Don’t base your life on your 18-year-old safe.

So often I see people despondent with their work. Regardless of how much they earn, they don’t feel like they are where they need to be. Some continue to chase the elusive dream as they move on to the next job or in their next career move, whilst others look for it through formal education. They hope that these next steps will be what they need to bring them joy – give them the fulfilment that they are searching for.

Questioning everything at any stage of your life is not uncommon.

Our values, our needs, and what we want for ourselves change as we go through life. The world as we knew it as an 18-year-old leaving school has shifted. What you are searching for today will inevitably differ from what you were contemplating then.

So many people are great at what they do but yet aren’t fulfilled by what they do. This sinking feeling keeps creeping in and whilst they set new goals, they still question whether they have made the right choices or not.

Taking the time to ask yourself “what else?” is important but you also need to identify all the things that you want to avoid, that do not align with you and your values. It is this process of navigating and questioning each decision that you now make that will guide you to where you want to be.

Careers are usually seen as trading time for money but people are now wondering: “what else is there?”. They want to contribute to something beyond themselves – something that serves a greater purpose. It is no longer about staying within the confines of a safe job where they turn up each day, do their job, get paid really well and go home only to do it all again the next day. They want to belong to something bigger.

How do you change this?

We all have a choice in the way we step forward. As an employer, a leader, you can look at what you can do as an organisation. Whilst profits are important in every industry it is not the only thing that counts. Your people want to know that they are part of something bigger. Pay increases alone will not motivate your people any longer. 

They are wanting more, and if you can’t provide it, they will keep searching and this will see you lose great talent as they leave in search of their quest for fulfilment. In order to drive forward, you should shift your mindset and the way in which you engage with your people and identify where you can all contribute to lifting the baseline for others.

For those of you who are not in a position to make the change at work, you may decide that you want more and begin the quest of transitioning and becoming the champion of your own destiny. As scary as this may sound, many people are now taking the opportunity to explore the possibility of self-employment. 

I hear you.  You want to create an environment that is continuously looking forward and prepared to adapt so that you are prepared for tomorrow and that will contribute to doing something for someone else.

In this regard, I love the way that Millennials are standing up. They are a wonderful generation that has disrupted the way in which we think and has been brave enough to ask the question of “what else”. Whilst they have often be perceived as “entitled”, few have stopped to listen to them so that we can better understand what sits behind their questions.

To be clear, they are not objecting to hard work– they are challenging why they are not being acknowledged for it. They are rejecting the need for them to have to go through the “hard yards” of those before them. 

Some will scream - “But that is exactly right! They need to go through what I did – that’s how I learnt!” Let’s rethink that.

The benefit of hindsight is that we can learn from it and share our knowledge. It is not to make others experience it just so that they can know what we went through. There is no lesson that needs to be experienced to be learnt if we can share our experiences and our knowledge. 

With this, I go back to my earlier statement – we are living in a different world. It is important that we accept that there are new concepts and that we need to embrace them whilst at the same time recognise that there are old ideas that we need to let go of – and quickly.

Let go of your best thinking of 3 years ago, this is old baggage.

Well, your best thinking of 12 months ago is likely to be old baggage too in light of the changes that we have seen through the pandemic. 

Where do you sit? What do you want to do? What more do you want from life?

There is a massive change shift to entrepreneurship over employment. Talented people are changing the way they live and work. Their mindsets continue to evolve as the economy shifts. So, it is safe to say that your best thoughts of 12 months ago are already outdated, let alone those that you made about your career as an eighteen-year-old.

Step forward and let go of everything you currently think and do today or you will fail to see the opportunities of tomorrow. The challenge that most people face is to leave everything behind and step into the “unknown”, to stand on your own and not hide behind the safety of a paid salary, take a step towards the scary yet liberating new way of working. In this space, you will begin to dream big and think limitlessly.

As I have said to so many before you, until you are prepared to throw the bathwater out along with the baby you will not be able to strip back to your core, your raw self, where that real purpose and drive sit. 

In this space, you will find your fulfilment, so that you can make the right decisions for today and for your future.

In this exciting, changing world, you will discover that the people and teams that are doing what they LOVE are the ones who are thriving. If it feels like you are working hard, you will always be trumped by those who are working with passion.

Your passion, purpose, and clear values will help you define where you want to be.

Let’s look at what drives you. Reach out and connect.