What are your career non-negotiables?
(Sorting the "nice to haves" from the "must haves" as you navigate life at work)
Here’s a big question for a Thursday morning…
“Do you know what really matters to you professionally?”
I ask this, because it’s amazing how many of us journey through our life and our career, without ever really stopping to consider what matters, what drives us, what we stand for and what we really, really need.
That’s not a bad thing. It’s human nature. We’re all so busy, stuck in a cycle of “doing” (the endless work requests and meetings and then we get home, we are sorting out life admin - the insurance needs renewing, those bills need paying oh and you've got to dress your child for whatever “special day” it is at school tomorrow…) This is modern life and it is full of distractions and urgency, so it can be hard to take a pause.
But it’s so important to carve out time to think deeply.
When was the last time you thought and I mean really deeply, about what is important to you in your life and in your career? This is a fundamental question that we ask in coaching because it's at the root of personal and professional happiness and fulfillment.
So this is what we're going to cover today. Let’s sit together - I hope that you can take 15 minutes out of your busy lives with a cup of coffee or tea - and take some time to reflect on what it is that drives you and to identify your non-negotiables.
This is important because whether you are in your job currently or looking for a new one, you need clarity on the things that are most important to you. This is what I like to call a shortcut to really identifying your purpose and your value in your career -figuring out what motivates you and what makes you tick is a really good way to figure out what role is right for you.
What may surprise you when you do this exercise is you being able to figure out the difference between what you think you should want for your career and what you actually want deep down.
There are a lot of shoulds that we encounter during our career, and I hear a lot of that when I coach people. It's this feeling that we will only be successful, or we will only feel successful in our careers when we do certain things or achieve certain things (like a specific salary status or job title) because that's what we think we should be doing.
Of course I'm not suggesting that we all go and live under a rock and meditate for 23 hours a day and not make any money and not support our families! But what I am saying is that you can separate the shoulds and the nice to haves from your absolute core non-negotiables which are the things that you need in order to thrive in your career and at home.
There’s a lot below the paywall today, as this is an in-depth topic and really valuable stuff! But just a quick reminder that our “Atomic Habits” book club starts next week, free for all subscribers, so grab your copy this weekend as we’ll be starting very soon!
Ok, let’s discuss your non-negotiables…