Work with A Career Advancement Perspective
Here’s another radical career advancement idea: Work is more than just about surviving and paying bills. Much more. And yes, this can apply to a practical and “realistic” world too. And your views on work will affect your success at work directly. I will explain.
First, what is work if it’s more than just paying the bills? Let’s revisit some basics:
- Work is to be enjoyed. Work can be fun.
- Work can be sacred. Work can make a difference.
- Work can be ecstasy for the brain and air for the lungs. Inspiring, in other words.
- Work can satisfy your heart’s yearning if you let it. (And I show you how it affects your career advancement!)
- Work can challenge the mind and bring out the best of you.
- Work is about leaving something behind after you leave this planet, something you can be proud to call your own.
- Work is helping someone else become successful besides yourself.
- Work is doing your part in changing the world better than you found it. And work is not – most certainly not – about finding yourself worse than you started.
Work can be meaningful and worth doing. Work is building something of your own, be it as part of a big organization or your own start-up, something that can impact people’s lives, something that can solve a problem or take our experience to another level or
change even one person’s life for the better.
A Few Things Work Is Not About
So how do you turn your work into something that fulfills what I call the basics of work, above? First, let’s talk about what work is not about:
– Work is not being part of a corporate initiative that no one remembers next week.
– Work is not doing task after task and running spreadsheet after spreadsheet, without purpose or a larger meaning.
– Work is not about chasing titles and ratings and a bigger office.
– Work is not about clocking in and out so you can pay for the life that you have created that you can neither enjoy nor fully explain because you are so consumed by worry and stress and a search for happiness that goes unfulfilled year after year.
And you know the shocking truth? Even if it appears otherwise, your company and your management does not want to turn work into a miserable unhappy thing either. So here’s your chance to really steer your career in the right direction. If you start to see what work is really all about – the first stuff we talked about first – and set yourself as an example and role model for the office naysayers, you will quickly see the positive effect on your career advancement.
Your management will notice fast especially since this is not common knowledge, so you’ll be even more impressive to your boss and co-workers when you get this.
If You Want A Job Just to Survive, Forget About Career Advancement
This is more than just something to “do”. This is something you are, something you believe. Think about it. You will see how your attitude and actions change when you shift your thinking about work.
Let me explain. If you work only for survival, you will never rise above just that: survival. And your career advancement can be a struggle because you will be aiming only that high (or low) – to survive. That is the basics of human psychology and in order to be successful, you must first stop looking at work as a means to survival.
And it’s tough to do when you have to pay bills and be all realistic about it, but all I am saying is to expand your horizon. Think bigger about your work (as you dutifully pay those bills). Think bigger about what you for your job and your boss. Think about the impact and positive consequences. This is the little-known mindset of your future company leaders. Are you one of those? And if not, why not?
So first, look far above and beyond survival when it comes to your work. And might I dare say, even create a vision of your dream work. When you start to see work through the more expansive lens, you set yourself up for success emotionally, physically and psychologically.
Ask yourself: What do I want my work to represent? What do I want my job to mean?
You are the change agent at your job with your talents and your skills. Work is your gift to the world and I am not being poetic. I am serious. Everyone of us has a gift to offer and you can choose to withhold yours as you busily hold on to your job “just to pay the bills” or you can show up at your job, play bigger, share your vision of work, and poise yourself for that promotion and career advancement down the road.
Okay that’s it for this one. I don’t want to overwhelm you but i have so much more to share about these little-known career advancement tips. I’ll save it for next time.
So do a simple mental exercise: Ask yourself what you want your work to be about, and write down the 10 words that come to mind. Any words are fine. Do not censor your thoughts. Then start to reframe your work by honoring those words. The results may surprise you.
