You’re young and you have all these grand plans. You’re gonna be an astronaut, own an ice cream truck, own 12 dogs!
None of these happened.
In fact, life happens pretty fast and life throws curveballs and loads of other crazy sh*t at us, so we twist and pivot our aspirations and ambition.
We end up compromising and settling for security and steadiness.
Things can always be a little better though. And you totally deserve better.
You deserve to feel as happy as possible. That could mean working for a good boss, being valued as a team member, doing meaningful work, or having 12 dogs!
Even a small shift can lead to a big change and a better situation. Winston Churchill said “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often” and he’s onto something there.
So, how can you create a roadmap to help you move towards something better and why do you deserve better? Let’s look.
Feel like a Human, Not a Cog
Going to work, muddling your way through the day like wading through treacle and coming home unfulfilled sucks. It’s easy to feel like you’ve lost control over your life’s trajectory and like you’re just one tiny cog in a massive machine that’s going in a direction you’re not happy with.
Finding purpose and meaning is super important. If you can, try to move towards a role or situation that makes you feel fulfilled or enthusiastic.
Switching jobs isn’t always possible though, so look for ways you can take on different responsibilities at work or build in elements that you’re really interested in, as you’ll work harder when you’re happier – 12% more productive.
Having your own projects at work that you feel like you actually have a personal stake in can make you more engaged at work and part of something.
How can you feel like less of a cog? By connecting with those around you and building meaningful relationships – there’s no way anyone sees you as a cog when you show up and engage.
Be Human, Reach Out
Lots of us don’t like making a fuss, but things don’t happen if you don’t make them. You deserve better, but what are you gonna do about it, punk? Think about the people around you that you know and trust? How can you reach out to those around you to help you out?
Someone might have some great opportunities or contacts – you never know what’s out there until you ask. I get it, you might be shy or not want to rely on others, but I’ll let you in on a secret, other people are doing this ALL the time and reaping the benefits of it.
Keeping everything insular and not reaching out means that you’re only going to have a tiny sphere of influence or opportunities to choose from.
You can do your reaching out online – why not shoot off an email to someone you admire from afar. Hey, they might suggest meeting for a coffee if they’re in town, they might not – but the point is, you don’t know what’s around the corner if you don’t ask and find out.
Confident with your Contribution
Feeling negative or unfulfilled can be just as much down to your inner thoughts and feelings as your exterior situation. You might have a brilliant work situation, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s working out for whatever reason.
Now, we all like to feel as if we belong, it’s basic human nature. We also like to feel valued. It can be difficult to feel value and belonging in whatever element of your life when you don’t feel confident about your contributions.
Change this feeling.
Whether it’s in your personal life or professional life – sitting around and coming up with new and creative theories for why you feel crap won’t get you anywhere. You don’t feel listened to at work?
Practice speaking up and speaking to people that are receptive to your ideas – confidence comes when you talk and exchange ideas with others. Never underestimate the power of connection and conversation.
[bctt tweet=”There are few situations in life where there are absolutely no options. They’re available to you and you can take them. ” username=”@bryankramer”]
Try to work on some new projects or carry out some work you have expertise in and present it to others. Being proactive and achieving something new can work wonders for your confidence and standing in your workplace or community.
If you don’t feel like you know which projects to work on, focus on learning something new and bolstering your skills.
Options are always there
A big part of believing you deserve better is accepting that there are ALWAYS options available to you. There are few situations in life where there absolutely no options. They’re open to you and you can take them.
Simple as that.
It’s rare that business is born fully formed and successful, so there are plenty of examples of entrepreneurs pivoting their business idea. And you can guarantee that this involved lots of deliberation, frustrating and thinking ‘we deserve better!’
Here’s a great example, Tiny Speck and Stewart Butterfield created a video game called Glitch, which was based on players using socialization and exploration to solve puzzles and ran from 2009 to 2012.
The game wasn’t profitable, but it was popular. The founders decided to take the successful socialization format of the game and turned it into one of the most successful professional chat and messaging services around, Slack! They took a problem, the lack of profit-making ability and solved it by taking the successful aspects of the game to create a new, better idea.
Final Words
Start the cheesy music! You deserve better because everyone deserves more happiness, fulfillment and meaning in their lives. If you can make changes that move you more towards any of these elements then your life will be better.
It’s all subjective of course and that’s why it’s only you that can decide on what path to take and how to take it.
Listen to others though, open yourself up to connections and you’ll find that a more human-centered approach to business and your career will end up making you more richly rewarded and content in the process.
Start by being comfortable with smaller changes and lean in more over time.
