If you’re like most people who have a job, during your career, you may have encountered some challenges at work.
Your boss might have left, or maybe you don’t get along well with him or her, the company you work for is being restructured, your department is separated and your career future might be very unclear to you. Other challenges include experiencing some sort of discrimination or accusation of low performance, even though you put lots of effort into your working days.
What do you do when you find yourself in these types of situations?
All of these challenges involve uncertainty and represent a form of change that can affect you in many ways and cause you to be stressed.
You don’t like the situation you find yourself in, you feel bad about it, it stresses you out, or you clearly find yourself complaining about it, but you do nothing to change it.
Now, you might have noticed that I mention the structure of our brains pretty often.
The reality is that our brains are wired to avoid uncertainty and change at all costs.
This means that when we face challenges and consequently stress at work, we often end up doing nothing and getting stuck in our heads and very often suppress the stress which we experience. We might not be aware of that or we may just be in complete denial about it. Holding this is can be so dangerous. Do you experience this?
Personally, I spent more than 5 years suppressing my frustrations and pretending to ignore what was going on at my work. I actually told lies to myself and my closest people because I was in complete denial… I truly hoped that the situation would get better on its own. I was not taking full responsibility for my career but I was in complete victim mode just wishing it would get better.
Wishing doesn’t change reality. In the beginning, the uncertainty seemed sustainable but the stress around it prevailed and I finally came to realize that nothing would ever change unless I decided to change something in my situation. But I only realized that AFTER I had experienced a total body burnout with a partial mental burnout, that cost me two years of my life. But you don’t have to do that.
I am writing this email to you today because I don’t want you to spend 5 + years of your precious time expecting things to change by themselves.
Time is our most precious resource, and it’s even more valuable than money that can easily be replicated. You cannot get your time back.
Once it’s gone, it’s gone
The best way to deal with challenging situations at work is to face them, and learn how to change your own positioning within the situation. If you deserve a promotion or a raise, you have to stand up for yourself. If there’s a conflict between you and a coworker, you need to stand up for yourself.
Most situations at work like communications, year-end appraisal, or “boss handling” issues can be dealt with.
If you don’t like where you find yourself, and you don’t like what your employer offers you because things are subject to change, get in the action for yourself, and learn how to steer the wheels of your career. It’s up to you. Let me ask you- where will you be in a year if you don’t start making changes at work? Still underpaid or in a position, you don’t like? How much money will you have lost by then? What value is lost if you aren’t in a position with an appropriate title and job responsibilities you love and are challenged by?
It’s time for you to go from being a defeated professional to becoming an intentional leader.
Here are 3 ways you can start working on your midlife career right now:
- Looking for a quick and practical session that digs deep and leaves you with a hands on action plan for the next 6 months? Sign Up here
- Want to spend a full day with me, for a Career Leadership Intensive Day? Sign up here
- My very best coaching offer, deep, tactical and strategic Career Lead Formula work over 3-6 months for a Breakthrough Strategy Session to find out if we are a good match
