It's not the man, it's you.

“Let your complaints about problems move you to solutions.” ― Jon Gordon

Have you noticed how sometimes scenarios at work, home and your life seem to emerge over and over like patterns until you figure out what you’ve been forced to learn from it? Often new opportunities come from them.  That tells me we must find a way to shed some light and see things from a higher perspective. Essentially you have to learn the perspective of your next best self, or you won’t be able to make the leap. This whole “I hate it here, but I can’t leave…” is like a bad relationship.  You know you should let it go, but something is keeping you there, and that something means something. Something you have to figure out. It means it’s time to see it a different way and learn from it.  It may not be the system thats the problem, it may be you.

Learning to become more present and appreciative at work, for example, reminded me to notice all the details that were in fact working for me, not against me, in my search for my purpose.  You’re probably using some of the basic skills you’ll end up using in your future endeavors. You get to choose which of those get grouped into your purpose. Whether physical, social, or emotional skills, they have all served you in some way up to this moment. 

I’m not saying this will be easy or fast. In fact, it took me years before I could give up my internal fight about connecting with my true passion and changing gears from my career without being angry.  I even have the shoulder pain battle scars to prove it. But work doesn’t have to be so much work all the time. Resistance isn’t just a mental game where you believe certain things and speak in certain ways, which I was definitely a pro at.  It also manifests in our bodies as aches, pains and in the worst case, disease.  

Disease is in fact a dis-ease with something in your life that is causing you stress and discomfort.  Stress is the ultimate form of internal resistance against what is happening in our environment. And most people allow it to overtake their lives instead of exploring the reasons why it even happens. Don’t let that happen to you.

After nearly two decades working in Corporate America, I’ve watched the working population, its ups and downs, successes and failures.  I’ve seen it in my own career, when I’ve suffered needlessly and wondered whether or not I was in the right place at the right time. I’ve questioned whether I chose the best job for me or the worst one.  

The struggle is real, but it doesn’t have to be.  Learning how to shift my mindset helped me know if I’m making the right choices whether it takes me to amazing heights, or I learn something fresh and new. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s to trust your gut when your intuition tells you to stop, reflect and choose again. 

If you can start to see your current situation in a new way, lights turn on in your mind with all the elements that have been serving you and helping you grow.

Think about where you are in your life and work now.  Can you think of areas that you enjoy? This indicates you might be using a skill or talent you’re good at. Is there a project where you felt recognized, like you’re contributing something of value?  Perhaps there have been times people came to you as a subject matter expert to help them solve a problem. Embrace them all until you figure out the details moving forward.

Remember it’s not your job, your family or your environment its your perspective of where you are that makes the difference.

Ready to upgrade your life with purpose?

Grab a free chapter of my new book "Purpose Driven Revolution - Disrupting the rat race to find true meaning".  ​

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