Are you constantly worried about your next opportunity, your next step up the corporate ladder, your next title, your next promotion? Are you continually looking for new opportunities even when you are in a good role? Although as a professional rule, you should be keeping an eye out for new opportunities, is it really worth all the angst and stress to be constantly looking and continually striving to reach that next level? I don't think so. Not all the time.
During my morning workout sessions, my insanely fit instructor is always talking me UP, not down. "You're alright!" she says, when she sees me struggling, slowing down and trying to catch my breath. "You've got this. Don't you dare quit!" We all need say that same thing professionally to ourselves even though we didn't get that last promotion, or perhaps the raise this year wasn't quite as large as we hoped. We need to tell ourselves "You're alright, right where you are!"
I recently read an article that stated over half of the residents living in my city have a median income of less than $35,000 a year. That gave me pause. I have so many colleagues who are obsessed about whether their salary is in the appropriate range for their current position. But, shouldn't being part of that "under half who make more than $35,000" count for something? And if its significantly more than $35,000, shouldn't they simply be proud of themselves?
Do you really need to be looking for that next big job, promotion, career? Ask yourself the following three questions:
If the answer to at least two of the three questions is yes, then maybe you should stop worrying incessantly about that next opportunity and simply enjoy your current one. Perhaps this is the perfect position for you right now. This might be exactly where you need to be at this moment in time. Now, I'm not saying never look for another opportunity ever. Just don't obsess over your next opportunity all the time. Give yourself a break. You're alright!
