Written by: Cathy Dimarchos, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
So often I hear people share that they want to do something that brings them joy and fulfilment and no matter what they do they still feel despondent with their work. It’s like they are chasing the elusive dream as they move from job to job. They hope that the next move will be the one that will give them what they have been searching for.
Questioning everything at different stages in your life is not uncommon.
Our needs change as we go through life. The world as we knew it as an Eighteen-year-old, leaving school has shifted so it is inevitable that what you are searching for today is not something that you had contemplated at that time when you were making your life decisions.
So many people are great at what they do, but they 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.
Taking the time to ask yourself “what else” is important but it is equally important to also identify all the things that you want to avoid, or the things that don’t align with you. It is this process of navigating and questioning each decision that you now make that will guide you to where you want to be and the purpose that has led you to make these decisions.
Careers these days have become more about money, but more and more people are looking for “what else?”. They want to contribute to something beyond themselves – something that serves a greater purpose and in doing so they see that their job does not meet this need. For them, 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. They want to belong to something bigger.
So, what can you do differently?
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. Millennials have been talking about this for a decade now, but we don’t seem to be listening. In order to drive forward, you can shift your mindset and the way in which you engage with your people and identify something/ a project where you can all contribute to lifting the baseline of others. I call this “Pay it forward” – NOT “Pay it back” because you are looking to change the future.
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, so many people are now taking the opportunity to explore the possibility of self-employment.
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, they have been brave enough to ask the question of “what else”. Whilst many of us have seen their line of questioning as them being “entitled” we have not stopped to listen to them so that we can better understand what sits behind their questions.
Let’s 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 just to prove that they are worthy of stepping forward.
I hear you saying – “But that is exactly right! They need to go through what I did – that’s how I learnt!”
But I question your thoughts. You see, 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 word. 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 2 years ago, this is old baggage.
To be honest, 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.
There is a massive shift to entrepreneurship over employment, so the quicker you let go of what was the quicker you will begin to step forward.
Talented people are changing the way they live and work.
Their mindsets have changed and they continue to evolve as the economy shifts. I guess it’s safe to say that your best thoughts of 12 months ago are outdated today, let alone those that you made about your career as an eighteen-year-old.
Step forward and let go of the things that have brought you to where you are today as they won’t take you to where you need to be in ten years from now. Stand on your own if you need to, but just don’t stand still or worse still, don’t look back to what was.
Have the courage to step into a realm of “Unknown”; to stand on your own and not hide behind the safety net of what was. It is in this space that you begin to dream big and think limitlessly.
As I have shared with so many before you, until you are prepared to swim upstream to find what you are searching for, you will continue to swim downstream following others but not finding out who you choose to be.
The future is exciting, it is unknown. But there is one thing that is clear; that we will never go back to where we once were and that eighteen-year-old you, has now discovered that is there is more to life than could possibly ever have been considered.
Pause a moment, and then step forward to do what you LOVE. If it feels like you are working hard, you will always be trumped by those who work with passion.
Your passion, your purpose and your values will help you define where you want to be and who you choose to be. Enjoy discovering the new you.
Cathy Dimarchos - Solutions2you
Cathy Dimarchos, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Cathy Dimarchos is an award-winning business advisor, mentoring and coaching leaders internationally, and is an indefatigable philanthropist who believes we can all contribute to lifting the baseline of people across the world one person at a time.
She founded Solutions2you with purpose for impact so that she can serve others and leave a lasting imprint. As a professional advisor and motivational voice, Cathy dedicates her time to perfecting a combination of people, business and situational skills. Her values take centre stage and business becomes honest and expressive. She believes that knowledge exchange leads to self-reliance with effective and sustainable outcomes.
Her Advisory services extend to New and Established Entrepreneur’s, teams and large corporates and supports people to become antifragile in a world that is forever changing, stretching their boundaries.
“When we rise, it is important to also lift those around us”
