Seven Life Changing Alternatives to Taking a Career Break.
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"Change happens in an instant, it happens the moment you decide to change." We are designed to grow or die; the hard part about a job is that it can become so daily. Allyson Lewis, author of The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes encourages everyone to make a decision to grow and change. Here are seven life changing alternatives to taking a career break. 1. Rekindle the passion for your current job. Many of us need to rediscover what our driving purpose in life is. Take out a sheet of paper and set a kitchen timer for seven minutes and complete the following statement, "My purpose in life is..." Purpose is what we do for others. Often our daily dissatisfaction occurs because we have become focused on the daily issues and we have lost sight of how our personal gifts and talents can impact the world of our co-workers, our employees and our customers. 2. Align your work with your purpose. Before making any drastic decisions, recognize that all jobs are jobs - what makes each job different is how much it allows you to align your job requirements with your personal purpose. My personal purpose in life is accomplished by "Growing" and "Helping others Grow." My personal mission is to educate and motivate. What about your job made you feel called to your current position? 3. Close the "Open Loops". "Open loops" are all of the things you need to do to run your family that add stress to your life..."My tires need rotating, I need to schedule that dentist appointment, the bills need to be paid, the light fixture needs to be fixed, etc." Many of us have 25 maybe 30 "open loops" - take an hour and write all of them on one sheet of paper. The simple act of writing them down will give you control over them and if you set a goal of crossing off only one per day, in just a month you will have finished many of the overwhelming "stressors" in your life. Close these loops and you may find your work life improves. 4. “AIR.” When was the last time you really took the time to dream about all of the positive things you could bring to your current job? We are all so busy with overbooked schedules, emails and meetings; it is no wonder the pressure is overwhelming. In my book, I call this giving yourself permission to add "AIR" into your life. Sometimes we are all so busy with the daily-ness of life we can barely breathe. If you can't even breathe, how can you possibly find time to dream and appreciate how you can make a difference in your current work place? If you will schedule "AIR" into your work and home schedule - you will dramatically improve how you feel. 5. Bring joy to those around you. If you are having dissatisfaction in your career it is likely that others are also feeling the same pressure. We all spend eight to ten hours in our jobs. Make a decision to improve the lives of those who work with you. Write a thank you note to your boss; leave a note of encouragement on a co-worker's desk. Cook a huge Crock-pot full of chili for your team. When we are the person instigating positive change in our work place, often we benefit the most. 6. Believe. The smallest acts can make the largest impacts on your work life. We call these tiny decisions "micro-actions". Rather than deciding to change jobs (a drastic decision) focus on the "micro-actions" (tiny steps). Re-think your work place goals - where do you want to be in three years? Create a written daily plan of action, increase your personal competency by reading 10 pages of a book every day, set a timetable to improve your understanding of technology - or even set personal "micro-actions" to write two thank you notes per day, increase the amount of water you drink or add one serving of fruit to your diet. If you can believe that you can make these tiny changes in your life, then day by day you may find yourself glad you stayed in your current job. 7. Decide. "Change happens in an instant, it happens the moment you decide to change." Too often we look outside to find answers to our internal dissatisfaction. If you want to be different, decide to be different. Rediscover your purpose, align your work with your purpose, close the "open loops", add "AIR" to your schedule, bring joy to those around you, believe and decide. Change happens in an instant, and takes a lifetime. Enjoy.
Allyson Lewis, author of the book “The Seven Minute Difference:
Small Steps to Big Changes” (Kaplan 2006) , has spent the last 24 years developing and teaching concrete yet actionable life changing concepts.
She is also a renowned motivational speaker and strategic business consultant. For more information, please visit www.TheSevenMinuteDifference.com, or call 870-897-4494.
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