I know. You're here for the tactics. The salary negotiation scripts, the recruiter outreach templates, the interview prep frameworks. That's what this newsletter exists for and that's what I intend to deliver, every single issue. But today I'm writing about something that I genuinely believe is more useful than any job search tip I could ever give you, and so I need you to keep reading!

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All the job search strategy in the world, every negotiation tactic, every LinkedIn optimization tip, every perfectly crafted follow-up email, none of it means anything if the person executing it is running on empty, operating out of fear, or has completely lost the plot on why they're doing any of this in the first place. So before we get into any of that, I want to tell you something.

Almost two years ago I quit my job with one closed deal to my name and about 90 days of cash in the bank. That was the runway. That was the whole plan. I was young, not married, no kids, and I decided I didn't have much to lose, so I did it. I launched N+1 Search and figured I'd work the rest out as I went.

What nobody tells you about betting on yourself is how immediately and completely it takes over your entire nervous system. I mean that literally. The moment you leave a 9-5 to build something of your own, it consumes you. Every thought, every quiet moment, every 2am wake-up. I had no idea what a P&L was. I had no idea how to market myself or run a business or really do much of anything beyond the actual job I was good at. And the voices that show up in that vacuum are not kind ones. Who do you think you are. You don't know what you're doing. You were never qualified for this. Those voices are relentless and they are loud and they showed up for me on a pretty regular basis.

A few months in, when deals were sparse and I genuinely didn't know where my next dollar was coming from, I opened my Bible. Half because I didn't know where else to turn, and half, honestly, because I was sitting at my desk trying to avoid opening an email inbox that was drier than the Sahara Desert. I liked how I felt after. So I did it again the next morning, and the morning after that, and it became the thing I do before I do anything else.

Now we're in year two. And there's a very real phenomenon called the second year slump, and I have felt it. There have been many, many times where I did not know how I was going to keep the lights on around this joint (aka my house). Many times I've been standing on the razor's edge, one strong gust away from tipping off the mountain entirely. Every single one of those times, something has happened. Some version of a miracle, small or large, that let me keep going. And I am genuinely the least qualified person to still be standing here. No degree. No pedigree. What I do have is a naivety that makes me think I can do this, grit, a work ethic, and a real, intrinsic reason to get out of bed in the morning because I actually care about helping people find better jobs and earn more money. By any reasonable calculation, I should not still be here. And yet, here I am!

This morning I read Judges 7. Gideon is about to go to battle against massive armies, and God whittles his forces down from 30,000 soldiers to 300. Three hundred. And they still win. The whole point was that when they came out the other side, nobody would be able to credit the outcome to human strategy or superior numbers. It would be undeniable. It was God. That was the lesson. That's always the lesson.

So here's what I want to say to you today, especially if you're in the middle of a job search that feels impossible, or a career transition that has you questioning every decision you've made in the last five years, or just a season of life that has you wondering if you're going to be okay. You don't have to do this on your own strength. If the odds look stacked against you… they probably are. And when you come through to the other side and it's nothing short of a miracle, you'll know exactly who to thank. That's the whole point.

Every time I've crawled back to the edge of the cliff and started to panic, thinking surely not this time, surely this is the one that finally breaks me, He has come through. Every time. And I have to admit, I haven’t stopped being surprised by it, which I think is also part of the lesson. It’s a daily practice to achieve the peace that He has in store for us when we surrender and give it all to Him.

Anyway. That was a lot. Thanks for reading it. If you want the 365-day Bible reading plan I use, reply to this email and I'll send you the PDF. And wherever you are right now, keep pushing!!!!

All the glory to God, hunny!

Stuck in your job search? Not sure how to handle a tricky interview question or navigate the hiring process? Submit your question anonymously, and I’ll answer it in an upcoming newsletter.

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