Most of us bump along steadily at work. We hang in there, no great cockups, but rarely awakening our ‘giant within’ either. We move forwards, getting the home, holidays, and lifestyle we think we deserve. We talk about our work with a reasonable level of passion. But at some stage that niggling inner voice starts: ‘I could do better.’
Maybe that’s true and it’s never too late to put your foot on the accelerator. But are you behind, really? Sense-check against these three thinking errors. Get to the bottom of what ‘more’ you really want, then go get it.
1. Are you too bothered about everyone else?
Philosopher Alain de Botton says we are all ‘job snobs’ now. We judge people by their job title, usually with a degree of comparison or envy.
Our perception of career and life success comes from many sources: our parents’ expectation, our peers, colleagues, classmates, neighbours, friends. We benchmark our extrinsic success against theirs; where we think we ‘should’ be.
How you spend your days should fit your values and priorities, no one else’s. If you work part time to take care of your family, that’s fine. If you are the only parent who rarely does pick-up, that’s fine too. Some people give up corporate life to take a risk. Others stay on the corporate track because they like the security. Good for them.
Whole-heartedly do what feels right for you now, you can always change later.
2. Are your goals mostly about cashing in?
This is the mid-career funk. You have a long-term vision, living for the big pot at the end of the career rainbow. ‘I will keep going until the business is sold/I make Senior Partner/the kids are through university and can support themselves.’ Your motivation has gone, particularly in comparison to how pumped you felt earlier in your career. You are bored: a commuting, zooming zombie, asking yourself ‘how did I get here’ like the Talking Heads song.
Keep your eye on the prize, but find short-term milestones and targets, and maybe a challenging side project. Real life is lived day-to-day, not in the big moments. Change your focus to daily achievements and you will feel more in control. What’s the difference between a good day and a dull one? Do more of whatever makes you feel energised. If you can, spend less time on misery-making dementors.
3. Do you think being in a comfort zone is a bad thing?
Quiet tenacity isn’t always appreciated at work; attention often goes to the Sally Show-Offs who make the most drama, not necessarily the Steady Eddies who consistently deliver.
Owning an area of expertise and making it comfortable is a real achievement. You’ve reached it through years of honest graft and refinement: your 10,000+ hours. In the old days, this made you a great craftsman, nowadays you’ve become an expert. Be proud.
Career transitions evolve in steps from one patch of safe ground to another, not massive leaps into the unknown. If you feel you own your patch now, then create your next opportunity. Think about where your skills, networks and experience can take you and put yourself out there.
Next steps:
People who love their work are usually clear on what they do, why they do it, and who benefits it. They look outwards, going to work to solve problems for other people (their team, stakeholders, clients, patients, their broader community, their family). Financial rewards come too, but as a by-product of success rather than the only measure of it.
Why do you do the job you do?
What problems do you solve for others?
What’s your unique contribution?
When do you feel most energised at work, can you do more of this?
What networks, knowledge or expertise should you develop to move to your next patch of safe ground?
This is abridged from Chapter 21, Reality Check, of my career book Mind Flip: Take the Fear out of Your Career.