Is your job mundane… just okay… suffocating … would you like it to improve but don’t know what to do? Read here for ideas on how to improve the state of your job.
Current State
I propose a small exercise for you. Let’s pretend I ask you, as a first step, to list the factors that contribute to the state of your job.
No doubt, you can formulate some colorful lists. You’re smart enough to realize no job is perfect; not even close. If you do believe there is a perfect job (like I used to), then Post #35 – Career Attachment, is an excellent prereq to this article.
After you’ve listed the parameters that contribute to the state of your job, look to see if anything stands out. For example, perhaps you’ve produced a pros/cons list to assess for a potential career move. Are there other answers or glaring patterns you notice?
Despite any evidence you’ve accumulated in this exercise, you know you’re not satisfied with the state of your job.
Now, what does this mean moving forward?
Another State
Here is the next step in this exercise. Let’s set aside your list from step 1 and redirect your attention. This could feel a little awkward, so brace yourself.
What would you think if I suggested this: the way you show up in your day-today is, to an extent, influenced by the way you:
- commit to and follow through with yourself
While it’s nice to hear compliments and hurts to hear criticisms, those kinds of externals are in the noise – what matters much more is the way you think about yourself.
As an aside, some of you might be screaming, “but I have to care what others think of me – my career depends on it!”
I hear what you’re saying, and I used to think the same was true. Allow me to set the record: the degree to which you need others’ approval is proportional to your lack of self-worth.
The most important relationship you will ever create is the one you have with yourself.
Nothing is more attractive and contagious as the person who can show up and feel extremely comfortable in their own skin – mistakes, flaws, and all!
Future State
The truth is, not everyone will always like you. Not all bosses and colleagues will like you. And they don’t have to! The objective at work is to combine brainpower and achieve goals, regardless of personality conflicts.
What we’ve established here thus far: the most important relationship you will ever have is the one with yourself.
Why does this matter and what does this mean about the state of your job?
It matters because the way you view the world is an after-effect of the way you view yourself.
People who are quite confident, who know how to fail forward and accept the imperfections of their humanness will project this self-relationship onto their surroundings. And this is the kind of person knows how to adapt, flex and be resilient.
In contrast, people who are overly insecure, unhappy, or see themselves as victims will view the world as an extension of these thought patterns. This person will have a much harder time adapting. For example, they may job hop because they might often feel nothing is good enough or meets their requirements.
Hence, the state of your job is an extrapolation of the state of your being.
Happy people can virtually go anywhere and take this happiness with them to each environment. Similarly, the frustrated or emotionally void person will equally take their dissatisfaction with them to each environment.
The state of your job can never be better than the state of your being. ~ Gina Covarrubias
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