3 Traps Keeping You Caged In Your Job

Work is a big part of our lives.  Sometimes it’s just a job – maybe a good job or a not-so-good job.  However, sometimes you want your work to be more than a job.  You’ve reached a point in your life where you want your work to be an expression of your soul’s purpose or your passion or you want to make a contribution in a way that’s meaningful and fulfilling to you. 

If you’re currently in a J-O-B and it’s time to move to a deeper level, you’ve got some big changes on the horizon.  I speak to many people who are standing on that cliff looking across the chasm to where they want to go but they just can’t get themselves to make that leap.

First of all, if you’re standing on the cliff looking across the chasm and can envision your destination, congratulate yourself.  You’re further along your journey than many people who want to find work with a deeper meaning, but the other side is shrouded in fog.

So what’s stopping you from making that leap?  Your heart is saying go, go, go!  But something else is saying no, no, no.

Here are three things that may have turned your current job and career path into a cage.

Your ego.  Does your sense of your own worth come from what you do for a living?  There are a lot of ways this manifests.  Perhaps you’ve worked your butt off over the years and climbed the ladder to a management or senior management position.  You’re proud of your accomplishments, and you like the fact that you have a title that earns you respect.  In fact, you like it more than you actually like your job.  When you step onto a different ladder, you’ll probably have to start at a lower level or perhaps you’re going to start up your own company where you’ll be doing every menial thing at first.  Either way, if you can’t stand the idea of giving up your title and position of authority, you’re trapped.

Money, money money.  You make great money – more than enough to pay your basic living expenses.  This enables you to live a lifestyle filled with perks and yummy extras.  In addition to that lifestyle, the amount of money you make is a tangible way to count your worth.  This is often a non-negotiable base requirement for any change – you must be guaranteed to make the same amount of money or you’re not moving no matter how miserable you are.  But life doesn’t come with guarantees, so you’re trapped again.

Fear.  Change is scary, the unknown is scary, risk is scary.  All of the media hype about the tight job market, the unemployment rate, and the stories about the struggles of the long-term unemployed just reinforce how risky it is to even think about making a change even within your same industry.  The idea of striking out in a different direction is absolutely terrifying!  What if you make a mistake, or what if the learning curve is really high on that new career path.  It’s safer just to stay put and hope that someone finds you or some opportunity falls in your lap while you’re dreaming of unicorns.

After a number of years another fear takes hold when you realize you’ve wasted the best years of your life in a job you didn’t like just because you were too proud, too greedy or too timid to take a chance. 

There’s a great quote:  Change will come when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.   I’m amazed at the amount of emotional people will endure, and it's almost never worth it. 

Regardless of whether you want to change jobs at this time or not, assess whether your job is a J-O-B vs something deeper and ask yourself whether that’s OK.  If it’s not OK, take a look at whether any of the traps might be holding you back.  Awareness is the first step towards a change.  Then you can let the genie out of the bottle and dare to envision what you’d really like to be doing. 

Here’s another quote to set you on that path:  Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage. (Anais Nin)

Recipe for Your Dream Job

On a gloomy Monday morning, do you dream of finding your dream job?  That ideal position which feeds both our soul and your pocketbook?  Does it sometimes feel like you’re on a mythic quest to find the unicorn? What if you never find it?  What if it doesn’t exist? 

Well, it does exist, but instead of looking at job descriptions, think of it like being in a relationship.  We spend years looking for Mr/Ms Right, but a dream relationship isn’t just about the other person.  It has as much to do with you being the right person. 

A couple of week’s ago I met Noemi at a dinner party.  After being laid off, she had found her dream job.  We met again a few days later to swap information about our businesses, and I got a chance to ask about her journey.  Here’s my recipe for your dream job and her story.

Start with:  Who You Are

How would you describe yourself?   Are you a warrior, a healer, a teacher, an inventor?  Don’t think in terms of a job (police officer, nurse, school teacher, engineer), but think of your character – your essence.  If you could sum yourself up, who are you? 

Noemi’s story:  The first thing Noemi said was “I have an entrepreneurial spirit.”  Starting from a young age she owned her own businesses including a retail store selling jewelry and accessories.  She loved the independence and self-determination of being a business owner.

Then add in:  Your interests

What are you interested in, passionate about, drawn to?  Again, don’t think of a job description, but think of where your mind goes and figure out the underlying theme.  For example, when you open the newspaper or magazine, what do you read first? 

My favorite books have always been biographies, especially historical biographies.  I’m fascinated by what makes people tick, what kinds of decisions they make in their lives, how they overcame adversity, how were they influenced by events of the day, who they loved. 

Noemi’s story:  of all the activities required to run her own business, Noemi enjoyed the financial aspects.  Margins in retail are notoriously slim, so when she decided to look for a job that paid more and paid more consistently, she went into banking. 

Finally, stir in:  Your Contribution

What contribution do you want to make?  Here are two key questions

• Who do you want to help?
• Who do you want to be a hero to? 

Everyone I’ve spoken with who says they’re in their dream job felt they were making some type of contribution outside of themselves.  They’re helping someone in some way.  So whether you want to help individuals recover from cancer, create value for shareholders, or leave the earth cleaner for future generations – you decide.

Noemi’s story:  Noemi wanted to help people create financial security because this had been a central theme in her life.

So what did Noemi end up with after being laid off?  She’s now a financial advisor for a large mutual fund company.  She has the independence of finding, servicing, and retaining her own clients, she’s working in the financial services industry, and she’s helping people create financial security.  She’s hit that sweet spot. 

When you blend all of the elements, you will begin to walk towards your dream job.  It could be anything – that’s the joy and frustrating thing about it.  Just like finding your dream relationship, your dream job isn’t about finding that one perfect, specific position.  It’s about blending who you are, what you’re interested in, and who you want to help with the opportunities you find and create. 

Oh, and it changes over time as you get to know yourself better, discover new interests, or experience great challenges or loss.  So why not get started on that journey of discovery today?