Today’s guest post is by Josh Middleman, Co-Founder of Present Possibility, a company that helps people discover and develop their power through a focus on self-awareness, self-expression, gratitude and purpose, leaving them capable and confident to achieve their goals and face their challenges.
“There was not a moment to be lost: away went Alice like the wind, and was just in time to hear it say, as it turned a corner, ‘Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it’s getting!’”
– Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland
Why do you chase the White Rabbit? Yes. You. The one reading these words. Why do you do it?
Seriously. Have you thought about what it is that you are chasing after in your career? Is it money? Prestige? Are you seeking greater control over events in your life, or possibly freedom?
So how’s that working out for you?
If you’re still reading this, you are either nodding your head in acknowledgement or beet red in anger. Either way you are willing to look at what you’re really out to accomplish with your career and I commend you for your curiosity.
Far too many of us are going through the motions in our career. We’re in a job because at some point we chose that job and we haven’t explored other options since. We’re on a particular track, maybe upper management, because that’s the way to “get ahead”.
And you know what, there’s nothing wrong with any of that.
Not everybody wants to jump from career to career and some people make excellent managers and executives. For most of us, however, we haven’t even given these questions a second thought. We have taken the path we’re on for granted and adopted its attendant goals as our own.
We’re chasing someone else’s rabbit!
This is a dangerous game. Before you know it you’ve spent years striving for a post higher up the chain – with all the attendant perks – only to get there and find that this isn’t what you love to do, excel at, or find worth sacrificing time away from family for. Just like Alice you’ve tumbled down the rabbit hole and embarked on a journey into the unfamiliar, unsettling and yet, I’m willing to wager, far less trippy.
What’s really at stake here is your happiness and fulfillment and, because how you show up in the world (mostly happy, sad, etc.) has a real impact on others, the happiness and fulfillment of your family, friends and everyone else who is close to you. Said another way, pursuing the career that produces the happiest and most fulfilled you, enables you to increase the well-being and contentment of all the people in your life!
In the end, it doesn’t matter what career path you choose for yourself, it only matters that you choose it for yourself. So chase the White Rabbit; just make sure it’s the one you want to be chasing.
To learn more about the captivating work Josh and his team are doing for clients to help them communicate with unparalleled clarity and lead others with confidence, visit Present Possibility’s website at http://www.PresentPossibility.com.
Chicago Brander 
Yes, and after 3 kids, sports, pets and yes a husband for 23 years. (Thats a good thing dear. Im not being sarcastic…) You often stick with your industry and try to hang on to long commutes or settle for small local family owned businesses that lack important business protocols so… What do you do when you’re approaching 50 to stay happy in your industry you’ve been in for 30 years? I’m tired of chasing the rabbit! – sadly searching for answers!~
Betanda,
Luckily for us, the industry we’ve been in is evolving / fragmenting all the time to include a lot of other possibilities to spin off of large and small.
For example, it used to be that if you were a writer or designer, you’d likely go to an agency of some sort. But now more than ever, people are starting up their own shops after learning a great deal from the big shop experiences. And that’s given candidates more choices size-wise in that category alone. Then you add categories of social media, PR, web development, etc. that offer possibilities to those folks too.
I see you have experience in both Graphic Design and as an Account Executive. As long as you enjoy both of those areas, I wonder if that is an opportunity to position yourself as a dual threat that helps small agencies or print shops because most people are one but not the other. As you’ve been in Large Format printing, that may be a great niche to focus on. A couple of the ones in the printing space I highly recommend are all about large brands, which may be more rewarding experiences for you vs. haggling with mom-n-pops that won’t give you the emotional satisfaction you’re looking for.
I hope this is helpful and glad to continue the conversation in hopes of aiding you in catching the rabbit.
Dan