If work has you feeling like “I don’t wanna…” – shift your focus to this…

Sometimes we just don’t wanna do the things we have to do.  The reasons are vast and wide….

 

We’re tired, cranky, hungry, we don’t feel good, we just need a hug – oy!  We’re downright babies sometimes aren’t we?!

 

We all have our off days.  We can have our moods from time to time but what we cannot do is sustain a sense of satisfaction from our work if all we are focused on acting on our negatively charged moods.  At work, our moods tend to become negatively charged when we are focused on what we  perceive to be as less than favorable external factors and lack of potential rewards.  This includes things like:

 

  • doing stuff we don’t like to do (tasks we have to do)
  • worrying about how other people react to what we do
  • interacting with people we don’t like
  • having to do more with less time and resources
  • having to go somewhere we don’t like to do our work
  • working under undesirable conditions

 

In other words, we are focused on factors we have little to no control over.

 

I am a believer that we can only EASILY control 3 things at work:

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You’re better than talented if you’re being this…

This week I was paid my favorite compliment – twice!!

 

I was called “brilliant” (sigh).  It makes my heart melt every time I hear that word.  For me it’s the ultimate hitting of the “making a difference” target.

 

These compliments happened shortly after someone (brilliantly) shared a quote with me about the difference between talent and brilliance.

 

Once again for me it proves true that when we have clarity about something (like the distinction between talent and brilliance in my case), we begin to expertly notice opportunities to practice – and therefore, experience – the thing we have clarity about.  The power of clarity is real.  But I digress – let’s get back on track…

 

The quote is…

 

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2 simple things you can do to get new insight, inspiration or the sense of peace you crave in your life

Doesn’t time away from your usual routine and surroundings sound good?  Even if we are happy with our routine and  job – most people would welcome a break – especially if they could be assured that the break won’t bring about any unwanted disturbances in their life (loss of income, diminished reputation, travel or other personal problems, etc.). 

 

Sabbaticals are more than just “a break”.  They are defined as “a period of time during which someone does not work at his or her regular job and is able to rest, travel, do research, etc.” and a break or change from a normal routine (as of employment).”  Usually this is done in order to achieve or experience something.  A study published in The Journal of Applied Psychology reported that sabbaticals reduce stress for prolonged periods.  Prolonged stress might otherwise evolve into job burnout – so if you are feeling burned out already, a longer period of time breaking your routines might be the remedy (i.e. 2 months – even a year).

 

Well, I’m heading out on my mini-sabbatical this week.

 

I’m off to

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What professionals in their 20’s can do to get the job satisfaction they crave (even in a job they hate).

In recent blogs I explained What can employees do for themselves to improve their job satisfaction and engagement? I also gave suggestions about how to get more money from your boss and how to improve relationships at work since money and relationships with our co-workers and bosses ranked highly as mattering to employees for job satisfaction and engagement.

There is however another component that the report found matters greatly for engagement – and that piece concerns employee’s opinions and behaviors. Here are the study’s top 5 opinions and behaviors for employees to have, as viewed by employees, that matter for engagement:

  1. “I am determined to accomplish my work goals and confident”
  2. I can meet them I frequently feel like I’m putting all my effort into my work”
  3. While at work I’m almost always completely focused on my work projects”
  4. I am highly motivated by my work goals”
  5. I have passion and excitement about my work”

These are the top 5 factors across gender and job level – except for one…

The 1 thing professionals in their 20’s are missing to get the job satisfaction they crave is (drumroll please)…

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Want a promotion? 3 mistakes to avoid and 1 powerful way to get your promotion faster

 

So, are you feeling ready for a promotion?  Is it long overdue or is it a new aspiration?  Either way, if you haven’t quite yet landed the promotion you desire, now is not the time to just wait it out.  Even if you are certain that it is imminent or if you are already performing as the “temporary fill-in” for the elevated role (you don’t officially have the title, authority, salary, etc. that goes along with all the responsibility and extra work you have taken on), you must be proactive in your effort to land that promotion.  So what can you do?  In my nearly 20 year career as an HR professional, time and again I would watch (and listen) to people make a few common mistakes that would work against their case for promotability …

 

1.  They express readiness for the elevated role based on their potential to perform at a higher level vs. on actual results that evidences that their knowledge or skill level is beyond what is expected in their current role.

