Do You Love Your Job?

Hi everyone,

Fail fast and pivot is an expression that has been around for some time and I like it because I think we do need to have the courage to try new things, take action and not let things drift if they’re not working out, and adapt to move onto other things if we need to. I see on the internet today though, that the expression has already become passé as there’s an article saying that we are indulging ourselves too much in failure, are wearing it like a badge (well done me for trying!) and should basically get over ourselves. Oh fer goodness sake!

Who are these people writing these articles and blogs anyway?!

Moving quickly on from that ? I think balance has to be the key to all things.  Personally I’m never going to regret trying something new but knowing when to call it quits and move on is a real skill I think.  I talked last week about the huge amount of energy it can take to move on from a job you’re not happy with and how that can be difficult when you’re low on energy because your job is taking that from you, which then becomes a vicious circle.  In relation to fail fast and pivot, we might suggest that we should all dump our jobs and go and open olde worlde sweet shops (kola kubes anyone?!) but life isn’t that straight forward is it?  We have mortgages, rents and bills to pay.  Pensions to maintain and financial responsibilities to fulfil.  It might feel like we’re trapped into a cycle of responsibility, tolerating a job that we don’t love in order to support our families, for instance.  It’s not life enhancing stuff is it?

But maybe there is a balance to be found, between duty and responsibility, and enjoying a fulfilled life.  I found a life coaching resource on the internet which focuses on the different aspects of resilience, which resonated with me and might support your thinking too.  If we are feeling fulfilled, we can build resilience and that gives us strength to communicate assertively and influence our relationships.  You still might not love your job, but maybe you can get the best out of it by explaining where you’re at, confirming that you still want to work hard and do a good job, but letting them know your timescale for opening the kola kube wonder palace! ?

The different aspects of resilience and areas for consideration are:

Physical resilience – consider your physical environment, general health and wellbeing

Intellectual resilience – think about money and finances, your work and career

Emotional resilience – think about love and romance, and your family and friends

Social resilience – think about your own personal development and the support you give to others.

By scoring each area for consideration between 1 and 10 you can build a sense of where your resilience is good and what needs support and/or development.  That allows you to think about what changes you want to make; what you can do yourself and what you need help with.  If you have a job that you’re not madly in love with, you can focus on other aspects of your life to build a greater sense of overall achievement and fulfilment, which gives a greater sense of balance – “I can tolerate this because I get to go and do that!”.

I know from personal experience that trudging along in a rut is not good for our confidence, self esteem or sense of living a fulfilled life.  Big change can be scary but something like a life coaching tool can help you to find a greater balance in your life.  That might then give you the confidence to plan and work towards greater changes, knowing that you feel comfortable with the balance between duty, responsibility and fulfilment.  If you’re not sure….just take smaller steps.  You’ll still get there eventually.  You’ll feel proud of your achievements and will be a great role model to others.  That’s good energy ?

I’m off to place my kola kube order, just for personal use at this stage!

Take good care and have a great weekend.

Best wishes, Karen