Being stuck at work, feeling trapped or powerless, is nothing more than a mind f*ck. You have a lot more control than you think. Don’t believe me? I’ll prove it to you. Enter Exhibit A: The Energy Wheel.
Life expectancy varies from country to country and is based on many factors. However, assuming you are reading this from North America or Europe, there’s a good chance you will live for more than 25,000 days. Each day brings a new feeling. A new chance to make it what you want. At this very moment, you might feel stuck at work or in a ‘dead-end job’ or career, but you are not. Take a look at the image below.
Life is continuous change. At any given moment you could be anywhere within the Energy Wheel. Cause while it might look like only a few options, it actually represents the full range of feelings you can experience when at work.
HOT NEGATIVE = Conflict
HOT POSITIVE = Inspiration
COOL NEGATIVE = Stagnation
COOL POSITIVE = Accomplishment
In the past, I’ve recommended that you pick up the book Work as a Spiritual Practice by Lewis Richmond. Selling used for about $3, you can thank me later. The book was a motivating force behind this post and breaks down the wheel in much greater detail.
Here’s a way you can have the Energy Wheel help you immediately, so you can stop saying, “I’m stuck in my career.” Ask yourself the following questions:
– What color are you now?
– What color were you an hour ago?
– What color were you this morning?
– What color were you yesterday?
– What color were you last week?
Keeping a work journal can help. It will give you proof that most feelings are fleeting.
I recommend you print the wheel and check off each time you catch yourself in a zone. After a period of time, see where you are spending the majority of your time.
In a single morning at work, you can complete a cycle around the entire wheel. You come in relaxed, get discouraged by a stalled project, become fearful that you could lose your job, and then come up with a creative project that distracts you from the world. See, you just experiences hot negative and positive AND cool negative and positive. You are not married to any of the individual feelings or zones, proof that you are not stuck at work…or anywhere…only if you want to be.
A “rut” is a state of mind. I hope the Energy Wheel helps. If not, feel free to contact the Jobacle team. We will help you Make Work Better!
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