“I got tired of spending every day doing something I didn’t love, surrounded by people I really didn’t like.”
— Coyote Lost and Found by Dan Gemeinhart
When was the last time you actually looked forward to something at work? That you weren’t up all night Sunday, staring at the ceiling, wondering what fresh hell would greet you on Monday morning? That you didn’t worry about being laid off, or how to pay for the increase in your health insurance premium, didn’t have to skip your kid’s soccer game for a work meeting, or take a work call at the dinner table? If it’s been awhile, it might be time to pause and reflect.
Now more than ever, our lives are spiraling out of control. We bounce from one task, chore, event, phone call, meeting, or appointment to the next, like the last of our three pinballs, never quite sure what we’ll bounce off of next, and always afraid that our next move will cause us to slip right past the flippers. Game over.
Wouldn’t it be nice if he had a little more control over our direction in life? If we could choose jobs, hobbies, and activities that filled us with hope, joy, and satisfaction, not just the ones that (almost) keep the bills paid?
There are a host of systemic changes that our political, business, and religious leaders could enact to make this dream a reality for us, but since the majority seem to be doing the exact opposite these days, it’s up to us to find ways to reclaim our lives, to take back our autonomy, and choose our own destiny.
It starts with figuring out what it is we want. And then it’s about figuring out how to get it. For most of us, that flashy title, luxury car, corner office, and big-name employer are little more than surrogates for a reality we never even allowed ourselves to believe we could have. Maybe we’ve been fooled by years of encouragement from well-meaning parents, teachers, and caregivers. Maybe the “American Dream” has nothing at all to do with a stuffy corporate job, and everything to do with having the autonomy to decide for oneself what to do and when to do it.
Could it be that a life filled with real connection, meaningful work, and time to learn, grow, and achieve is actually achievable in an entirely different way than we’ve been led to believe? Maybe it’s actually more achievable outside of the rigid confines of a corporate career.
Millenials and Gen Zers make up a full 64% of small business buyers today. Maybe these savvy business professionals are on to something. Maybe in this day and age, owning your own “boring” business turns out to be more rewarding, more balanced, and more fruitful than slaving away under a pile of middle managers all desperately vying for their next bonus payout.
So, where does this leave us? We can continue to be the pinball, tossed from pin to pin, and wondering when the bottom will fall out, or we could buy the machine, and shape the game according to our wishes.
Which do you prefer? And when will you go out there and get it?
If you’re ready for a change, I would love to chat with you. Grab a time slot and let’s compare notes: https://cal.com/nicole-derr/30min
nicolederr.com 