 

2.  They express entitlement based on years of service or experience vs. on personal traits that demonstrate solid leadership skills.

 

3.  They show confidence in their ability to influence others only when they actually acquire the tangible rewards that typically follow a promotion (title, more spacious office, a seat at the executive-level staff meeting table, staff, money, etc.)

 

It’s so easy to show confidence and a cooperative spirit when you state your case to “the powers that be” that you want a promotion.  But once you make the case, the waiting can be agony and it can be challenging to maintain your confidence and cooperative spirit.  Once you let it be known that you are interested in something more than what you already have, you may start to wonder or over-think what those in authority are thinking about you.  You may feel vulnerable to harsh feedback, rejection, or a perception that you might become disgruntled if you don’t get the promotion you want.

 

All of this fear and worry can be avoided if you consistently do 1 thing BEFORE you express your interest in a promotion…

 

demonstrate a state of being that is compelling to and benefits others.  

 

So what the heck is that?  Let me explain…

 

Doing the responsibilities of a leader (or your current job better), is never the fastest path to a promotion.  It may certainly make you appreciated in the role you have (but on the other hand, it may set you up to be taken advantage of – nothing like having someone around you can always throw extra work to and not have to pay them for it), but it won’t demonstrate that you are ready for elevated responsibilities.  Beyond adjusting your attitude to be more professional or increasing your capacity to do more work – being a leader is about demonstrating (being) the intention you have for another by leading them.  Adjust how you are being with those you serve and that is what will get you noticed and trusted to be a leader.

 

So, how can you achieve this?

 

Think about what being an effective leader in the role that you aspire to looks like – come up with your unique definition of what a leader in that role is. Behave within that definition every day, with every exchange you have with others.  Live – BE – that version of a leader within the role you have and raise your hand for opportunities outside of your usual job to bring that behavior forward in service to others – without regard for what you will or can get in return.  Trust that those who demonstrate strong leadership skills (strong service skills) will naturally be pulled along quickly.  If you are not pulled along or approached for leadership roles as quickly as you would prefer, then you can still initiate those discussions and when you do – do so with a solid history and track record of real examples of how you have demonstrated leadership qualities.

 

Want to nail down your definition of leadership and start living – being – a strong candidate for a leadership position you aspire to?  Contact me for a free consultation on how to get yourself promotion ready!  888/560-8233 x101 or email me at info@indigoforce.com

Breakthrough! Inspirational Strategies for an Audaciously Authentic Life

  • How often do you think you know what you want but never see it come to fruition?
  • Do you ever feel that you exhaust yourself trying to get where you want to go – that you just don’t have the stamina to persist with your ambitions?

Well, if you could use a boost in your decision-making power then you will be interested to hear the interview I gave recently to blog talk radio host Andrea Ruchelman of Run to 1 Coaching on her show “Gaining Perspectives”.

In this interview I take you deeper into the chapter I contributed to the Amazon best selling book Breakthrough! Inspirational Strategies for an Audaciously Authentic Life!  

Learn the secret that New York Times bestselling authors Janet Bray Attwood, Marci Shimoff, and Chris Attwood and 19 other experts (yes – I am one of the contributing authors!!) know: you can consciously create the life you’ve always wanted.

In this book you will find 22 strategies using wit, deep-insight, and heart-centered wisdom to empower you with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to create a life of abundance, happiness, health, and love. Covering topics from career to relationships to personal transformation, this international dream team of authors will show you how you to finally breakthrough and live the life you were born to live.

No matter what your circumstances, there is a way to make a change, and this book will be your guide. You will find the inspiration and tools to create a life that is audaciously authentic in every way.

Enjoy my interview about my chapter (lucky chapter 7 – entitled The Deciding Factors: Three Ways to Boost Your Decision-Making Powerhere – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gaining-perspective-andrea/id665642861?i=266114464&mt=2

Buy the book here – http://amzn.to/1g36Adf

By the way…

The net proceeds from this book are being donated to The David Lynch Foundation – Healing Traumatic Stress and Raising Performance in At-risk Populations.

