I’m already unemployed, so I have nothing to lose

Whenever I have been on the job hunt, I’ve historically approached filling out applications and going on interviews with the mindset of having nothing to lose.

I find it to be empowering and it helps me approach my search with confidence, curiosity, and most importantly, resilience.

Doing so frees me to cast a wider net with my candidacy, which uncovers opportunities that I might not have spotted, had I allowed fear to run the show.

That’s how most unemployed people treat the process. Lizard brain starts whispering, you know you’re never going to work there anyway, so why even bother talking to these people?

Google, for example, once gave me a callback for a position on their b2b content marketing team. The role was heavily data analytics focused, which would have been a significant stretch for my skillset.

But my thinking was, well, screw it, I’m already unemployed. I have nothing to lose by setting up a call with the most innovative and important technology company in the world. Let’s see what I can learn.

My first call was the classic chemistry test, which was good enough to advance me to the next round. Call two was my presentation of the sample assignment to the hiring manager, which was fun and seemed to go well. Awesome.

Then came the third call, a video chat with the regional director of demand generation. He told me he only had one question for me.

How would you triple our sales this year?

Now, I’m not usually a speechless person, but in that moment, I looked like a deer in headlights. I had no idea how to response.

Triple your sales? Hell, I don’t know. Publish more whitepapers? Start a podcast? Don’t ask me, I’m just the content guy.

Suffice it to say, that interview ended quickly. Google apparently isn’t a search engine, it’s a sales organization. They earn two hundred billion dollars a year in ad revenue. And if you want to work there, either you’re the engineer designing the tech, or the salesperson peddling it. Duly noted.

Point being, had I gone into that interview flooded with fear and expectation, I probably would have experienced that call differently. Perhaps as a rejection or a failure that killed my motivation for the rest of my week.

But that wasn’t the case. I walked into that experience with the framing that I had nothing to lose, and that’s exactly what happened. I didn’t waste my time on the homework assignment. I didn’t miss an other opportunities by talking to these tech bro assholes. I gained insight about the marketplace and my role within it.

What if you told yourself a story that you only had something to gain? What if you dwelled on growth opportunities, rather than potential losses?

Listen, as long as you’re not pursuing reckless endeavors that lead to a trail of broken bones, shattered dreams, and strained relationships, then it’s worth it. I understand that believing you have nothing to lose, from a societal standpoint, suggest a sense of desperation, hopelessness, or extreme circumstances.

But that’s not the case.

Baldwin, who was named as the most considerable moral essayists of our time, famously said, the most dangerous creation of any society is the man who has nothing to lose. His theory was, such individuals would be driven to extreme measures, including acts of violence, crime, or rebellion against the established order. And the absence of attachment to personal safety, reputation, or societal approval would make them unpredictable and toxic to others.

That’s not the kind of perception of risk I’m talking about. Frameshifting is a cognitive restructuring process where we shift our individual perspectives.

This isn’t about societal dynamics and systemic issues. It’s about helping us consciously adopt alternative viewpoints and reframing thoughts to promote greater wellbeing. Our goal is to use the perception of having nothing to use as a force for good.

Frameshifting is about the absence of, or at least the liberation from, our emotional attachments. Breaking free from our inhibitions and expectations to challenge norms and inspire others.

My recommendation is to add this powerful tool to your arsenal. Unhook yourself from the dualistic world of winning and losing.

Decide upfront that setbacks are stepping stones towards growth, and you might just attempt something amazing.

What new game would you play if you assumed there was no such thing as losing?