2025 has been tough. For seemingly everyone.
We all know the macro-environment is weird – we’re living in an “unprecedented time,” wondering if we’re about to tip into a recession, etc., etc.
You’re watching the news and living it. You get it.
But it’s also been tough on a micro-level.
For so many of my friends and clients (and myself!), it seems like we’ve all gotten hit by a wave of extra tough stuff this year.
Front, back and sideways.
I got to a point this winter when I just had to laugh as I got hit by yet another challenge or distraction…an emergency vet visit, my car towed, a pretty terrible migraine, leak in my rental apartment.
The list goes on.
And while none of these blips were insurmountable or crushing, they sometimes felt like rubbing salt in the wound of the larger headwinds I was facing.
I share this because I know I’m not alone.
The vibes of 2025 are weird.
Today’s newsletter is a bit of a pivot from the “how-to” bender I’ve been on but equally as important to creating and thriving in your career.
(Catch-up on all my recent how-tos: network, self-promote, succeed in economic uncertainty, move internally, find a 9 to 6pm with growth)
I’ve been thinking a lot about how in tough times, people often turn towards their spirituality – needing or wanting to believe in a power higher than themselves.
I don’t follow organized religion - and honestly don’t know much about it, as I was raised by my hippy mom whose favorite line was “the universe provides.”
And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve embraced a belief system that some would probably call “spiritual” and which to me means, trusting that life will generally work out (probably also amplified by my optimism and glass-half-full nature).
I am absolutely not here to promote a religion or my belief system, but in this weird and challenging time there is merit in believing in and trusting in something.
And, I’d like to assert that we all definitely can and should be believing in the same thing:
Ourselves.
Or trusting in your own resilience, resourcefulness, talent, scrappiness, creativity or whatever characteristics you are most proud of yourself for and using those to find a way through.
Every single one of us is wildly capable and so able to manage through whatever obstacle, twist or turn you’ve encountered in 2025 or will continue to encounter.
There will always be externalities - you can’t control if companies will call you back for the next round or how your company decides to respond tariffs.
There will always be things you can't control.
But when these macro elements feel overwhelming, focus on what you can control and who you can trust:
Yourself.
And your ability to persevere through tough moments. You've done it before - likely multiple times in your life - and you'll do it again.
So…
Feeling unnerved ramping up at a new role? Trust that you’re a fast learner, and with commitment, focus and time, you’ll hit your stride.
Struggling with how to manage a tough boss? Trust that you’ll be able to forge a relationship with your boss, and if not, you’ll find other advocates or figure out how to move to another team or company.
Worried about getting laid off? Trust that you’ll be able to tap your relationships, move quickly and find a new role or get creative with part-time work to bridge the gap.
Exhausted from working around the clock? Trust that you can have a direct conversation with your boss, set boundaries and handle any repercussions from there.
Having trouble finding a new role? Trust that you’re doing all the right things, are imminently employable and with continued commitment, creativity and scrappiness, will find the right opportunity.
The macro-environment won't be weird forever, and the vibes of 2025 will be get easier.
But in the interim, keep trusting that:
You are going to be able to figure this out.
You are going to come out stronger on the other side.
You will be able to make whatever change you want.
This is the belief system for 2025.
Trust yourself. You've got this.