How about you? Can you describe when you have felt stuck in your work? How did you know this? What signals did you notice? What did you do about this?
My advice?
Start to pay attention to when you feel stuck at work. Stop and reflect. What are the reasons?
What changes can you make to enable you to feel more excited, more passionate about your work? Which new work would you rather do and why?
Work does bring satisfaction.
This is important because when we don’t enjoy our work, we are wasting away our lives. You will spend more hours working in your life than any other activity. Shouldn’t this be the highest priority?
My advice?
Spend some time thinking what you are most interested in. Which are your best abilities and which you are also motivated to do. See where these align as it is the intersection of abilities and interests where what I call vocational passion can be found.
Feeling disconnected with others
This is usually a result of not enjoying your work. As a result you look around and everyone else seems to be liking their work. You wonder what’s wrong with you? The reality is nothing is wrong at all. You are just not fitting in and it is probably time for a change.
My advice?
Start to build a support network with people who are doing what you would rather do. This can be a networking group, an online group, a class or others who you get together with. Find others who share your deep interests and this will energize you. Find a few people who are doing exactly what you want to do next. They will give you helpful advice. Finally, find a mentor who is an expert in the field you also want to contribute to. This can be a real person or even a book you can read. This person will inspire you to greatness!
Work is endless and carries little meaning
I observed this with many people. While just a job gives us objectives and things to do in the second half of life what is more important is whether your work brings you coherence and meaning.
My Advice?
Does it make sense to you why you do the work which you do? This is coherence. Does your work bring you meaning? If not, which work would? No one from HR will run up to you on Monday morning to ask you this. It must come from deep within you.
I’ll be cheering you on as you go!
Craig Nathanson
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