What can typically throw you out of alignment in your career?
It is easy to do. Often we carry on with our work like it is as we are supposed to be, this is who we are, this is as it is. Until we all of a sudden feel overwhelmed, exhausted, out of body. We don’t associate it with who we are at work, the blame often is put on the outcome of work.
If we reflect and look back at those moments we start to feel out of alignment… Do you recognise who that person is? Or do they feel so foreign to you it makes your stomach ache?
How does this happen? How do we all of a sudden step into this version of ourselves that we don’t even realize we are doing it?
External validation - looking for that external validation for approval. If I do this, be that person, not make a silly joke or laugh out loud, I will be accepted, respected and appreciated. Looking externally for acceptance rather than knowing who we are and accepting ourselves.
Chosen identity - who am I if I am not XYZ. As we develop and grow we change. Our interests, ideas and how we want to live our life and work change. Who am I if I don’t work full time? Who am I if I work at a lower level to allow time for me, who am I if I start a side hustle, who am I if I don't have XYZ. It is way easier to continue to play this role, continue with this old, original and comfortable identity than to look to change.
Unidentified values - if I ask you what your values are, can you answer in a non generic way? Can you truly identify your intrinsic values that resonate so deeply with you it brings you comfort to speak to them? Understanding your values is so simple it often gets missed or put on the back burner to be done at a later date, but without even noticing, it can influence how connected to yourself you feel.
Understanding your success story - ensuring your success story relates to subjective career success. This means something different to each person and is not driven by external factors, by looking to be awarded or praised - this is the outcome of your subjective career success. I am not suggesting this is a bad thing, we all (including me) love positive feedback and acknowledgment and praise but when it is the key driver and when we seek it to feel accepted is when we move to objective career success and focused on external validation. It is about knowing yourself and what it truly means to be successful in YOUR life.
It is easy to slip into these patterns that can unnoticeably remove you from feeling aligned and authentic leaving us feeling flat, frustrated and exhausted. The best thing to do is reflect, understand and acknowledge when you sense you feel most out of alignment and then ask yourself - what do I need to do to reconnect?
Understanding who you are, your identity, values and success story are all ways to ensure you stay authentic and aligned to you.
Coming in January 2023 a program that is designed to work through this process to ensure you are authentically YOU. Send me an email HERE if you would like to join the waitlist and be the first to receive the program details.