1 Year Later

I cannot believe that one year ago, I ventured off on my career exploration process.  I was determined to find a sense of "cause" about my life.  That my work and my cause would collide.  A year later I realize that you have to make the best out of your current situation.  You have to find ways to contribute your passion or cause to your work or you can easily allow situations to control you.

You also have to fight the voices in your head that are telling you that it is not worth it.  I realized again that only I can go after the cause.  It is my torch that I am carrying.  No one else can really carry what I care about.  Most of the content in my posts have come true.  You have to go to the place where you can contribute the most, that the cause is found in giving to others, that being present is a big part of this and that I can work where my true self is an outflow.

I have no regrets.  I seriously contemplating going off on my own.  I do not think I was ready for that.  I really like the situation I am in now.  As long as I am detached from the outcomes things seem to go well.  When I over own the outcomes, I get really tired.  Today, the outcome was just ok and I became discouraged.

Hyper-Motivation

I am reading the Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely on my Ipad.  It is more fun because it is on the Ipad, but that is not the point of this blog post.  During a week where I was feeling intense work pressure, I happened upon the chapter on hyper-motivation.  In times of intense pressure, most individuals will actual perform worst.  They are so focused on the outcome, the need to impress others and themselves that they actual psyche themselves out.

What does this mean for you and I?  Well, part of the solution is tricking your mind into believing that the pressure is really off.  Most of the time, the situation requires you to be present in the moment, not blow people away.  You may blow people away by just being yourself and engaging.  That is the internal part of this.

The other factor is that there could be externalities in your organization, which may cause you to feel over-stressed in various situations.  It could be the pay bonus is too high or a boss that says you better perform or you are out or someone below you is threatening for your position.  The solution here in my mind is to find or maintain that sense of personal cause in your work.  Your organization needs you to bring what only you can bring to the work place. YOU!