Careers: Getting off That Treadmill

Getting off That Treadmill

Written by Megan Tough

Have you ever had one of those days when you’ve asked yourself: “Why am I doing this”? Do you hate Mondays and hang out for Fridays? Or do you say to yourself: it’s not forever, and repparttar

money is good”. If work has lost it’s meaning for you, and your care factor is hovering close to zero, then you can join repparttar 107099

thousands of other people who are endlessly running on repparttar 107100

treadmill.

Being on repparttar 107101 treadmill is an insidious condition – people are endurance athletes when it comes to running on this particular machine. It’s not hard to build up stamina, in fact there is a simple 3-step formula that will guarantee your ongoing success:

Step 1: go to work each day Step 2: complete all activities and tasks Step 3: show all repparttar 107102 acceptable outward signs of participation and enthusiasm

then repeat ad infinitum……

Inwardly you might be having a conversation like: Are you serious? This is so boring, or No, not again!

The problem with repparttar 107103 treadmill is that it never slows down or turns off unless repparttar 107104 person operating it presses repparttar 107105 Stop button (or fails to complete Steps 1 to 3 successfully). It’s repparttar 107106 same with our lives – nothing changes unless we actively choose to do something different.

The ability to jump off repparttar 107107 treadmill takes work, and courage. Often we think it’s easier to keep doing what we are doing than to think about how to make a change. But each of us has repparttar 107108 power to make a different reality – after all, we made repparttar 107109 one that we’re in now didn’t we?.

Recognise that you’re on repparttar 107110 treadmill. This is repparttar 107111 first and most important step. Being on repparttar 107112 treadmill often means doing things on autopilot. By ignoring how we feel, we are able to continue with our endurance session. Once you allow yourself to acknowledge that you’re not that crazy about where you are, then you will be motivated to make a change.

Get some support Human beings don’t like change, so jumping off repparttar 107113 treadmill into an uncertain place is usually not an option. In today’s world there are all sorts of people who can help you sort through some different options - coaches, career counselors, mentors, business people and so on. Connect with someone who can support you as you make your transition.

Springclean your mind When we are on repparttar 107114 treadmill, we are usually reacting to things going on around us, rather than acting out of choice. So make an active choice to take a rest, a vacation, talk it out with someone you trust, blow off steam, do whatever it takes to get some perspective about your situation. Just this simple step will make you feel more in control, and can help to streamline repparttar 107115 energy you'll need for repparttar 107116 changes ahead.

Take It or Leave It ... But Get It

Written by Nan S. Russell

The expense was substantial. An immersion workshop with twelve participants sharing a common goal to hone their skills. With nervous eagerness like kindergarteners embracing school, we received input, critique, and suggestions about our work. Some of repparttar

feedback I used. Some of it I didn't. But all of it was helpful.

I haven't always viewed feedback that way. At times in my career, I've taken it more like a personal indictment than a helpful gauge; an intruder I needed to defend against, rather than input I needed to evaluate. I've even found myself akin to a workshop colleague who said he wanted input, but when he got responses different from what he expected, he argued and debated and explained. What he wanted was praise or input he agreed with, not honest reactions.

You see it's not enough to ask for feedback. You have to be open to receive it. After three days of our colleague's defensiveness, any willingness to offer anything but cursory input was stomped out. His argumentative actions lost him an opportunity for connection with fresh voices and new input. And we lost an opportunity to practice giving helpful feedback with authentic insights and thoughtful reflection.

I learned a painful lesson about seeking feedback in my first management position. Given a large assignment, I was proud of what I produced, certain it would be received as an outstanding product. Instead I discovered my work was mediocre at best and significantly flawed because I failed to seek feedback and assessment from repparttar 107098 end users along repparttar 107099 way. Relying only on my own thoughts and perceptions was a big mistake.

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