How to beat Un-Fulfilment Syndrome. By Guest Blogger Adele Leah
Are you feeling tired or restless? Bored or uninspired? Generally a little peeved? You could be suffering from Un-Fulfilment Syndrome.
On average, we spend around 90,000 hours at work. That’s about 70% of our lives, or to put it another way, most of our time.
Un-Fulfilment Syndrome occurs when you spend that time in a role you don’t like. In a job that doesn’t fit.
Trying to make the best of a bad situation takes its toll after a while. It makes you tired. Impacts your mood. And affects your relationships.
Why Un-Fulfilment Syndrome strikes.
You often choose your career path before you’re legally allowed to order a beer.
Everything’s fine at the start. You’re learning new things. You’re earning money.
But as the years flash by, that little voice inside you starts asking questions.
“Is this it for me? Is this really what I want to be doing? What if I made different choices?
How do I get off this ride when I’ve got a mortgage, a car loan, things I need to buy, and bills I need to pay?”
So, you put your head down, and you get on with it.
And that’s when Un-Fulfilment Syndrome really hits! Because nobody likes feeling trapped.
There is another way.
And it’s probably not as drastic as you think.
I’m not talking about a total career transformation. Not unless you know that’s what you want.
You might just need some guidance and a few simple tweaks in your approach, to get you on the right path.
With skills and experience under your belt, you’re in a much better position to make choices than when your career was starting out.
You understand your values, your likes and dislikes, and what type of company/culture suits you.
By adopting simple strategies, you’ll see your potential to make things better.
And if you don’t do it now… Then when? Does your job seem likely to survive the next 10-20 years?
Get clear on what you want.
The first step to getting rid of Un-Fulfilment Syndrome is clarity.
I’ll be writing more on this, but for now, let’s get you started on the first step to recovery. It’s really simple.
Start by writing down what you don’t want in your job/career, and you’ll soon see what you DO want.
If words aren’t your thing, put it in pictures. You could even try dreaming about what your ideal career would be.
Many of us lose our knack for imagination as we get older.
But actually, daydreaming like a child and thinking – ‘what do I want to do when I grow up?’ is a great way to achieve clarity.
Keep it simple!
This isn’t the time to go into mental overdrive around all potential possibilities. This is just the first step.
So ask yourself,
“What is it that I like?”
“What am I doing when I’m the happiest?”
If you want to know more about how to beat Un-Fulfilment Syndrome for good, I’d love to help! Drop me a line for a free 30-minute consultation. adele@adeleleah.com
