By: MJ Gonzales | Executive Chronicles
At some points, even successful and career-oriented individuals find themselves lost in their own personal abyss and unaware of their impending failure. This is despite of the fact, they started good and just following what they believe is the best move. Why career men and women, even entrepreneurs, experience become distracted and lost their motivation? Perhaps the answer is also in the question “why.”
If you have a long drive ahead of you and you don’t know exactly how to reach your destination, your problem is like “which is the best route?” It is similar to career journey, which you always have decisions to make. Maybe you already experienced choosing between high salary that requires you to work more hours and less salary, but you can keep your weekend open for your family. Another common dilemma is will you risk your “safety net” for greener pasture? Indeed, what makes a journey harder and longer is because of your crucial decisions and sacrifices.
Obviously, having a good decision is hard itself. There are people who can attest that they also experience “decision-fatigue.” However, the best and basic recommended way in not reaching your career abyss is to stick with your “whys.” Your “why’s” is not as simple as your goals, but it’s a combination of your motivation and purpose. It’s like a forgotten map that you used at the starting point of your journey. If you only check your inner “whys” without your biases of your present situation, perhaps your drive and passion is still intact.
It’s good if you already wrote something about it before, but in case you didn’t, start writing it now and reflect. Why you are working? Why you like to earn money? Why you’re staying in your present company? Why you like to have work and business at the same time? It’s should be about finding your real reasons, without sugar coating. One recommended principle in defining your important whys in career is the principle of Essentialism by author Greg McKeown.
“Our whole society has become consumed by the undisciplined pursuit of more. The only way to overcome this problem is to change the way we think—adopt the mindset of only doing the things that are essential—and do it now,” McKeown shared.
