Knowing when to love your job vs. leaving it is not an easy decision to make.  Like a marriage that has run its course, your job is like any relationship where you have to invest in it to make it work. Understanding your feelings about your relationship with work, with your boss and with your co-workers will help you create the necessary boundaries in order to remain objective.  Remember, your work relationship is not about love, it’s about business!

Yes, I believe you have to love what you do in order to be truly successful.  When you are just phoning it in you are not doing yourself or your employer any justice.  Loving what you do and who you do it with is as important as making sure you commit to the right partner. When you commit to an employment arrangement you are entering into a relationship where both parties need to feel the love.  If you are not 100% “into” the relationship than you won’t be motivated to make it work no matter how much you love what you do.

Finding and maintaining the right relationship balance means you need to put your needs and wants into perspective without making it personal. After all, it’s business right?  What does that mean when you love what you do but you may not be crazy about whom you are doing it with?

1. Get Real:  Being realistic about your expectations of others is a good place to start when you decide whether you’ve made the right decision in your working relationship.  You may not always agree and you may feel like you are better off without that other person around, but until you can manage your way around your working relationship and setting the proper boundaries will help you until you can make the right move.
2. Keep Focused:  Remembering why you said, “Yes” in the first place will help you remain focused on what you love instead of wanting to quit the one you no longer love.  Keeping the work you love front and center while you plan your next move means you are not being unfaithful to yourself or to the work you cherish.
3. Set Boundaries:  It’s all about understanding where your work life ends and your personal life begins.  Knowing your boss is your boss and not a member of your family helps to keep your perspective in check when the going gets tough at work. You can always quit your boss but it may be harder to quit your parents!

Knowing why you entered into the relationship in the first place will help you make the right decisions about whether you need to stay or move onto new horizons.  Knowing that you can take what you love to do anywhere should make the decision easier for you when it’s time to make a change.  Remember, it’s not love it’s business so save the marriage vows for the one you love not the one you work for!

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It’s not like you decided you would run for office when you accepted your first job offer out of school.  Politics was something you thought only mattered in Washington or at the United Nations.  When it came to your job, your career and even whether you like your boss or not, career politics was something you did if you didn’t have the right stuff to get ahead in business.  Working for your self or working for the Chief Executive Officer does not make it any less difficult when it comes to navigating career politics.

Every career has it’s own set of politics no matter what your profession. If you are an accountant, teacher, animator, engineer or human resources professional, politics no matter how open the environment finds its way into your daily career life.  So what does that mean to you?  Well, no matter how technically good you are at your job, if you don’t know how to navigate the political landscape that is your workplace, you might as well cash it in and set yourself up to sell sea shells by the sea shore!

Understanding that politics exist in every work environment is one thing, knowing how to survive and actually succeed in tough situations is another.  No one teaches you how to manage office politics in school.  There are no books about, “How to Survive When Someone at Work Sticks a Knife In Your Back.”  You are not taught that working means not just knowing how to do the job you were hired for but knowing how to do the people you work with as well.  You are not meant to show up to work with a suit of armor ready to do battle, but understanding the subtle queues may help you avoid being sucked into unnecessary drama and understanding how the game of “work” is played.

1. Know Who’s In Charge:  Just because someone has a big corner office and an even bigger job title does not necessarily mean they are “in charge.”  Whoever is calling the shots in front of or behind the scenes is the real power behind the throne.  Knowing who that person is even if it is not glaringly obvious is your first test in knowing how to assess the political landscape to ensure your own career success.
2. Create Allies:  Once you have figured out who is calling the shots, it’s time to align yourself with the right people in the organization who may influence and help you when the time comes. Creating internal allies within the organization helps you not only manage those in charge but also can assure you a place at the proverbial table when it comes time to show your stuff.
3. Fly Under the Radar:  You may or may not have aspirations of getting ahead in the organization, but until you are fairly comfortable in understanding who is playing the game and what the rules are, it’s advisable to fly under the radar and assess from a secure position on the sidelines until you have a better grip on how to play the game of career politics.

Knowing who the players are, how the game is played and who is the favorite means you are more than hedging your bets on who the winners will be, but are also making sure you land in a good position when the battle lines are drawn and it’s time to pick sides. Being politically savvy at work ensures you not only a seat at the table but may make you yearn for a higher position one day-you just need to learn how the game is played first.

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It’s that time of year when losing one hour sleep to gain more daylight and herald in the spring seems like a welcome relief to winter. For some losing that one-hour sleep may feel like a take away no matter how warm the weather is outside.  Getting that spring in your step may be a slow start for some but getting up and moving is important if you want to get a jump-start on the college grads looking for work in a few months.

