I’ve had Love Hurts stuck in my head for two days now as a result of a Valentine’s Day post I read. So love is on my brain – and evidently, it hurts and scars, it wounds and…you know the rest.
It got me thinking about love and work – and work and pain – and how to use that pain most effectively as you create change in your life.
The #1 topic my clients want to coach about is career change.
Whether they want to change departments, jobs or companies or want to blow it all up and start over in a totally new field, there’s always a little pain involved in making the decision.
Pain is typically what motivates us to (finally) make the changes we’ve been talking about. I know, it’s not an ideal scenario, but it’s usually true.
We can deal with things that don’t bring us joy, but once they start being actively painful, that’s when we start to take steps and make moves towards change.
The first step is noticing that you are in pain.
The second step is understanding where that pain is originating.
What is your pain trying to tell you?
For example, do you hate your job or just your manager. Do you dislike your industry or are you just sick of company politics?
Once you’ve identified the message your pain is sending, the third step is taking steps to soothe the pain so you can move forward effectively.
Why do this, if pain is our motivator?
It’s because you make more informed, less reactive decisions when you are not in pain.
We don’t make the best choices when we’re in pain – because we’re just looking for a choice that’s less painful, not for a choice that is the ideal next step to creating our future happiness.
When we make a decision that’s based in our love for ourselves and we connect that feeling of love with our future, that’s when things finally begin to feel easier.
So once your pain has served it’s purpose by delivering the wake-up call to make change happen, it’s time to start to let it go.
Where can you release some pain today?
– Can you let go of your frustration with a co-worker?
– Or be less annoyed with your daily commute?
– Can you find a way to make an onerous task more enjoyable?
– Or simply allow yourself to leave work at work and invite some love into the rest of your day?
How can you use your pain to figure out what you need to change and then release that pain so you can make the best possible decision about what to do next to move your career change forward?