Connecting to your work is easy for some and can be difficult for others. There are many factors that can impact how much you connect with the work you do, such as your career stage, proper job fit, etc. etc., but regardless of where you are, there are things that you can do to enhance your enjoyment of your work.

It’s something you may…or may not have heard before.

It can happen to any of us, getting to that point in our career where we don’t know what to do next. And then suddenly, that lack of direction can turn into the feeling of being stuck.

I find the tipping point in going from ‘exploring options’ to ‘stuck’ is when we let fear drive the ‘career path’ bus.

Steve Jobs once said, “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

When I read this quote, I thought about how it could be applied to one’s career, especially if you are at a stage where you’re considering making changes or getting clearer on your career direction.

This idea of reconnection and career came up recently in a video I recorded about identifying a purpose and creating a greater connection to the work you do.

This is a BIG topic.

Have you ever heard this one before?

‘If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not growing’

I personally don’t like this sentiment at all. But I get the idea behind it.

It's knowing what needs to be done in your business or in your career, but you just can't make yourself do it….

I've been asked many times by clients, "How do you shut everything off at night?", "Even when I'm not at work, I'm at work!".

There are three things I most often recommend to help with this:

When it comes to looking for new opportunities within your company or organization, it really comes down to two things - who knows you and who knows what you are capable of. In other words, it comes down to exposure.

Often I hear from clients that come to see me is that they feel 'stuck'. They feel stuck in their job or career and they have no idea what to do about it.

Living with intention is a way of tuning into your own desires, needs and goals and not letting yourself be swept away by the goals and desires of others. 

In my years of working as a sales professional and teaching sales at a Fortune 500 company, I've seen people held back by their own self-diagnosed assessments that they 'can't sell' or don't know 'how to sell'. 

I now coach people who are promoting their small businesses or in career transition and I've seen trends that can make a big impact to your personal sales process (whether selling your skills, product or service).

Having systems in your business is like having healthy eating habits...once they're established they contribute to longevity, vitality and create a solid foundation for great things to happen - such as growth in your business.

If you were to take a survey of Business Owners and ask them why they went into business, many would say one of their top reasons was for flexibility and freedom.

However, when the business gets going and you are juggling all the different roles, it feels like you have everything BUT flexibility and freedom. 

This chance encounter was not so 'by chance'. And, it reinforced a concept that I learned early on in my sales career...

I've been in a number of conversations with professionals/business owners who want better for themselves - who are striving to put their talents and skills to better or more constructive use, who want to feel fulfilled each day, or who want to step into their own leadership skills and lead with confidence.

This power is not to be underestimated.

Your Intention can make profound things happen. It can create changes or actions that may feel small at the time but can have a big impact on how your life events unfold.

Like the cylinders in a car or cogs in a wheel, your business has components that make it run well.

Just like your car's engine, your healthy body, or a puzzle, when one component isn't working, your entire business begins to struggle to keep up....

I've been thinking about the relationship between intent and behaviour.  

In life, so many of us have goals - to eat better, to increase our exercise, to be present at home more...

I'm guessing you can relate to the idea of intending to eat well and then making a poor choice of snack. Or, intending to get more sleep, yet, making the decision to check your social media accounts late into the night.

When it comes to your business or career, we also set goals and then find ourselves making poor decisions that don't get us close.....

I always find it interesting to look at our behaviours towards those goals because it tells us what our relationship is to them, and it can reveal something deeper at play....

We are a culmination of our experiences and environment.

We are the main protagonist in our story. We hold on to our stories of who we've been and they become our identity.

But, what happens when a part of our story no longer serves us? What happens when we hold onto a part of our story that actually limits our future growth and success?