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Living the dream is all very well so long as you’ve thought it through.
But you may want to read this before you sell your city flat and move to the country.
Small changes and a little self-knowledge may be all that is required to make
a significant impact on how you feel about life and work. Career guru Barbara
Moses tells us how…
ever feel your life is empty?
do you wonder if you could be doing?
something more meaningful?
do you have nagging career malaise?
If you answered 'Yes’ to any of these questions you can count yourself
among the 70% of the UK population who say that their work makes them miserable.
A whole industry has been born out of this ennui. Newspapers and TV programmes
tell us that downshifting is the way out, the goal. But before you make sweeping
changes, hand in your notice, sell your city flat and move to Cornwall, take some
time to find out who you are and what you need.
Louise lies awake at night wondering, “Why did I become an accountant?
Was it because they had a great recruitment campaign, or did I really want to
do this? I feel like I never really chose what I’ve become, that it was
just an accident somehow. And if it was just an accident, how do I know I wouldn’t
be happier doing something else?”
Most people sometimes question whether their work is meaningful. There is a
difference, however, between fleeting discomfort and persistent ennui. A career
crisis can be sparked by many factors. When you look at your situation more carefully
you will see that there were warning signs, that you probably drifted into the
crisis imperceptibly. It may have started with a nagging feeling of dissatisfaction,
but you ignored it telling yourself that things would get better. Then one day
you woke up and realised you hated your job or felt your work had no meaning.
Solving a career crisis requires work. In particular it involves taking a hard
look at yourself. When people do this, typically they discover that they have
moved into a new life stage, and what they once thought was important no longer
has much meaning. Look beyond the knee jerk reactions, examine the real issues,
determine what you want and get yourself back onto a positive career track.
Finding Fulfilment
Do you want to feel you are doing something that you care about deeply or consider
important? Do you long to work on challenges that enthral you? Would you like
to find yourself surprised by how much time has flown by when you are working?
To feel passionate about your work?
Unfortunately, feeling unfulfilled is one of the most common forms of contemporary
career distress and one of the main reasons why people seek help from career counsellors
and coaches. People say “I am not unhappy doing what I am doing, but there
must be something more.” For some, greater fulfilment means being happier
and more satisfied. For others, it means nothing less than being passionate about
their work.
A generation ago, most people did not think about whether they were happy,
much less passionate, at work. Instead, they looked on their work as a means to
obtain the things that were supposed to make them happy – money, status,
all the trappings of success. The new pursuit of personal fulfilment through work
itself is in part a product of the times, as self-help books and motivational
gurus urge us to be passionate. It is also, however, a reaction to what many experience
as a thankless contemporary work environment. People say, “If I have to
work so hard for so little in return, shouldn’t I enjoy and be passionate
about what I do?” They want work that supports their personal values and
allows them to express their authentic self rather than be part of a homogenised
stew. They want personal fulfilment to be the major criteria in their work choices
– in fact, they demand it.
Work that matches your values
Today people are listing “work that is meaningful” as a major criteria
in their career choices. Many are looking for work that fits their personal values,
work that allows them to contribute something important. Increasingly, these people
describe their work environments as “soulless” or their employers
as lacking integrity. They experience a spiritual hunger and are looking either
to make a connection with the people they work with or to contribute to society.
They want to leave a worthwhile legacy.
A crisis of meaning may reflect changes in your personal life – a midlife
crisis, an empty nest, health issues, a sudden death of someone close to you.
That does not mean your concerns about your work are not real, only that you should
think through what the issues really are rather than making any sudden moves.
There is no magic bullet to solve a crisis of meaning.
Purpose – even without passion
People have read so much hype about passion, they feel they are missing something
because they do not jump out of bed chomping at the bit to get to work. They are
afraid that if they are not completely engaged, then they must be dull and uninteresting
at best, spiritually bankrupt at worst. The reality is that not everyone needs
to feel passionate in their work. For some, a general sense of professional accomplishment
is enough, since they derive their sense of personal fulfilment from activities
outside their workplace, whether sports, hobbies, charity work, or family. Many
people fulfil vital functions in our society without loving their work, yet they
are content in their lives.
Your work is no accident
Like Louise, the accountant who was kept awake at night by the thought that she’d
made the wrong career choice, you may see your career as an arbitrary series of
accidents. The good news is: most people do not make 20-year career mistakes.
Occasionally, of course, people do continue doing work they do not like because
they are frightened of change or cannot see any alternatives. More commonly, people
find themselves in situations that are no longer a good match for them. But that
does not mean they would have been happier doing something else all along, just
that it is time to move on. If you dig down you will probably discover you have
been building on core talents – such as being a good communicator –
and that you did not just fall into your work.
Now all you need to do is to figure out where your talents can best be used...
Know where passion comes from
People often say, “I want to find my passion” as though it was something
they expected to stumble across in the woods or pick up at a department store.
The fact is, passion is not a commodity, it is the by-product of doing something
that really engages you. Look for what will truly hold your attention –
psychologically and technically – and the passion should take care of itself.
Take a clue from earlier work experiences
What originally attracted you to your line of work? Often as we advance in our
career, we move further way from our original sources of engagement. Think about
what has been lost. Many people experience their work as joyless and hollow even
if they are very successful at it, because the very thing that brought them to
their field – whether making a difference in people’s lives, or starting
up and seeing through a high-risk project – is no longer a central feature
of their work. You may also have topped out in your field. Your achievements may
be meaningless because they come so easily to you.
Seek new challenges
Today, employers reward us for mastery, not for our potential to do something
new. Unfortunately, with mastery can come boredom. When what was once novel and
exciting has become a dreaded routine, it is time to move on. Doing something
new without the promise of a safety net, testing yourself in a venture that involves
a calculated risk, can be a route to finding new passion. This is particularly
true for personal developers and novelty seekers.
Go for flow
When was the last time that you were so completely engaged and absorbed by your
work that all of a sudden you looked up and said “I can’t believe
it – five hours couldn’t have passed!” This is what psychologists
are calling “flow”. When you achieve a state of flow, you feel a sensation
of confidence, of being in control, of being engaged and focused. Flow is achieved
when your work is performed in sync with your aptitudes and values.
Dr Barbara Moses, is the author of What Next? The Complete Guide to Taking
Control of Your Working Life (Dorling Kindersley £14.99), in bookshops now.
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