Help! I hate my job! – part 2

Do you frequently say to yourself or others “I hate my job”?

In my last blog post, I started to introduce you to the idea that there can be benefits to being in a job you hate over being in a job you feel “lukewarm” about – especially if what you want is to be in a job you can love.  In that post I explained WHAT you must do – which is basically to confidently give what you have to offer to others.  So you might be wondering – “HOW do I develop confidence for what I have to offer to others?”…

All you have to determine is what you can give and decide to give it.  When you do this in a situation you don’t feel deserves what you have to give or in one that you think it will be hard to give it in – it becomes a “grand gesture” which accelerates your ability to notice and secure opportunities to easily give what you have to give (i.e. in a job and work environment you can love).

I love to use an analogy to explain this concept so you can easily absorb it deeply.  If you have ever seen the movie “Pretty Woman” with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts – you will get this concept in a snap!

In the movie Richard plays a conservative, emotionally-guarded business professional who has certain phobias (which are mostly fueled by doing anything outside of his comfort zone) – imagine him as representing you.  Julia plays a fearless, free-spirited prostitute who settles for nothing less than what she wants – imagine her as representing your dream job who can’t wait to be loved by you.

Under very unconventional/dysfunctional circumstances (the job you hate), they find each other, fall in love and the question becomes what to do about it – neither of them are very good at walking away from something they want – he wants her and she wants a fairy-tale esque romance (with him of course even though she gets that a fairy tale story is probably way out of his comfort zone so it will be highly unlikely to happen).  In the end, he goes to her seedy neighborhood and apartment (the place of employment you hate), to win her back – in a white limo (his version of a white horse) and he climbs up her fire escape (even though he is afraid of heights) to profess his feelings (way outside of his comfort zone) and win the girl.

If he did things within his comfort zone (i.e. call her on the phone, send someone to her apartment with flowers and request to meet him back in Beverly Hills or do nothing and just think about her the rest of his life adding her to the list of things that torture him emotionally), he wouldn’t have won her over.

He got her attention quickly and immediately on his side to succeed despite their prior conflicts/obstacles because he demonstrated that he is ready to give her what she needs to feel cherished – not just what makes him comfortable to give because of the circumstances surrounding him.  Plus, he did it in a way where he seemed happy to give it – he was happy climbing out of the roof of the limo with the flowers and smiling as he climbed up that fire escape – he wasn’t sweating, whining and saying things like “I hate this neighborhood”, “I hate heights”, “this is hard and scary”.  He was giving off energy that resonated with being in love despite external factors.  What was unspoken, but shown in his actions despite the circumstances and the setting, was how serious and ready he was to have her in his life and she was there for him – routing him on the whole way up that fire escape and “rescuing him right back”.

I want to help you determine what you can give and find the confidence to make a “grand gesture” to give it – especially if you are in a situation that isn’t easy, fun, enjoyable or gratifying.  A “grand gesture” in this kind of situation is a much faster path to being aligned with work you can love than when you are in a situation you feel lukewarm about (i.e. being in “like” vs being in “love”).  Being in “like” can be comfortable – it’s not too risky – but it doesn’t make you feel motivated to give a “grand gesture” or to find a situation you can “love”.

The Success Readiness Bootcamp created by indigoforce is an excellent way to discover what you have to give to others and to find confidence giving it no matter what situation you are currently in!  Now there is a do-it-yourself version of The Success Readiness Bootcamp.  So if you are in a job you hate or if you are just confused about what to be when you “grow up” you can get the same great program I lead my private clients through at a more affordable price – just email me at info@indigoforce.com and let me know that you want more details – plus, we can schedule a free 1 hour consultation so you can determine if the program is right to help you figure out your next career step and secure a job you can love!

Help! I hate my job! – part 1

This week I want to share with you more content I am working on for my upcoming book Caged In My Cube:  The Turnaround Guide for Loving the Job You Hate.  Plus, this post is full of coaching insights I give my clients who say “I hate my job” they hate through my Success Readiness Bootcamp.

