I’m the last person to give advice on work/life satisfaction.
Not long ago and every day since, I lamented that I hate my job: too confining; too uncreative; too much paper work; too many meetings; not enough money; not enough creative people with fresh ideas. You get the idea. You’ve probably been in this head space once or twice yourself.
If only I could create the job that fits all my talents, all my lives, all my temperaments. I lamented some more: That takes so much work! And, this job I already have keeps me from creating the job I would so adore.
Then, it happened—scrolling through LinkedIn—there it was. The job of my dreams! Everything I have ever wanted in a job: The right commute time—from bed to home office three days a week. The right salary—upper five figures. Lots of independence and mental space to create. Content and programs to write that I’ve only dreamed about, using the knowledge I’m still paying for in student loans. Heaven.
Then, I woke up. The rub: A two-year stint in Dubai (not that I wouldn’t love to travel), before being placed at a regional HQ in London. Who was this wife and mother of a tween kidding?
That was the quickest trip I’ve ever taken from letting the doorknob of my current job hit me square in the backside to refilling my coffee mug and focusing, once more, on that overdue progress report.
I don’t know what it is that makes me think the next J-O-B will be the one. Reminds me of when I was a 20-something dater and I was positive the next guy would be my Prince Charming. Clearly, I had watched too many fairy tale movies. Sigh. Adulting is so hard—day in and day out; year in and year out.
As this first week of the New Year quickly comes to a close, I’ve been granted another opportunity to realistically assess who I am; what I’m head-over-heels crazy about doing; and what I want my life to look like. You have that same opportunity. It’s what all the cool adults are doing. We can do it together, right here in this space, where I will explore:
- trends in Strategic Communication and PR
- career resolutions, intentions, development, and growth
- intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction and staying motivated
- time—giving it away and giving back
- grit and commitment—don’t be a runner
- honest self-evaluation— are you Barry B. Benson or Mooseblood the Mosquito?
Meet me back here next week, and we’ll get started.
Leave a Reply