(or your boss, or your coworker, or the economy)
Let’s get right to it. YOU may be the issue. Have you considered that?
What do I mean?
Have you ever been in a situation where you find yourself wondering:
- Why can’t I find a job I love?
- What can’t I find a career that is right for me?
- Why can’t I get promoted?
- Why aren’t I making more money?
- Why do I keep working for these lousy bosses?
(I know, you probably have plenty more where those came from)
Something you may want to consider – in all of those situations, and with each and every lousy boss, and bad job, and wrong situation (this applies to our personal lives, as well, so pay attention), here is the constant: YOU. That’s right. Everywhere you’ve gone, you’ve been right there.
I’m not saying anything is wrong with you – you are likely just fine as the human you are. The opportunity, though, is likely that your perspective, or point of view, is holding you back.
How?
Consider this:
When you think about your life and path, are you thinking about what you want to DO? For example, ‘if I only got that better job, things would be so much better. I’d be more productive, I’d contribute more....’
OR
When you think about your life and path, are you thinking about what you want to HAVE? For example, ‘if I only had more money, or a better boss, or a better partner, or a bigger house, or more status, THEN, I’d be so much more fulfilled……’
Leading with either of these mindsets, in my experience, is not only not productive, but leads to a mindset of scarcity – of never having or doing enough, of not practicing gratitude, or giving – and I’ve seen it countless times, it leads to a very unfulfilled life; and, since we are always honest with each other here, those types of people usually aren’t great to be around – think about people you know who are always griping about what they don’t have, OR, griping about what others DO have. Sorry, not productive, not enriching and not what I’d recommend you seek in your peer group.
Consider, though, if your mindset led with what you want to BE – meaning, how you want to show up; how you want to contribute, what you want to give. Is this about clarity of purpose? You bet. Is it about passion? You know it. Am I saying that if one doesn’t know her core passion, that she can’t live a healthy productive life? No – not at all. For people to discover who they really want to BE, it may very well be necessary to go out and DO a bunch of different things, and that makes perfect sense. Along the way of doing, though, that person must be fully present, engaged, and not playing the victim to circumstance – rather, she must create her own circumstances and opportunities, so she CAN discover what her passions really are!
This is a very simple concept, and can also be very challenging to apply, if this is not your normal/default way of thinking. Start with step one – review the approaches and questions I ask in this post. Get oriented and honest with how you think. If you start with either of the first two scenarios, take some time to reflect on how the conversation could change if you explore the third approach.
…and remember, the only constant in the life equation is YOU. So, what are YOU going to do about it?
Andrew Freedman, Principal at entreQuest, specializes in helping eQ’s clients grow by creating well aligned company cultures and strategies that result in remarkable client and employee experiences.
