A lot of people ask me: what can I do to prepare myself for the coming transition in the nature and structure of oil and gas in North America? Love yourself.

In February 2012, I had the essence of my core ripped out because my entire identity was built around my career. Losing that meant losing my self worth and all the things around me, which I had ignored for years- friends, family, exercise, mindfulness- were all that I had left. As it turns out, I had been ignoring the best part of life. Kids sports. Dinner parties. Laughing at the ridiculousness of the Karen’s that we all encounter every day.

So, my best advice in these difficult and volatile times is simply this: love yourself for all the things, not for the picture of the career you wanted or even thought you had.

You can’t change the past. And the industry has changed and is a long way from bottoming. But you can’t control that. You can prepare for the future. And the best way to prepare is to have a full heart, quiet mind and be surrounded by people that love you more than your career does (hint: your career is like that celebrity you love but they don’t know who you are…).

The economy will reopen. And opportunities, in every sector, will abound for the prepared.