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In eleven years of helping people find passion in their career, I have had a front row seat on the degree to which we can each be our own biggest obstacle. Without realizing it, we can block passion from our career. Here are five common ways people do that. Recognize yourself in any of them?
Not knowing what lights you up
My definition of passion is “the energy that comes from bringing more of YOU into what you do.” To make conscious, purposeful career decisions that bring more of YOU into what you do, you have to understand who you are.
Specifically, you need to be able to articulate why you love what you love, why things energize you. When you understand the underlying themes (reasons why) that tend to be there when you feel energized and engaged, you can make intentional decisions that bring more of that into your career.
(Here’s a short article showing you how to find what energizes you.}
Knee-jerk no’s
In my coaching, one of the roles I play is helping people question their knee-jerk no’s. It’s a common malady. An idea comes up, and immediately a reflexive “no” kicks up. “No, that’s not possible. No, that’s not realistic. No, I can’t do that.”
Sometimes that no really is accurate, but other times it’s completely fabricated. If you want an ultra-easy way to open doors and expand the possibilities in your career and your life, always second-guess that initial no. Ask yourself, “Is that true? Is that really impossible? How could that happen?”
An all-or-nothing perspective
Another common way I see people blocking the opportunity to feel energized in their careers is seeing it as an all-or-nothing game. “I want to change careers, but I can’t right now, so I just have to suck it up, grit my teeth, and plod ahead with what I’m doing.”
Even if your current job is less than ideal, there are probably opportunities to bring more of what energizes you. For example, one client was in a job he found stultifying, but had discovered in our work that he loved helping people move to the next level. He found opportunities to mentor new hires at his company. So even though his actual job hadn’t changed, he enjoyed his days more.
(The article on finding what energizes you can be helpful on this as well.)
Mistaking obstacles for the path
Has this ever happened to you? You’re barreling along towards a goal and – smack! – you run into some huge boulder right in your path. You back up, run at it a little harder, with the same painful result. So you quit and go home.
Obstacles are going to be part of any path. There’s no avoiding it. Too many people mistake the obstacles for the path and assume what they want to do isn’t doable.
Instead, look at the obstacles as the starting point. Once you discover one, say, “Aha! There it is! No how can I get past it?”
Equating feasibility with flipping a switch
Have you ever thought about a career you would love to pursue, only to have the idea squashed when you look at the feasibility? Sometimes when you look at an idea and say, “That’s not possible,” you’re mistaking a shorthand version for the full story. The full story might be, “That’s not possible…right now.” Essentially you’re saying, “I can’t flip the switch and make a change, so it’s not possible.”
In general, career change unfolds over time. Occasionally it happens with a flip of the switch, but rarely. So if you look at possibility in terms of being able to change “right now,” you will almost inevitably come up with no for an answer. Challenge yourself to look at what would need to be done, and how that could happen over time.
Junk brain food
Creating a career that lights you up takes effort and a positive attitude. Far too many sabotage that by feeding their brains junk food. They watch the news, seeing nothing but doom and despair. They talk with people who are pessimistic or angry about this or that. The net result is a world view that sucks the possibility right out of the air.
To counter that, watch what you feed your brain. Limit your news consumption (and other media that paints a dark world view, like violent movies), and commit to feeding your brain more inspiring, uplifting food. Read positive books. Hang out with people who inspire you. Watch uplifting movies.
Parting thought
Take a look at your life. Do you see any of these passion blockers? If so, challenge yourself to start making changes. You just might be surprised at the doors it opens.
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