There was one aspect of my search that helped me to stay patient: I carved out time each day to do the things I enjoyed. My list of “take care of yourself” activities at the time: learn to surf/snowboard, tutor kids at the local school, and train to become a competitive triathlete. An hour or two each day for these activities helped even out the inevitable highs and lows of the search. The result: I presented myself as a more confident candidate despite the fact that I had been on the sidelines for two years.