Rocking Your Work
There was a time in my career when I stopped loving my job. For whatever reason, work seemed like a grind, and I no longer felt the privilege of doing something that made an impact. My thoughts wandered aimlessly, as I started dreaming about what could be, forgetting about what is.
The real problem was that I was not in a position to make a career change. During this time opportunity knocked, but I was unable to say yes. Not just because the economics of the situation didn’t allow for it but, I wasn’t sure if a change was the right thing for me to do or not.
I felt like a ship without a rudder sailing dangerously close to the rocky shores of apathy.
I’m so thankful that this was the only point in my working life I felt so low. I’m so grateful that God answers prayers. It was also at this point that I recognized that it’s hard to love the life you’re living when work is such a drag. That still small voice I had come to rely on was screaming for me to make some changes.
I did and it’s made all the difference in my life.
I started paying attention to my work interactions and mapping my energy levels. Asking what brings me the greatest levels of excitement, and on the other hand, what drains the very life from my soul.
It became clear to me that for me to rock my work I needed to deeply understand my talents and strengths. Like over 20 million people I used the CliftonStrengths assessment along with my journal to help identify my patterns of high performance.
I never did make a career change, rather I changed my entire approach to the career I already owned. My career shifted around my strengths. I learned how to play to my strengths all the time. As I began to rock my work others felt the impact. My energy picked up and I was able to achieve more and more. Playing to my strengths allowed me to unleash my patterns of high performance, I tailored what I do best to the job I was doing. While I did the same duties I did them differently, but the results were increasingly more impressive.
The job didn’t change, I did. My approach to my work shifted and I began helping others do the same. All of a sudden, we all were learning together. That’s when I realized the power and effect of positive strengths-based thinking. It was like adding a rudder to my wandering ship of apathy.
Now you know why I love owning my own positive strengths-based approach to life and helping others clue into theirs. We have all been created with talents and strengths. These talents and strengths are not meant to be hidden, rather embraced. When we do this, we will rock our work and become freed to love the life we are living.