Take This Quiz to Help You Get Back On Track

Time to take the quiz: 15 seconds. Time to read: 1.5 minutes. Time to refine your life: forever

rv.jpeg

Hey Corporate Rebels!

Before you read further, please take this quiz. Answer yes/no. Consider how you spend most of your time.

Do you feel well used at the end of the day? (This question considers a sense of purpose.)

Do you spend your day on things that are important to you? (This question highlights values and priorities.)

Do you spend your time with people who matter to you? (This question points to balance and connection.)

Do you enjoy yourself? (This question considers energy.)

Hold on to your answers for a second.

In the past few weeks, I have talked with professionals across industries and age-groups, from young scientists to seasoned real estate mavens to recent college graduates. In a word, people are restless. The past year stripped away most things (dating, sports, travel) and left many people with work, laundry, homeschooling, and if you were lucky, roommates you like.

When life was reduced to work and Netflix, many people starting asking, is this enough? When you just spent a year staring your mortality in the face, is this how you want to spend the next 10-20-50 years?

Most of you are probably not planning to quit your job and head out on the open road (although I have talked to quite a few in all age groups who are doing some version of that).

Some well timed and considered refinements will bring your work and life back into alignment with what you want.

Now back to the quiz.

If you answered yes to all four questions, awesome. You have crafted work and life on your terms.

If you answered no to any of the questions or if the questions made you wonder, consider what it would take to bring your work and life back on your terms. What can you refine? What can you ask for? What do you want to change?

Here are some ideas to start your thinking:

  • fire up an old hobby
  • ask to go part-time
  • ask for summer hours (Fridays off?)
  • teach a class
  • be home for bedtime every night
  • rest
  • quit your job and head out on the open road

My partner, Anne and I are doing a free 4-session live event in May, June and July to help you recover from the past year and get your work and life realigned with where you are now. The Corporate Rebel Rebooting U: Recover, Refresh, Re-emerge starts May 21. You can get more information and sign up here.

Please join us!

Love to you!

 

One Way to Release Pressure

Time to read: 42.5 little seconds

unnamed.jpg

Hello rebels!

You all were incredibly generous with your thoughts and input. I'm going to spend the next few weeks writing about the things you told me are important to you. Let's get started...

Years ago, I met a woman who had gotten a Master's degree in English literature because she loved to read. As she tried to make a career out of literature, she said she killed the one thing she loved the most in the world. This story has stuck with me for 20+ years.

Many of you wrote to me saying that you don't find meaning in your job, especially with so many important issues facing our world right now. I hope that what I'm about to say relieves the pressure.

At the risk of contradicting last week's inspiring story of career despair to career purpose, this week I want you to have permission to let go of the idea that you have to have passion for your work.

What?! What about all those people who say "find your passion?"

I'm not a big fan of the "find your passion" school of career development.

Somewhere, someone decided that work has to be meaningful. That you have to work in your passion. That you must jump out of bed every day excited to go to work. Some of you get to work in your passion. Yay! For many of you, that expectation kills your ability to enjoy your job.

Expecting passion and excitement every day is a lot of pressure to put on yourself and your job. Trying to marry passion, excitement and your life's fulfillment with the mechanism for paying for electricity and saving for college is a tall order. It's ok if your job is simply a job, especially now with soaring unemployment. It's ok if your job is good enough or you like it because you like your colleagues.

The great thing about a job is that it supports your life. And your life can be filled with passion and excitement - for your children, activities, hobbies, and contributions to your community. (Find more of your passion for your life through the Rebels at Home Challenge.)

I'm a huge fan of joy, excitement and fulfillment. You may find you create more of those things when you stop expecting your job to provide them. What would it be like to let your job be good enough?

I hope that takes the pressure off.

With love,

Christina