Harness today’s fear to invest in a positive future self.

3/2/25 - Use fear to your advantage to take positive action that will help you tomorrow.

Author

Nick Venturella
March 02, 2025

Mindset

A few weeks back I was on a rollercoaster of emotions–highs, lows, irritability–related to being laid off then finally finding new work. Many of you, I know, can relate.

I determined that I was cycling through pent up emotions that released following the last 8 months of a focused job search while I was in a contractor role that I knew would end. 

However, that contractor role ended earlier than anticipated when the organization I was working for also cut 1700+ other full-time employees to lean up for the February 1st fiscal year start.

I don’t think I was as emotionally heartbroken about the layoff as some of my fellow employee friends only because as a contractor I knew my role had a finite shelf life. Because of that shelf life I got focused several months back increasing my professional network, applying, and interviewing for a new job.

All in all, here are how my job search numbers shook out:

  • 100+ customer marketing and advocacy focused roles applied to in 8 months

  • 30 rejections (some before the interview process began)

  • 15 companies interviewed me (anywhere from 1 to 6 rounds of interviews per company) 

  • 4 jobs I was in the interview process with that I rejected because of…

  • 1 offer I accepted.

Following the acceptance of that full-time job offer is when I began to personally cycle through the emotions I mentioned earlier. 

Some of which were: 

  • Guilt that I’ve finally found work, and in less than a month after I was laid off, (even though in reality my search started 8 months ago) when I have many colleagues still out of work who have been searching for a year or more.

  • Relief that I found something that aligns with my skills and values.

  • Insecurity that I will be able to meet the expectations of the new role and be successful for the organization and myself.

  • Excited to embark on a new opportunity to learn additional skills and make a positive impact in this new role.

  • Isolated and alone as I reflect on how my inner self felt going through all of this, yet…

  • Supported by family, friends and colleagues who I knew were rooting for me.

As I mentioned, these emotions were all over the place. I know many of you are in the thick of these emotions right now. Feel free to hit reply. I’m happy to help however I can. Most of these emotions stem from fear.

That fear is the unknown. The unknown of: 

  • What will happen next?

  • How will I support my family?

  • Will I ever find work again?

  • Do I even have the skills needed in the marketplace now?

  • If I find work, will I just get laid off again?

I started to think about how to use my fear to my advantage. In my opinion, it’s largely by the grace of God, however, I don’t think we give ourselves enough credit for the fact that when those unknowns push us to action that is exactly how the fear should be used—to our advantage.

It’s really hard to do—and to me feels counterintuitive—but try not to think of the fear as a negative thing, but rather as an opportunity to take action in a new direction. 

I know that kind of action is exhausting because it often requires humbling yourself to be able to learn new things and be creative. That can sometimes go against the habits we’ve previously created for ourselves that were serving us well, up until this point.

But that’s the point, if you use the fear to drive action, and often in new directions you weren’t previously thinking of, your efforts will surely pay off for you. You may not know exactly how they’ll pay off right now, or in what form, or exactly when, but by doing so you’re investing in your future self at a time when you need it most.

If you’re on the job hunt, here is some recommended reading: 

Marketing

LinkedIn posts to check out:

On the Market — marketing-related people, places, things to discover

Music/Creative

New music and concept album:

Music and songwriting is one form of art, among others I’m involved in, that helps me make sense of the world and my place in it.

Plus, it’s taught me so many transferable skills–personally and professionally. 

That said, I’m dropping some new music soon…a 7-song EP called “Our Own Devices.”

There’s a whole concept and theme to the album that is certainly relevant to our modern human condition. 

Exclusively for this newsletter, you can get a sneak peak listen of the new album. You can read about its concept (which I highly encourage so you understand why it sounds the way it does), and listen to the songs. 

The album should officially release on streaming platforms on March 10, 2025.

Outro

Stay positive, stay healthy, be kind.

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Be well,
-Nick

Nick Venturella Endeavors LLC
NickVenturella.com

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