As I woke up this morning, a few random thoughts went through my mind. Am I fulfilling my true potential? Is the Job I’m rushing off to what I really want? Is it my passion? Personally, I am the type that periodically reflects on where I’m at and where I’m going. It keeps me accountable and serves as a guide rope that brings me back to my path when I feel that I may have gone off course.
Let’s continue. The need to explore this perspective has been glaring at me in the rear-view mirror for some time now. I find myself evaluating my current position, workplace, team; reviewing and revising my resume, but why? What in my current professional landscape is tugging at my subconscious, generating just enough vibration to make me want to look in another direction?
Is it opportunity? variety? Have I lost the passion I had for this role? Is it the money? Am I drawn to a new vocation? Is it just time to move on? These questions linger not too far from reach as we progress throughout our careers. Take note, these questions can appear to have a negative connotation. (you obviously wouldn’t be asking yourself this line of questions if you were content). This isn’t to say you’re miserable. In fact, you should consider it a bit of self-care. Being aware enough to listen to your system and discovering the cause for the shift is a skill often under-developed in many people. In fact, that skill can be powerful in many aspects of life; we just have to be willing to listen and take action. No matter how different or uncomfortable that action may be.
Am I wrong for thinking this way? Does it mean I’m a horrible person? Never happy? These are all valid questions. You need to do a gut-check, have a little integrity and fully explore them. Perhaps you’re in a place to be asking these questions because you have made one too many compromises along your professional journey. Did you become complacent? Did you have a personal reason for keeping you in you are? Do you feel you let your “window” pass you by? (it’s never too late).
“Don’t confuse excuses and opportunities; one puts you inside a box, the other is how you use the box to step over that obstacle.” -The Traveler
Once you’ve explored and found the answers to these questions, you’re ready to build that plan; you’re ready to go after that dream. The passion you were meant to pursue. This doesn’t mean that you’ll never be in this place again; that you won’t have to make compromises. But now, the compromises will be strategic, purposeful decisions that become productive benchmarks, pulling you closer to your goals.
Welcome back! You’re on your way and you’ve truly freed yourself. You’re confident, driven and full of purpose. You’ll find that you’ve built your own guide rope, got yourself back on that path you started down so long ago. Your professional destination may have changed since your initial course was plotted. It’s called evolution and it’s OK. You’ll make great friends and deal with conflict. You’ll learn a lot about yourself; Be open to that. Don’t hold yourself hostage or to anyone else’s standard. They have their own path to tend to. Help when you can; just don’t allow yourself to get stuck fixing others. You deserve to be happy. Good luck and go chase those dreams!
“When you think a window is closing on you, break the window… A shattered window can’t close! ”