To be, or to do, that is the question
Over the past months an unprecedented number of people have left their jobs voluntarily. According to a recent article in The New York Times, more than 4.5 million Americans left their jobs in the month of November 2021 alone, and the same trend is showing in other parts of the world too.
Some refer to the phenomena as “The Great Resignation” and one of the many outcomes of the global pandemic. Others, like author and motivational speaker Marcus Buckingham, have labeled “The Great Reassessment” as the consequence of a more general disconnection between the contributions we would like to make as individuals, and the way work is being designed from a societal perspective.
I personally share Buckingham’s take on the current situation. The global pandemic has clearly opened a “Pandora's box” of dissatisfaction and people longing for more flexibility and better conditions. Everywhere people are hitting their breaking points, and many ask themselves how things even got this far.
While Covid has certainly paved the way for a larger conversation about the strategic importance of wellbeing, the issue is far from new. Long before Covid, specialists were flagging a growing number of problems related to stress, imbalance and burnout. But what does seem different, is the very nature of the way many respond.
Changing to a new job or a different company is no longer a satisfying solution to many, and a number of people are looking for new ways relying on more radical changes. Therefore, I am asking myself: Is what we are seeing here, the beginning of a more fundamental shift towards a stronger focus on who we are and how we lead our lives and less attention to how we adapt and perform based on expectations set by others?
Pay attention to what you love and turn it into contribution
I recently read about a HR Director who had created his own bakery, selling bread from his private home every Sunday. What started out as a family project during Covid had grown into a small production supplying his local community with delicious bread during the weekend.
The interesting aspect of this story wasn’t the idea of a corporate executive potentially turning into a full-time baker or entrepreneur. What struck me was the creativity by which he had managed to transform his existing occupation in a way that was personally rewarding and stimulating his sense of belonging within his local community.
The story about the HR Director is a great example of the technique called Job Crafting. Job crafting is when you consciously work on either reframing your perception or redesigning the role or task you perform. It is about taking a step back and asking yourself: What do I like about what I am doing? What would I like to change? And what can I do to make it happen?
“There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way” (Christopher Morley)
Looking at society at large, many of us absorb what other’s visions of success look like. Also, getting rewarded for adapting to the expectations set by your surroundings is often faster than following your own inner vision. Been there, tried that!
But when your approach to change is rooted in a strong sense of self and a clear understanding of what is meaningful and adding value to your life, you are able to draw upon a completely different source of peace, and one that can help you persist outside of influence and distraction.
When you are able to align the inner reality of who you are with what you do, you get to create a connection to yourself that allows you to experience a sense of wholeness and success. Think about it: Aren’t the most successful people you know typically those who take their passion seriously by consciously looking for ways to channel this by what they do?
Pay attention to what you love and make it happen
A good friend of mine recently bought a fixer-upper in Spain to realize an old dream of creating a more flexible work life and spending the dark months during winter under the Mediterranean sun. Having to pivot her business to operate online during Covid had taught her that most things can be different but only if we allow them to change. By taking matters into their own hands and being intentional about the things they wanted to happen, my friend and her partner are now crafting their very own version of life in the gig economy. Not based on a question of “either or” but driven by a deliberate and courageous “both and!”
Whether finding a new job, changing the one you are in, or simply getting more clarity on what it is you want for yourself, are among your intentions and goals for 2022, I hope to leave you inspired to spend time cultivating your inner vision of yourself and to explore creative ways to turn things you love into meaningful contributions through work and in life.
Happy New Year everyone!
Love,
Sille