When is the last time you stopped and truly contemplated “why am I doing this?” Or indeed, “does this situation bring out the best in me?”
Or is your:
[Job] [Industry] [Relationship] [Place you live] [Health and wellbeing] [choose another lens]the way it is because – well – because it’s just the way it is. Or at least it’s the way it’s been for long enough to have forgotten you even have a choice.
A few things have happened this week that reminded me we should all check in every once in a while, and get real about the impact our choices are having on our personal goals and motivation.
Firstly, a friend just accepted a job on a seven-day fortnight. What’s special about that, you may say? Perhaps not much, but to Steve* it wasn’t easy finding a senior role in the cut-throat world of finance and equities that excited him, and where he could balance his workhours with a desire to spend time his school aged sons. Indeed, it took over a year (and a lot of soul searching) to find the right match.
Secondly, I met with a woman I’ve mentored on and off for more than a decade, to talk strategy for her impending career comeback post-parenting. Over the time that I’ve known Marina*, she’s had a complete career change from management consulting to teaching, and to see how that has really ignited a fire in her belly is truly something to behold. Even if you’re “doing well” in terms of meeting performance expectations, as Marina had been in her consulting roles, that doesn’t mean you’re in the right job. What matters most is what lights you up. In other words, why you do what you do.
Finally, it’s been a time of personal reflection as I work through my own personal plan for the new financial year. Should I continue with my own practise (work that inspires me, but I find a little lonely without a team around me), or start climbing the corporate ladder again (there’s never been a better time for women with good corporate experience to find a great job). While the voices inside my head were shouting at each other, this LinkedIn recommendation just popped up on my feed and reminded me: this is why I do what I do. If the work isn’t as sexy as the heady corporate days of past, it’s certainly more rewarding. (And Yvonne, we’ll get that Champagne flowing soon!)
So… Does your work light you up? Is the job you’re doing today the one you want to be doing next year, or the year after, or the one after that? Or is it time you made some changes?
Yours in contemplation,
* names have been changed to protect the innocent
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