1288: [Part 1] When Your Career Sucks, You Can Fix It by Karl Staib of Dig to Fly on The Subtle Impact of Failures on our Confidence

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, Episode 1288.

[00:00:03] When your career sucks, you can fix it.

[00:00:06] Part 1 by Carl Stabe of digtofly.com.

[00:00:10] And I'm Dan, your host and narrator here on OWD,

[00:00:13] and thank you so much for joining me today

[00:00:14] as we begin another two-part episode.

[00:00:17] And if you're new here, sometimes we read these longer posts

[00:00:19] over two days, and that's what we're gonna do today.

[00:00:22] So with that, let's jump right into Part 1

[00:00:24] and start optimizing your life.

[00:00:30] When your career sucks, you can fix it.

[00:00:33] Part 1 by Carl Stabe of digtofly.com.

[00:00:37] If you take a hard look at your career,

[00:00:40] you'll see hundreds of failures.

[00:00:42] A failure is rarely a dramatic occurrence.

[00:00:44] Most are usually small

[00:00:46] and hardly leave a blip on our awareness.

[00:00:48] No matter how small, the blip is registered

[00:00:50] and it often builds or reduces confidence.

[00:00:53] So if we break down our work happiness psyche,

[00:00:56] it all comes down to our ability

[00:00:57] to deal with each obstacle

[00:00:59] and how we use these experiences to build our careers.

[00:01:02] Many people encounter difficulties

[00:01:04] and they either give up or avoid the challenge

[00:01:07] instead of pushing through their fears.

[00:01:09] Fear has dictated many of my actions.

[00:01:12] When I didn't enjoy my job,

[00:01:13] it was usually because I was afraid of something.

[00:01:16] For instance, not being able to find a job

[00:01:19] that I really liked,

[00:01:20] so I kept quitting and looking for something else.

[00:01:22] Being fired because I didn't want to put effort

[00:01:25] into something that wasn't rewarding me properly

[00:01:27] and trying really hard

[00:01:29] and still getting caught in a tough position.

[00:01:31] So I would just coast along

[00:01:33] doing work that was just okay.

[00:01:35] Fear is based in assumptions.

[00:01:37] We assume that our boss doesn't care about our hard work,

[00:01:39] so what's the point of trying?

[00:01:41] We assume that our hard work doesn't matter.

[00:01:44] Our fear holds us back from reaching true greatness.

[00:01:47] The funny thing is that even the greatest business people

[00:01:49] often see faults in the choices they make.

[00:01:52] The difference is that they don't let the fear

[00:01:54] dictate their future decisions.

[00:01:56] I've seen dozens of people get fired

[00:01:58] because they did not put their full effort

[00:02:00] into making their job a success.

[00:02:02] They either wanted something easier

[00:02:03] or something more challenging.

[00:02:05] They were stuck on the seesaw of emotions,

[00:02:07] flying high or low,

[00:02:09] never really knowing what they wanted.

[00:02:11] Ask yourself, are you truly happy where you are?

[00:02:14] If not, you have choices

[00:02:16] and it's up to you to empower your career

[00:02:19] and give it a good kick in the...

[00:02:21] Help yourself make a choice.

[00:02:23] When you lay out all your options,

[00:02:25] it's easier to see what you need to do

[00:02:26] to find a career that will get you excited

[00:02:28] and keep your energy level high,

[00:02:30] whether it be a new perspective on the present job

[00:02:33] or doing something completely different.

[00:02:35] Some of you may make lists of all the pros and cons

[00:02:37] of staying at your present job,

[00:02:39] use mind mapping techniques

[00:02:41] or talk to a trusted friend who knows you almost

[00:02:43] as well as you know yourself.

[00:02:45] The only way to do work that you enjoy

[00:02:47] is to take risks,

[00:02:49] things like ask for new tasks at your present job,

[00:02:52] try a similar job at another company,

[00:02:54] go back to school,

[00:02:56] experiment with other jobs

[00:02:57] that you think will hold your interest

[00:02:59] or start a company.

[00:03:01] Some of you may not love your jobs

[00:03:02] but you're okay with this

[00:03:04] because you get to do what you love on the weekends.

[00:03:06] If you do a decent job that you enjoy

[00:03:08] and it doesn't create that much stress,

[00:03:10] then don't be afraid to keep doing it.

[00:03:12] You don't need to conquer the world

[00:03:13] if you enjoy what you do.

[00:03:15] However, from most of you,

[00:03:16] this won't cut it.

[00:03:17] So you need to find what type of work

[00:03:19] will trigger the most happiness.

[00:03:22] An emotional foundation.

[00:03:24] It's all about being honest with who you are

[00:03:26] and what you want.

[00:03:27] If you need to wake up and get excited

[00:03:29] about what you do to earn a living,

[00:03:31] then it's time to make a plan.

[00:03:33] You need to do some soul searching

[00:03:34] and write a list of emotional needs

[00:03:36] as related to your career.

[00:03:38] When working happy,

[00:03:39] money isn't always a powerful motivator.

[00:03:42] Your career happiness will most likely depend

[00:03:44] on two main factors,

[00:03:45] your ability to feel productive

[00:03:47] and the people you work with.