So, for those of you who say “I hate my job” but you want to love your job (so appropriate with Valentine’s day coming up to talk about loving our work)… I have some good news for you…

Aside from already being in a job you love, the second best place to be in your career is in a job you hate.  (The worst place to be is in a job you feel lukewarm about).

If you are hating your job (and if it’s not due to anything that could be illegal or immoral), then you simply have lost connection with how that job enables you to contribute on the level you want to – you may not be able to describe what or how you want to contribute – but you certainly feel the sting of the disconnect between your talents, abilities, ambitions and what you believe it takes to be valued in your job.

Feeling “I hate my job” is a wake up call to either reconnect with what it means to work from a sense of purpose and to discover what you have to give to others and maybe even to “move beyond” the opportunities your current situation enables.  It’s time for you to simply give more of what you have to give and to free yourself of concern that giving what you have to give will get you in hot water somehow.

Maybe what your feeling isn’t that deep at all.  Maybe you simply see your job as a source of income – PERIOD.  And you would highly prefer to collect that paycheck doing something you enjoy, in an environment and with people that don’t want to make you puke the night before you return to work for the week.

Either way, the truth is that if you want to love your job – either to feel connected to a sense of purpose or to just enjoy earning a paycheck in peace – whether it’s in the job you already have or a different one, you must first change your energy – your attitude – about the job you have.  If you don’t, then you will probably just stay stuck OR land in another job that eventually won’t fulfill you either.

The attitude you hold when you do your job is mirrored back to you through your perception of your job situation – as it will be with the next situation you land.  Initially it may be great, but if you have any unresolved issues about your work and the opportunity it provides for you to express your talents and abilities, your happiness won’t be sustained – especially if the new job doesn’t easily connect you to an internal sense of purpose.  

To find your purpose despite working in a job you hate change, you must first change your focus from looking for gratification from external sources to an internal discovery and connection with what you have to give to others and mix that with gratitude for the opportunity to give it (from what you get for your potential to give to what you actually DO give).  When your attitude changes, which it will once you are fueling it from your internal connection with purpose and gratitude to be able to give it, your energy will no longer align with a situation that is not a good match for what you are giving.  You will much more easily find yourself noticing opportunities that are in need (and will appreciate) what you happily and easily give.

The Success Readiness Bootcamp created by indigoforce is an excellent way to discover what you have to give to others!  Which, by the way, I am so happy to announce that I just finished creating a do-it-yourself version of The Success Readiness Bootcamp.  So if you are in a job you hate or if you are just confused about what to be when you “grow up” you can get the same great program I lead my private clients through at a more affordable price – just email me at info@indigoforce.com and let me know if you want more details – plus, we can schedule a free 1 hour consultation so you can determine if the program is right to help you figure out your next career step.

 

When personal development isn’t enough . . .

I’d like to give you a complimentary copy of a new book by my mentors – NY Times bestselling authors, Janet Bray Attwood and Chris Attwood, called, “Your Hidden Riches,”

Your-Hidden-Riches-book image

but first let me ask you a few questions. . .

Do you ever feel like’s something’s missing? Maybe you ask yourself questions like:

Why do I feel so overwhelmed?

Why aren’t I happier and more fulfilled?

Why do I procrastinate and never seem to move forward?

What am I doing wrong?

If so, this new book is for people like you who recognize that personal development training just isn’t enough. You’ve realized that you need to go to a deeper level to discover your calling and live life with meaning. If you’re at that point, then please accept this gift.

Discover the Unique Design of Your Life:

Get Your Free Copy Now

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Career Choice Mistake #3 – To Suffer At Work…

We all know someone who has worked for years and years in a job they constantly complain about.  Hopefully, it’s not you, but this behavior is typical of someone who is committing Career Choice Mistake #3 – To Suffer At Work…

If you were searching for a love relationship this mistake might look like becoming a victim of “singlehood” – growing old and bitter over never finding the perfect mate possibly surrounded by a few cats.

So unless you work in a place that allows you to bring your cats to work everyday, you might want to overcome this mistake.  You know your “suffering at work” if you:

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