The next right thing

Yesterday, I wrote a bit about why we stay in jobs that don't fill us up. One critical element is the identification of what it is that you would enjoy doing. That is the tough part for a lot of people - it has been for me. But now let's jump ahead a second and make the assumption that you have figured out the "what". Now all you have to do is figure out the "how".

The how is different for different people, indeed in some cases it may be as simple as re-defining a job search. For many people though, the how is the truly daunting part.

A very good friend and mentor of mine - the late Bill Sauer - used to talk about change. Personal change, organizational change - it doesn't matter. Step one is to identify the direction of the change. Have some picture in your mind of where you want to go. The excercise in yesterday's blog can help you out with that part, or there are about a million books written every year about finding your bliss - use whatever tools work best for you. Step two: Identify the next right thing to do. That's it. you don't have to have the entire trip plotted out - just figure out what to do NEXT. Take stock of where you are. Have a picture of where you want to be, and then take a step to fill in the gap.

When I used to ask Bill about the 3rd 4th or 12th step to get from where I was to where I wanted to be, he would often say "I don't know. My headlights don't shine that far ahead. Just focus on the next right thing, and the path will clear." The path may only clear one step at a time, but it will clear.

Acknowledge where you are - without judgement. Without blame. Without identifying it as "good" or "bad" but just as "is". "This is where I am right now. What is my next step."

My wife, my uncle, my dad and I climbed Mount Princeton last summer. Mount Princeton is one of Colorado's 14ers (a peak over 14,000 feet in elevation). The interesting thing about Princeton, is that most of the climb is rock-hopping. There is no clear trail, only small piles of rock called cairns to mark the trail. You know where you are...standing on this rock at this point on the Mountain. You can see the top...you KNOW where you want to get to eventually. The ONLY way to get there is to worry about your NEXT step. Is that rock safe? Will it shift under my wieght? Is there an easier route? You examine where you are, take stock - without seeing it as bad - and then take a step. Then you do the whole thing again.

What are you waiting for? Time to take a step.

Why do we stay?

I was reading Seth Godin's blog today "Just Doing My Job" and it got me to thinking. Why DO people stay at jobs or companies that they do not enjoy? I mean think about it. On average, we are awake about 5,824 hours a year (because we all know that 8 hours a night is the optimal amount of sleep, right?). Of that, we spend (again on average) of 2,000 hours at work - assuming 40 hours per week and 2 weeks vacation. So that means that over 1/3 of our waking hours are spent actually AT work. If you include commuting to work and thinking about work, it goes up by probably another 400 or 500 hours.

The sad thing is that a LOT of us, don't really enjoy what we do or who we are doing it for. We are just going through the motions. Why? Safety. Security. Fear. Comfort. I suppose all of those things combined exert enough force on us to keep us securely mired.

The old saying "if it were supposed to be fun, it wouldn't be called work" is really pretty bogus. In fact I know of a stonger word that starts with the same letter. There are a lot of people out there who work tirelessly doing meaningful work that they LOVE. So what is different about them? They aren't more driven. They aren't smarter. They aren't even luckier. The only difference is that they had the courage to identify what it is that they love to do, and then figure out a way to do it.

A lot of the people that I know who don't like their jobs all that much, don't really have a good idea of what they DO want to do. They are stuck because they really don't have a better idea - or else they just can't see how to get there from here. I'll talk about that tomorrow - but for today, let's focus on identification.

If you aren't happy doing what you are doing, take a few minutes. Grab a piece of paper and a pen - (do yourself a favor and do this by hand - it does make a difference). Write out a list down the left edge of the things that you don't like about what you are doing. Make it complete. If your boss is a jerk, write it down. If you are bored, write it down. Whatever it is put it on the list. That's step one. Step Two is to create a corrected list. If you don't like your boss, list the traits you don't like, and then right across from it on the right side of the page, make a list of the traits that you WOULD like in a boss. If you are bored, what might be more fun. If there is a specific industry you'd love to work in, write it down. If not, just list the traits of the perfect job.

Get a good picture in your mind about what you would like to do, and then just start talking to people about it. You'll be amazed at how many people really want to help. Don't get discouraged if it doesn't happen overnight, because it might take a while, but keep refining the list and keep talking to people. Surf. Apply for jobs. Go for it. If you can't find it, give some thought to how you might be able to create it.

Your possibilities are limitless.