According to a Fall 2020 opinion poll released by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), 62% of Americans felt more anxious than they did at the same time in the prior year. That is almost double the number of people feeling anxious over the last three years, according to APA polls. No surprise there, given the pandemic.
Even though the vaccine is changing things, there are plenty of stressors to go around. Whether people are talking about the economy, job security, or lack of it, health issues, or back-to-school concerns, anxiety looms large.
With anxiety, simple life changes seem to take on greater importance.
Big life changes, like career shifts, can stir up fear and near panic.
When they want change, candidates come to me to explore their franchise options. Some want to make a shift from a corporate employee to business owner. Anywhere along that journey, they may slip from enthusiasm to anxiety to panic which stops them in their tracks. That not-so-subtle voice in their head begins the taunt, “Play it safe. Stick with what you know. Avoid any new risks.”
Even if we are adamant about avoiding risks, life sometimes fails to cooperate with us. One candidate came to me, only after he’d ‘hunkered down and played it safe’ for several years. He’d seen his coworkers downsized but he’d always managed to keep his job. He even believed it would never happen to him. Then one day it did.
After that experience, my candidate decided to work through his anxiety about future employment and job security by looking into a career where he could be his own boss. It wasn’t that exploring franchise options didn’t come with bouts of anxiety and his questions about whether he would make the right choice. He’d simply found that playing it safe didn’t guarantee job security. So his attitude became – why not take a chance on pursuing a viable alternative to the corporate rat race?
If you are tired of playing it safe, or your fear of being downsized is greater than your fear of exploring new career opportunities, I’d love to help you find the best franchise fit. Please contact me at 925.642.9976 to schedule an initial call. My services are completely free.