Worrying about future work prospects

I’ve noticed recently in my work that many people are struggling with worry about future work prospects. This phenomenon is not just common, it’s also painful and difficult to live with. But there are solutions, even in professions where employers have a lot of power.

There are certain environmental factors that really foster worry about future work prospects. If you work in an area where there are few employers (or worse, a monopoly) and lots of competition, then you’re in a vulnerable position. That’s the harsh market reality. Wherever there are few employers and many people seeking work, employers hold the balance of power. They get to pick and choose while you can be left feeling vulnerable and anxious. But this doesn’t mean that you’re actually powerless.

One of the fundamental tenets of performance psychology is that the more you feel in control of your outcomes, the more likely you are to succeed.

That’s all well and good, but how are you supposed to feel in control of your outcomes when you work in a profession where employers wield a lot of power? What if your outcomes depend upon the decisions of others? And, worse, what if those decisions are subjective, as is the case with performing artists?

I’m not going to pretend there are easy solutions here. You’re in a tough situation and the first step towards finding a solution involves acknowledging just how tough that situation really is. You’re facing a big psychological challenge.

The bottom line, however, is that when you worry about your future prospects, you’re probably worrying about many things that are not fully within your control. And worrying about things you can’t control can have nasty side-effects.

For starters, it can lead to feelings of helplessness, and feelings of helplessness are associated with depression. This doesn’t mean that if you feel helpless you’re definitely going to become depressed, but it certainly increases your risk.

Feelings of helplessness also fuel anxiety, creating a vicious circle – worrying about things you can’t control leads to feelings of helplessness, and feelings of helplessness lead to even more anxiety.

But the worst thing of all – if we look at it from a long-term perspective – is that worrying about things you can’t control robs you of the will and mental clarity you need to focus on the things you can control. And there’s always a lot under your control, regardless of your circumstances. Perhaps more than you currently realize.

While you may not be able to control whether or not you actually get employed on a given occasion, you can certainly control your employability. This is where you have real leverage. It’s where you need to focus all your mental energy.

What can you do today to improve your skills? What is your unique strength profile? How can you leverage your strengths to make yourself more attractive to employers? How can you maximise your chances of future success?

You see, there’s no such thing as a guarantee. Life is a probability game. Success comes from working the probabilities so that they’re loaded in your favour, moving as close as possible to certainty, or, in mathematical terms, a probability of 1.

Focus your mental energy intensely on the factors under your control and let go of the rest.

This is easy for me to say, I know, when I know all the tricks to making it happen, and you're probably not trained in this area. There is a specific process I work though to achieve this and I use psychological measures and protocols to deliver both quick results and lasting improvements. But there’s probably also a lot you can do for yourself. And it’s worth the effort because it will likely make a substantial difference to your professional outcomes – not to mention your wellbeing – over time.

It may not be easy to achieve, but if it was easy everyone would be doing it. Success is not for the faint-hearted. But it needn’t be fraught with worry either.