-
Begin
focusing on what you want instead of how much you want to escape.
When you find yourself sharing the latest horror story, stop
in mid-sentence and say, "What I want to have is..."
-
Create an image that describes you in your job. Are you
on a riverbank with no way to get to the other side? Lost in
a jungle? Poking through a thorny hedge? When you get comfortable
with the image, begin visualising a change in the obstacle.
Imagine building a bridge across the river or finding a path
in the forest. Don't force the image or the change. When you're
ready it will come.
-
Think
of developing skills, not serving time. Take every course
that's offered and focus on skills that can lay a foundation
for your own business or next job. Can you learn HTML or PowerPoint?
Can you use some evenings, weekends and lunch hours to solicit
some free lance gigs?
-
Focus
on satisfactory, not superior performance. Use the time
difference to build your new life. People often say, "I can't
do anything -- I work ten hours a day!" If you are firing yourself
or expecting to be fired, your job is finding a new job. Be
ethical: you owe your company the minimum you need to earn your
salary." But don't be surprised if you start to accomplish more
than ever and find yourself getting promoted.
-
What
conflict are you escaping? Dishonesty? Corporate greed?
Hypocrisy? Allow yourself to wonder if these qualities are mirrored
in your own life -- or even in your mind. If everyone around
you seems dishonest, are you being dishonest with yourself?
With others? After you resolve your own conflict, you may find
the workplace has changed or you have been catapulted into a
new, more satisfying life.
-
Put
on your shield and armour when you enter your workplace.
Everyone should learn how to create a psychic shield. Imagine
that you are surrounded by an outer shell that is made of a
solid material -- so strong that nothing can get through to
hurt you. Some people prefer to imagine a protective golden
light, but I think the solid shield is stronger. Take two or
three minutes to put on your shield, every day, before you enter
the workplace.
-
Give
yourself a gift every day -- a splurge of time or sensual
taste buds. Read a book, talk to a friend, eat your favorite
food. Don't deaden your senses with alcohol (although if you're
a wine connoisseur, your special wine can be a gift) or spend
big bucks at the mall. Think simple.
-
Find
at least one thing in your life to appreciate: the softness
of your cat's fur, the winter sky, the spontaneous hug from
a friend. Appreciate as much as possible about your job: the
money, the view from the window, the new computer, friendly
conversations with the guy down the hall. Savor the experience.
Appreciation is the engine that attracts good things into your
life.
-
Tune
in to your intuition before deciding what to do next. Meditate
and listen to the world around you. The saying "frying pan into
the fire" is real. If your goals and desires do not come from
a secure place within yourself, you will find yourself paying
undue attention to wet blankets ("If you quit you'll never get
another job") and false friends ("Just quit! Move to Tahiti!
You won't starve!"). Sometimes the same "advisor" proposes both
ideas in the same week. A good coach or counselor will give
you confidence in your own intuition, not impose their views
of what you should do now.
- Write
this down somewhere: After you've left -- and you will --
all that time will seem to have gone in the blink of an eye.
You will have trouble remembering what bothered you so much. The
rest of your life will still be ahead of you.
Cathy Goodwin,
Ph.D. is an author, career coach, and speaker.
She works with mid-career professionals who want to make a fast
move to career freedom.
Visit her site http://www.movinglady.com
or call 505-534-4294.
For her free ezine, visit http://www.movinglady.com/subscribe.html
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