The THING that’s holding you back from a happy job | Career Motivation

career advice career change career motivation motivation Apr 04, 2022

Let’s have a coffee between friends and talk about the biggest thing that is stopping you from getting a job you love and a life that’s bigger and more fulfilling than the one you have now.

Here’s what I know from clients, subscribers, and even from my own career journey- we let fear- of rejection, of a mistake, of the UNKNOWN stop us from getting a life we want.

Raise your hand if you found a job online and then talked yourself out of even applying because you decided they wouldn’t think you’re right for the job.

You rejected yourself so they wouldn’t have the opportunity.

Or maybe you were told “Hey, I have a friend who works at (Your dream company). Let me know if you want an introduction.”

And you never follow up because you’re scared you’ll say something stupid to the person or make some sort of mistake.

Really, I think the big thing is a fear of the unknown. We live in a world where we control so much, and in the job search has so much unknown it’s down right scary. (i did a whole video about it)

We “what if” everything- what if they say no? What if I waste my time? What if I get the job and I don’t like it?

We either what if or reject - saying “This won’t work” without ever trying.

We’ve got to take action and stop worrying about the negative “what ifs”.

Here’s the big reframe:

We need to see our career as an adventure to be on, not a final destination we are clawing our way to get to.

Think of what happens in your favorite adventure stories- me, I like Indiana Jones.

Adventures include danger, trying things you aren’t sure will work, happy accidents, the unexpected, and rewards!

If you look at your career as an adventure I think it can free you up to try a bit more, see everything as an experiment, and enjoy the process to achieve a better result.

So, now that we’re seeing it as an adventure, how do we stop fear from holding us back?

1. Start “what iffing” for the positive!

What if they say yes to coffee?
What if I make a great impression in the interview
What if I get the job offer and I’m so much happier???

2. Make “Just try” your new mantra.

Nothing is going to change if you don’t try. You don’t have to be perfect, you don’t have to do everything “right”, but you need to try.

Of course, put effort into it, but try things out- apply for the job, reformat the resume, send the email. See what happens.

3. Ask yourself if you’re trying to solve a problem that hasn’t happened yet.

Jon Acuff discusses this in his book Soundtracks- that the minute we have a goal- like getting a new job, we come up with 100 problems- lots of what-ifs that aren't ACTUALLY happening.

When those fictional problems start to pop in your head, ask yourself, “Is this something happening now that I need to solve?” If the answer is no, then move on and take the next step to move forward for wherever you ACTUALLY are in your adventure.

So, stop letting worry over things that haven’t happened rule your job search.

Instead, just like in an adventure story, keep exploring and keep trying. Do the next step that you can see and stop worrying about 20 steps down the line.

The THING that’s holding you back from a happy job | Career Motivation

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