The Monday Morning Test: Does Your Job Pass?
Author: Barbra White, MBA, Personal and Business Coach

Are you like thousands of other people who are seeking more meaningful and satisfying work?

I just got off the phone with a new client who is very dissatisfied with her work life. "Rhonda" sort of stumbled into a career in project management eight years ago and just never got out of it. Like many people I talk to, she wants to feel energized and passionate about what she does each day, instead of drained and unfulfilled.

"I feel stuck in making a living," she said, " instead of making a life."

We all expect more from our work lives today. We want our jobs to connect with our personal values, and utilize our individual gifts. Many of us also want a work schedule that gives us a sense of balance in our lives. In the past, any secure job with decent pay was just fine, but today's more flexible business environment gives us a vast number of choices about not only what we do for a living, but also how, when, and where we work.

Still, though, many people feel stuck in unrewarding jobs. In fact, recent surveys claim that 50% of us say we're in the wrong career. Since our work takes up a huge chunk of our waking hours, a bad fit can seriously affect the whole quality of our lives.

So how do we get stuck?

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Getting "stuck "
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One of the biggest reasons I've found that people stay in unfulfilling jobs is that they stop listening to themselves. Instead of paying attention to that voice inside that's calling them to be the person they were born to be, they fill their lives up with longer hours at work and never-ending 'To-do' lists on the weekends, thinking if they just get more done they'll feel more satisfied.

I see this busyness trap often. Having a crammed schedule makes us feel important-like we're accomplishing things. Rhonda, the new client I mentioned, fell into the same trap. Her life's been so hectic and "full" of things that don't really matter, it's been impossible for her to focus on what DOES matter.

Let's face it, you can't tune-in to what your heart and soul truly desire when you're running 10 minutes behind all day, right?

How long has it been since YOU'VE really "tuned-in?"

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Our Gifts, Passions, and Values
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There's nothing more satisfying than doing work that makes you want to jump out of bed on Monday morning. Our ideal job has three main ingredients: our gifts, passions, and values. If you ask anyone who loves what they do, they'll say they're paid to use their gifts on things they're passionate about, in an environment that fits their values.

We're all born with unique gifts-the things we do that come easily and naturally to us and make us SHINE. You come ALIVE when you're using your gifts: it's an unmistakable, genuine feeling.

In coaching clients to find their ideal work, I've found that many people overlook or deny their real gifts. This is where I really excel as a coach-- I can quickly uncover the brilliance in others and help them turn it into an exciting vision that enables them to get EXACTLY what they want out of their work-and their life. Sometimes a whole new career is the answer, while for others it's a new approach or direction in their current job that makes all the difference.

Deep down, we all really know what makes us happy. And what makes us happy changes and evolves as we get older. What felt like our ideal work five or ten years ago may no longer fit our values and preferences now. The key is to keep checking in and searching for that feeling of "rightness" and "fit."

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The Monday Morning Test
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So how would your work do on the "Monday morning" test? Do you wake up happy to begin the week in a job that energizes you and feeds your soul?

Or do you hit the snooze button three times, dreading another long, hectic day that drains the joy and enthusiasm from your life?

If your work fails the test, decide it's time to start discovering what sort of work will bring out your best, most inspired self. Not next week, or next month, but now.

Here's 4 TIPS to get you moving on that journey:

1. CLEAR THE DECKS:

If your life is full of clutter, distractions, and obligations, you won't have the room --or the energy-- to add anything new and great. Make a LIST of 30 things you've been "putting up with" in your life. It may be a dirty car, a stack of papers to file, a phone call you need to return, or lunch hours spent with a coworker who drains your energy. Handle, delegate, or eliminate five things on your list each week.

2. UNPLUG FOR 15 MINUTES:

We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world that constantly challenges us to tune in to our true selves. Each day, find a quiet, comfortable place to sit, turn off your pager and your cell phone, and let your mind wander as you answer the questions in #3, below. This quiet and stillness will dramatically affect your level of clarity about your life.

3. ASK SOME PASSION-SEEKING QUESTIONS:

~*~ What would I do if money were not a concern in my life?
~*~ What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
~*~ What's stopping me from moving forward and exploring my passion?
~*~ What would I like said about me at my 80th birthday tribute?
~*~ How could I change my current job to make it a better fit?
~*~ How do I REALLY want my life to be?

4. START AN ADVENTURE!

Think of the process of pursuing your ideal work as an exciting adventure. If you've always imagined how great it would be to starta business as a website designer, list the first five steps in your action plan that will move you closer to your goal. Then commit to taking ONE step a week, such as talking to someone in the design business, signing up for a class, etc.

Keep an open mind about where each step leads you...and listen to that voice inside that wants to lead you to your TRUEST SELFin work, and in life.

Happy exploring! I'd love to hear from you about what's helping you to "tune-in," OR what's getting in your way. Send me an e-mail at Barbra@BWCoaching.com








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Barbra White is a Personal and Business Coach who works with professionals and business owners and to create the clarity, strategy, and momentum needed to design the life they really want to be living. Together they focus on the areas that will bring her clients the greatest results, generate more money, and bring them the most joy. Visit her at http://www.bwcoaching.com
E-mail: mailto:barbra@bwcoaching.com

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