeth Lotardo 07:28 
Motivation is isn’t some kind of switch, it’s a signal and it shows up when we remember why restarted. So if you’re feeling stuck in your job search, don’t beat yourself up for being unmotivated. You might just be unclear, and that’s fixable. Clarity gives your brain something to chase. It’s the difference between spinning in circles and moving forward with purpose. So let’s recap. Number one, define your non-negotiables. Number two, narrow your target. Number three, set tiny clear goals. And number four, reconnect with your why. Momentum doesn’t come from grinding harder. It comes from seeing where you’re going and being really excited about that. You’ve got this, and if you don’t feel like you do, that’s okay. Take the next clear step. Anyway, that is what self-leadership looks like,