How To Avoid Becoming A Victim Of Your Environment and the Economy

In the UK, talking and complaining about the weather is a national pastime.

Whilst I dislike the wet and unpredictable weather in London (and frequently dream about owning a beach house in the sun!), I rarely talk about the bad weather and certainly don’t complain about it.

Why?

Because it’s a complete waste of time and mental energy.  I can’t control it, I can’t change it and so why worry about it…?

Instead it’s much better to focus on two things: The things I can influence and the things I can control.

a) Influence – If it rains, I can influence whether I get wet or not by choosing what to wear or choosing to carry an umbrella. I may still get wet, but I may have some level influence over it.

b) Control – I can’t control whether it rains or not, but I can totally control my reaction if it does. I can control how I think and speak about the weather. If I get soaked in a storm, I can control my reaction and so dictate my mood - which of course impacts everything else I do.

I’m not special – just human. Unlike animals, us humans have the ability to choose our reactions to the environment. This is not psychobabble or ‘fluff’, but a scientific fact.

Armed with this fact, you should be using this same principles to better manage your career instead of focussing on the environment you operate within.  

I see so many people worrying and stressing about the economy, the job market, what their firm is doing, what their boss isn’t doing or how their internal and external clients are behaving. Whilst some of this anxiety seems like a perfectly rational reaction – it does little to help you achieve the results you want.

Just like dealing with the weather, you can’t change the environment around you – the state of the economy, the leadership skills of your boss or the financial state of your clients. So it’s ludicrous to spend massive amounts of time stressing about.
 
In order to achieve the results you want – be that a new job, more job satisfaction, more time, more money or a better work-life balance – you’ve got to stop stressing about the stuff you can’t control or influence – and instead channel that time, mental energy and creativity into what you can control and influence.

If you’re in a job currently, that means:

1. Focus on helping your firm be as successful as possible rather than stressing about the economy.

2. Take responsibility for your own career by having an up to date resume and a strong network outside your firm rather than stressing about potential job cuts.

3. Focus on strengthening relationships with clients and widening your circle of prospects to build a stronger pipeline rather than stressing about what clients may or may not do.

4. Learn how to manage upwards so that you can limit the impact of a poor or indecisive leadership, instead of complaining about how bad the management team is. 

5. If you’re dissatisfied with your relationship with internal clients, focus on how you can strengthen these relationships rather than blaming things on politics and personality clashes. Yes, these are often very valid issues - but many people exaggerate such conflicts inside their head.

Once it’s in their head, they’re great excuses to hide behind. It’s much more effective (and far cleverer) to take yourself outside your comfort zone and fix those relationships so that you become more successful and happier in your role, instead of just sitting around bitching and moaning about people (even if it’s just in your head). Plus it clears up a lot of ‘head space’ and makes you a nicer person to be around away from work.

If you’re job searching, that means:

1. Instead of complaining about the lack of opportunities, you take more accountability for your search by learning everything about the job search process so that you become more effective in less time. The hundred's of free articles on this blog and free advice on the individual blogs of all the career experts pictured on the left of this page are good places to start.

2. Instead of worrying about the competition and the state of the job market, you focus on figuring out what value you bring to potential employers and learn how to articulate your unique proposition consistently at every stage of your job search process

3. Getting out, building relationships, networking with authenticity and treating your job search like a full time job rather than passively waiting for job sites and recruiters to bring you your next opportunity

4. Being progressive and open minded enough to look at how you can reinvent yourself and change careers to meet the changing needs of the market place or economy

Is it easy to do this?

No

If it were easy, then everyone would be successful and everyone would be a high achiever.

High achievers in any field succeed and stand out from the pack because they do things that others can’t or won’t do. Tiger Woods, David Beckham and Michael Jordan don’t sit around complaining about the weather, the tabloid press reports about them or the state of the pitch / court they’re about to play on.

They focus on what they need to do in order to get the best results. And that’s why they are at the top of their respective professions – by staying focussed on what they can control and influence and not overly stressed by their environment and what others are doing.

As we enter the Spring season, the weather in London should (theoretically) start to improve and become much warmer. But I’m sure it’s likely to be as unpredictable as ever.

In a similar vain, you’ll find the economy, the job market, your firm, your boss, your team and your clients to be as  unpredictable as ever in the coming months – and potentially the source of much stress and frustration. But only if you choose to focus on the elements you can’t control and can’t influence.

I can assure you that your level of career success will have much more to do with what YOU do or don’t do than what happens in your environment. It’s really easy to sit back and complain about the economy, the government, your boss or your firm. But don’t be a victim. Take responsibility for how you think and how you act and you’ll be far more successful in your career and far happier as an individual.

And the best thing about taking responsibility in a tough market is that it’s so easy to stand out from the crowd and accelerate your progress - simply because everyone else is sitting around worrying about the weather….

By Sital Ruparelia, Cross posted on the 6 Figure Career Management Blog

Comments

[Lynda]

Hello Sital,

Very well articulated! You are so right and I am going to implement this way of thinking. Thank you for the positive kick in the pants!

[Sital]

thanks Lynda!

If you need another kick in the pants, read this article too:

10 Ways YOU Stop Yourself Getting The Right Job
http://www.careerhubblog.com/main/2008/12/10-ways-you-stop-yourself-getting-the-right-job.html

[Paul]

Great post Sital - I can totally agree with all of your points. When you live in the problem - you get more problems. When you start living in the solution, well - you know... :) Take care

[D Eustace]

Sital,
You separate yourself from the crowd by offering simple, doable actions which many can identify with.

It is as you say up to each individual to make a difference. Your contribution leans the reader in a better direction. Would a self assessment of what is important and necessary and satisfying be a helpful step?

Dan

[Sital]

D Eustace,

Thanks for the kind comments.

Yes some form of self assesment (formal or informal) is always good in helping you move forward. Provided you don't use that as a stalling strategy(!) - you can do all the self assesment you like - but the results come, not from excessive navel gazing -but getting 'out there!'