…stay in your own lane…
With the "great resignation" upon us, I thought I'd share a story with you...
Back a few years now, (almost eight!) I took a step that would forever change the trajectory of my life - I hired a coach. Little did I know what was in store for me and how my entire definition of the race I was running would come to a screeching halt. Yes. It was that powerful.
I was at a crossroads in my work life …all of the boxes that suggested "success" were ticked:
great job
fantastic salary
a team I loved working with
a boss who challenged me
and, of course, all of the "things" that went with it...
But it was no longer satisfying me. Maybe you can relate?
Then...
Then I did a writing exercise that changed my life. My coach asked me to write about what "success" meant to me. So I did.
When I shared it with her I still hadn't "seen" the aha. Probably because it wasn't what I had written that mattered so much as what didn't make it to the list: All the check box things didn't make it to the list, not even one of them! Things. All of that had some how got missed. Mic drop. I was sort of blown away. When I actually took the time to reflect - all of the other "things" that bubbled up weren't "things" at all. It went far deeper than that.
I knew then that I had to figure out what race I was actually supposed to be in because, somewhere along the way, I clearly ended up in a lane that was not mine. I had gone into autopilot, I had stepped out of my lane. Rather than looking around, I was going along with what I thought I was supposed to be doing/having/being - thinking that "this was the way it was" and that there was nothing else I could do to be both successful and fulfilled. Not true.
How about you?
Why am I sharing this with you now? As I mentioned above, apparently, the "great resignation" is upon us. Not that I am suggesting that you jump ship but, I'm guessing that perhaps more than one or two of you have been mulling over your next steps?
Perhaps its time to check inon your race? Are you in your lane or have you veered off course?
When's the last time you checked in with yourself and asked -am I running my own race? Notice what comes up for you when you ask yourself this question. You may find that what you're doing fits the bill - awesome -you're in your lane, running your race.
If not...
Let's get to it...
Are you willing to try this out?
Your challenge for the next week...
Check in with yourself.
Ask yourself: "am I running my own race"? Whatever that means for you. It may or may not be work related.
Perhaps pick one small area of your life and focus there. Let it come up organically...trust what pops for you.
I highly recommend putting an actual pen to paper to explore this.
When you're done, ask yourself: What's one small thing I can do right now to get closer to my own lane. Then repeat, often.
If you're ready to run your own race, Contact me for a chat. It's always good to hear from you!
Stay safe and well.
Warmly,
Ann