Has the pandemic pushed you to re-evaluate your professional priorities? You’re not alone. The phrase you only live once (YOLO) seems to be inspiring some workers to quit stable jobs to take a chance on riskier professional endeavors – pursuing passion projects or entrepreneurial adventures.
A recent New York Times article dove into this phenomenon reporting that the hardship of the last year made some millennials think again about pursuing a “typical” career trajectory.
As the article reminds us, the pandemic is not over and there are plenty of people still struggling and mourning from job losses and losing loved ones during the pandemic. But for some people with financial cushions and competitive skillsets, the anxiety and devastation of the past year is giving way to fearlessness when it comes to their careers.
For those taking new professional risks, one theme seems to be consistent – after years of feeling burnt-out from “the hustle,” the pandemic altered their priorities.
They spent the last year evaluating how they lived “before” and whether this life is the one they wanted to be living. Living through a pandemic made many people think, I could die tomorrow – why waste my time doing something I don’t love. YOLO!