[00:03:49] I created a list about five years ago

[00:03:51] and my shortened version looks like this.

[00:03:53] One, writing, poetry, marketing and business,

[00:03:58] self-help and novels.

[00:04:00] Two, public speaking, although it made me nervous,

[00:04:04] it got me excited.

[00:04:06] Three, flexibility, ability to go and be where I wanted

[00:04:10] not be stuck in an office.

[00:04:12] Four, sharing of ideas.

[00:04:15] I love to share and develop ideas with other people.

[00:04:18] Five, laughter.

[00:04:20] I wanted a job that was fun,

[00:04:22] nothing too serious and uptight.

[00:04:24] And six, grand goals.

[00:04:27] I wanted a job that had almost infinite possibility

[00:04:30] to be continued.

[00:04:35] You just listened to part one of the post titled

[00:04:38] When Your Career Sucks, You Can Fix It

[00:04:40] by Carl Stabe of digtofly.com.

[00:04:43] We're driven by the search for better

[00:04:46] but when it comes to hiring,

[00:04:48] the best way to search for a candidate

[00:04:50] isn't to search at all.

[00:04:51] Don't search, match with Indeed.

[00:04:54] Indeed is your matching and hiring platform

[00:04:57] with over 350 million global monthly visitors

[00:05:00] and a matching engine that helps you find

[00:05:02] quality candidates fast.

[00:05:04] Ditch the busy work, use Indeed for scheduling,

[00:05:07] screening and messaging.

[00:05:08] 93% of employers agree,

[00:05:11] Indeed delivers the highest quality matches

[00:05:13] compared to other job sites.

[00:05:15] One of the things I love about Indeed

[00:05:16] is that it filters out those incompatible applicants.

[00:05:19] So when you're hiring, the process is much faster

[00:05:22] and you only have to consider applicants

[00:05:23] that are already likely to be a great fit.

[00:05:26] And listeners of this show will get a $75

[00:05:28] sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility

[00:05:31] at indeed.com slash startup.

[00:05:34] So just go to indeed.com slash startup right now

[00:05:37] and support our show by saying

[00:05:39] you heard about Indeed on this podcast.

[00:05:41] Indeed.com slash startup.

[00:05:43] Terms and conditions apply.

[00:05:45] Need to hire?

[00:05:46] You need Indeed.

[00:05:48] You don't need me to tell you that something always comes up

[00:05:51] when you're running a small business.

[00:05:53] Take the pain out of payroll benefits and HR

[00:05:56] and put the joy back in running your business with gusto.

[00:05:59] Gusto's payroll and HR services

[00:06:01] can make it a little easier.

[00:06:03] Gusto was designed for you, the small business owner.

[00:06:06] They take the pain out of running a business,

[00:06:08] automatically calculating paychecks,

[00:06:11] filing payroll taxes, setting up open enrollment.

[00:06:14] Gusto does it all.

[00:06:16] Want more?

[00:06:17] Time tracking, health insurance, 401k,

[00:06:20] onboarding, commuter benefits, offer letters,

[00:06:23] access to HR experts.

[00:06:25] Well, you get the idea.

[00:06:26] With Gusto, you can focus on the joy

[00:06:28] of running your business.

[00:06:30] And it's super easy to set up and get started.

[00:06:32] And if you're moving from another provider,

[00:06:34] Gusto can transfer all your data for you.

[00:06:37] So it's no surprise,

[00:06:38] 94% of customers are likely to recommend Gusto.

[00:06:42] 94?

[00:06:43] And here's the best part.

[00:06:44] Because you're a listener,

[00:06:45] you get three months totally free.

[00:06:47] All you have to do is go to gusto.com slash O-W-D.

[00:06:51] Again, that's gusto.com slash O-W-D.

[00:06:55] And I'm telling you, you're going to love Gusto.

[00:06:58] Get started today.

[00:07:00] And thank you so much to Carl

[00:07:01] and let me tell you a little bit more about him.

[00:07:04] He helps entrepreneurs understand their struggles

[00:07:06] and turn them into stepping stones.

[00:07:08] In 2010, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer

[00:07:11] and then was laid off from his job in 2011.

[00:07:14] And while those were, of course, difficult situations,

[00:07:17] he calls them blessings in disguise

[00:07:19] because since then he stopped doing work

[00:07:21] that doesn't fit with his passions

[00:07:22] and instead now focuses only on things

[00:07:24] he truly cares about.

[00:07:26] Carl is the author of the book, Bring Gratitude

[00:07:29] and has a lot to offer on his site,

[00:07:31] which is digtofly.com so you can learn much more there.

[00:07:34] And I do have that linked in this episode's description.

[00:07:37] By the way, if you're wondering,

[00:07:38] digtofly means dig deep to fly high.

[00:07:42] And Carl also has a podcast which you can find

[00:07:44] wherever you get your audio, it is called

[00:07:46] the Digtofly podcast.

[00:07:48] But that'll do it for this episode of Optimal Work Daily,

[00:07:51] but don't forget we still have more to go in this post.

[00:07:53] So come on back tomorrow for part two

[00:07:55] where your optimal life awaits.