Is it Really That Simple?
I was recently a guest on a podcast with Paul Sanneman of Contractors Staffing Source, where we talked about why he has a business. He helps contractors find staff, and he helps people looking for new opportunities to find new companies that might be a better fit. A point I recall making was something along the lines of, “If all people loved their jobs and the companies they work for, you would be out of business.. This may be a slight exaggeration, because sometimes people need to look for new jobs. After all, a company goes out of business or maybe consolidates, and jobs disappear. Additionally, some people choose to relocate to a different part of the country, perhaps to be closer to other family members, whatever. However, my perception was that most people change jobs due to some sort of dissatisfaction with their current situation. One of Paul’s comments was that he advises people coming to him who are dissatisfied with their current role with this: “If you don’t like your job, change it. Life’s too short”.
If you’re someone working for a company and you’re frustrated, you’re not alone. Too often, your skills do not suitably align with your role. Too often, your new boss is an idiot (or just an ass). Too often, your workload keeps growing along with their expectations, but you are already at or beyond capacity. Too often, you’re held accountable for things you have no control over. Too often, doing excellent work just gets you more work, without more pay or support, or more job satisfaction. Too often, you grow and need new challenges that the company is unable or unwilling to provide.
But this isn’t just about people who work in companies. If you own one, this might sound familiar too: Too often, the business becomes a cage instead of a vehicle. Too often, success brings complexity, not freedom. Too often, the business starts running the owner, not the other way around. Too often, financial rewards no longer compensate for the personal cost. Too often, what once felt like purpose now just feels like pressure. Too often, the fun disappears, and no one even notices. Too often, you look successful on the outside and feel trapped on the inside. Too often, you wonder if you traded decades of your life to prove something you no longer care about.
Is it as simple as Paul indicated?
Simple. Yes. Easy. Probably not. But it starts with a decision. Whether you are the owner of a company or an employee with lots of constraints (real or imagined), whether you feel boxed in by expectations or adrift without direction, it starts with a decision: to stop assuming you’re stuck and nothing can be done. The only thing that is truly stuck is your thinking. So, in that regard, yes, it really is simple.
But so often, even if the decision has been made, a solution does not appear. It’s as if you want to pursue something else, but you don’t know what to pursue or how to find it. The constraints that have been holding you back have not gone away, and you don’t know how to resolve them. You are willing to think differently about your situation, but don’t exactly know how to do that. You might recognize you need a paradigm shift, but don’t know how to create it. And you know what. You’re right.
Let’s talk a bit more about those constraints. I referred to them earlier by saying “real or imagined”. Let’s be clear. They are all real. Behind each of them is some sort of rationale, and behind that is usually something very simple. Fear. And that is very real and what usually influences the thinking. F E A R. False Evidence Appearing Real. Mark Twain said it well. “I am an old man and have known many troubles, but most of them never happened.” You shouldn’t ignore fear, but you need to decide to give it the authority it deserves, but not more. It’s the same with other aspects of the constraints. Give them the respect they deserve, but don’t let them paralyze you.
There are, perhaps, an infinite number of possible paths you can take. (Actually, that is probably not true. In theory, yes, in practice no. For most of us, we have far too few apparent choices at this point.. In the preceding paragraph, there was a hint. “You are willing to think differently about your situation, but don’t exactly know how to do that.. Yep. So don’t “think”. Take action. Do something, probably something different. Take a walk, go for a swim, go dancing… take action. Our ability to think is a valuable thing. But, to a large degree, you are where you don’t want to be right now because of how you have been thinking. One of the best ways to think differently is to first stimulate your brain with action. Most of us, certainly not you, but most of us, overthink everything. We are afraid of making mistakes. We want to figure everything out before we take action. No. If you are going to drive from New York to Los Angeles, you don’t wait for all the lights to turn green before you start. As Antonio Machado is reported to have said, “Traveler, there is no path; the path is made by walking.. By taking action, especially “different” action, we can get different thinking.
Is it really that simple? Next time you are stuck, try it and see! Action breaks inertia.
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This issue was originally published by Greg Hayne on Substack.