Pushing the boundaries of our comfort zone brings new knowledge, new networks, new opportunities and lessons that sustain us well after the experience has ended. It also invariably lights a spark and fuels a passion for what we do.
‘The greatest danger to our future is apathy’ – Jane Goodall
Comfort … Let’s face it most of us enjoy some degree of comfort in our lives. Life just seems easier, simpler and less complicated with a little bit of comfort in the mix. BUT can we be too comfortable?
Absolutely we can!
For many of us some of our richest experiences and greatest achievements have come from stepping outside of our comfort zone. Pushing the boundaries of our circle of comfort more often than not brings new knowledge, new networks, new opportunities and lessons that sustain us well after the experience has ended. It also invariably lights a spark and fuels a passion for what we do.
In talking with many business leaders the greatest challenge they face is managing and facing an attitude of indifference…. indifference about careers, indifference about business and indifference about opportunities. It’s this lack of ownership that is dangerous.
It’s not so much a case of loving or hating your role. If you hate your job, quitting would be easy. What’s more common is the lull in between – the comfortable zone. It’s the going through the motion feeling; the response of ‘fine’ when someone asks you how your day was; or the shrug of the shoulders followed by ‘what’s the point?’.
The most dangerous path is the apathetic path and it is a frighteningly easy one to fall into.
By definition, apathy is a lack of feeling, interest or concern. It is a state of indifference, or the suppression of emotions such as excitement, motivation and/or passion.
YIKES! Sound the alarm bells… Sounds like death is imminent!
As Jane Goodall says, it is the greatest danger to our future. Dangerous to both our personal future and that of the business’s that we lead.
We’ve all had moments of apathy about our work but if we aren’t mindful of it, it can easily become a perpetuating cycle that we can get caught in. The key to not ending up in the cycle or to breaking it is firstly recognising that you are in it and knowing that there is an alternative way of operating.
What is the apathy cycle?
Apathy is like a disease and when it starts to grow it infects all who come in to contact. It transfers from one person to the next and if we aren’t careful across teams, spreading like wildfire.
Thankfully though for every force there is a counter-force; for every negative there is a positive. Just as apathy can easily be a perpetuating cycle, so too can a passionate cycle.
What is the passionate cycle?
The apathy cycle drains and the passionate cycle builds.
We all have the power to break the cycle of apathy. Finding yourself in a situation that sucks your passion and zest for what you do is exhausting and debilitating. Creating and placing ourselves in situations that inject fresh energy and passion though is ultimately within our control. The choice is ours.
A 3-step process to navigate your career change
By taking these small intentional steps we can have a successful and meaningful career while still remaining anchored in our sense of self.
Mapping your ‘what’s next’ is a journey. Don’t rush it.
Spring Forward
PO Box 7136
Hawthorn VIC 3122
Phone: +61 405 538 288
info@springforward.com.au