Mataupu
The quote about “work to your liking”, having found which, you can allegedly “not work a day in your life”, everyone has heard at least once. But what exactly does this advice mean in practice? What do you need to “cut without waiting for peritonitis”, as soon as something ceases to suit your current professional duties, and run away from the office without looking back, feeling that inspiration has left us? Not at all necessary.
Recently, a girl, an event organizer, asked me for help. Always active, enthusiastic, energetic, she came drooping and anxious: «It seems that I have exhausted myself in work.»
I often hear something like this: “It has become uninteresting, the work has ceased to inspire”, “I’m trying to imagine how to further develop in the profession, and I can’t, as if I have reached the ceiling”, “I fight, I fight, but there are no significant results.” And many are waiting for the verdict, as in that joke: «… to the intensive care unit or to the morgue?» Should I give myself a second chance in my profession or change it?
But before you decide something, you need to understand what is the root of your problem. Perhaps you are at the end of a professional cycle? Or maybe the format doesn’t suit you? Or is the profession itself not suitable? Let’s try to figure it out.
End of professional cycle
Both people and companies, and even professional roles, have a life cycle — a sequence of stages from «birth» to «death». But if a person’s death is the end point, then in a professional role it can be followed by a new birth, a new cycle.
In the profession, each of us goes through the following stages:
- «Newbie»: We are embarking on a new role. For example, we start working in our specialty after graduation, or we come to work in a new company, or we take on a new large-scale project. It takes time to get up to speed, so we are not yet using our full potential.
- «Specialist»: we have already worked in a new role from 6 months to two years, we have mastered the algorithms for performing work and can successfully use them. At this stage, we are motivated to learn and move forward.
- «Professional»: we have not only mastered the basic functionality, but also accumulated a wealth of experience on how to better deal with it, and we can improvise. We want to achieve results and we can do it. The duration of this stage is about two to three years.
- «Executor»: we know our functionality and related areas very well, we have accumulated a lot of achievements, but since we have already mastered our “territory”, our interest and desire to invent something, achieve something is gradually fading away. It is at this stage that thoughts may arise that this profession is not suitable for us, that we have reached the “ceiling”.
This job doesn’t fit.
The reason for the feeling that we are out of place may be the inappropriate work context — the mode or form of work, the environment or the value of the employer.
For example, Maya, an artist-designer, worked for a marketing agency for several years, creating advertising layouts. “I don’t want anything else,” she admitted to me. — I’m tired of working in a constant rush, giving a result that I myself do not really like. Maybe quit everything and draw for the soul? But then what to live on?
Profession not suitable
This happens if we do not choose a profession on our own or do not rely on our true desires and interests when choosing. “I wanted to go to study psychology, but my parents insisted on law school. And then dad arranged for him in his office, and sucked … «» I went to work as a sales manager after my friends. Everything seems to work out, but I don’t feel much pleasure.”
When a profession is not related to our interests and abilities, looking at friends who are passionate about their work, we can feel longing, as if we missed some important train in our lives.
How to understand the true cause of dissatisfaction
This will help a simple test:
- List the top five activities that you do most of your work time. For example: I do calculations, write plans, come up with texts, give motivational speeches, organize, sell.
- Step outside of the content of the job and rate on a scale of 10 to 1 How long you enjoy doing each of these activities, where 10 is “I hate it” and XNUMX is “I’m willing to do it all day long.” Be honest with yourself.
Output the average score: sum up all the marks and divide the final sum by 5. If the score is high (7-10), then the profession itself suits you, but perhaps you need a different work context — a comfortable environment where you will do what what you love, with pleasure and inspiration.
Of course, this does not negate the presence of difficulties — they will be everywhere. But at the same time, you will feel good in a particular company, you will share its values, you will be interested in the direction itself, the specifics of the work.
Now you know that in your work there are not enough tasks «for love». And it is in them that we show our strengths.
If the environment suits you, but the feeling of the «ceiling» still does not leave, then you have come to the end of the next professional cycle. It’s time for a new round: to leave the studied space of the «performer» and go «beginner» to new heights! That is, create new opportunities for yourself in your work: roles, projects, responsibilities.
If your score is low or medium (from 1 to 6), then what you are doing is not quite right for you. Perhaps before you didn’t think about what tasks were the most exciting for you, and just did what the employer required. Or it so happened that your favorite tasks were gradually replaced by unloved ones.
In any case, now you know that your work lacks “love” tasks. But it is in them that we show our strengths and can achieve outstanding results. But do not be upset: you have discovered the root of the problem and you can start moving towards work that you love, towards your calling.
Laasaga muamua
E faʻapefea ona fai?
- Identify the work activities that you most enjoy doing and state your main interests.
- Look for professions at the junction of the first and second.
- Choose a few attractive options, and then test them in practice. For example, get trained, or find someone you can assist with, or offer a free service to friends. So you can better understand what you like, what you are drawn to.
Work is, of course, not our whole life, but a fairly significant part of it. And it is very disappointing when it weighs and tires, instead of inspiring and delighting. Don’t put up with this state of affairs. Everyone has the opportunity to be happy at work.