Springtime is a wake up call if you are in a job you hate or are about to embark on a job search for the first time. You need to find the right motivation and deliberation when it comes to your job search.  Procrastination seems like a noble cause when the weather outside is delightful and your job search prospects are frightful. You don’t need an excuse to put off updating your resume, searching the job boards or following up on a job lead when all you really want to do is to go out and play.

Like the inevitable spring cleaning and filing of your taxes, procrastination has a way of keeping the spring out of your step no matter how badly you need or want to change your career.  Nothing makes it harder to motivate you to get going on your job search than a beautiful spring day or friends calling you up to hang out.  Finding a balance between work and play may mean you have to dedicate a few hours each week to helping you stay on track with your job search.

It’s never easy making change and procrastinating is just one way to avoid taking the reins of your career and moving forward.  You don’t need to drop all other activities to get going, but devoting a few hours a week or even 20 minutes a day will help you move the ball a little further down your career court. Making a list each week of the things you need to process will make it easier for you to feel like you’ve accomplished something especially when you check off one item or so each and every week.  You don’t have to make great strides in pushing your career search along but one step at a time will work wonders in keeping you moving forward and motivated when the sun is shining bright.

Your career search does not have to feel like a work out or a chore when all you want to do is play.  Make sure you have fun while looking for your next job and find ways to invigorate your job search activities that make you feel good about what you are doing and not like you are piling on more work.  It’s time to make the most out of spring and balance life’s pleasures with the goals and dreams you set for your career.  Who knows, you may just find the perfect job while having a great time just when you least expect it?

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What does it take to win?  How much effort do you need to expend when the job search has become impossible?  Are you willing to push towards the finish line to succeed or are you satisfied with coming in second place?  There is no right or wrong answer but it’s time to think about what you would do and what it would take to become the elite job seeker you were born to be.

Being an elite job seeker means you are ready to cross the finish line even when the opposition is closing in.  You may have many distractions along the road to your next job but keeping your focus under adverse circumstances is your key to crossing the finish line and not coming in second place.

Here are a few tips to help you achieve your elite job seeker status:

1. Keep The Pace:  Finding your rhythm in the job race is like keeping time with yourself.  You need to know how much energy to expend and when to push to the finish no matter how close you think you are to getting the job you want.  Following up on your job leads, reaching out to the people you know who can help and not settling for any disappointment that may arise regardless of how hard an effort you make, helps you to keep the pace with changes in the job market and out run the number of other qualified applicants all vying for the same job.
2. Ignore Distractions:  Like the motorcycle cop riding on the heels of the marathon runners or the cyclists weaving in and out of the race, distractions in your life can make any effort you put into your job search a never ending game of hide and seek. If you find you are always looking over your shoulder at a moments notice wondering who is catching up to you in your race to the job finish line, then you need to make every effort to keep your eye on the real prize which is getting across the job offer. Staying focused on your job search under any condition will have you running faster and keeping pace with your competition no matter what distractions life throws in your path.
3. Focus on the Finish: Distractions aside you know what it will take in order to keep the pace and follow through on the pursuit of your dream job.  There may be plenty of other candidates who are better suited for the job you want, but knowing that you are determined to follow through with your efforts means you have a better than average chance of beating out the competition.  There is the physical effort you put into your job search but your mental stamina and determination will win out no matter how tough your chances of beating out your competition.

Honing and perfecting your elite job status means you will train and work and focus your attention in getting the job you want no matter how tough the career landscape has become.  Keeping your skills sharp and maintaining a keen focus on getting the job you want will make you stand out from the crowd no matter how close you come to crossing the finish line.

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In a competitive Oscar race this year there were many stand out acceptance speeches. Preparing to win takes as much work it seems as the Oscar-winning performance.  Knowing who to thank, how to be grateful and of course giving hope to the dreamers is part of the script.  Matthew McConaughey’s speech however was a stand out as he thanked God, his family and offered up this wisdom, “My hero’s always 10 years away. I’m never going to attain that. That keeps me with somebody to keep on chasing…”

When it comes to setting and attaining your career goals where do you see yourself in 10 years?  Are you ready to chase not just your dream but also your self?  Seeking out the best you can be means you are wiling to sacrifice all it will take to get you what you want. Having it all does not mean you are content today with your job, your paycheck or even your title.  It means there is always something more waiting for you and to become complacent means your are committing career suicide if you are not always striving for bigger, better, more.

Selfish?  Self-absorbed? Egotistical?  Maybe?  But there is nothing wrong with chasing the best version of you no matter how far off in the future that may be.  Some of us achieve career success early on in life, Zuckerberg, Brin, Jobs and some later in life Mandela, O’Keefe, and Best Supporting Actress Nominee June Squibb. Does that mean you should give up if you are not holding your career trophy by age 25?  No it means you need to keep chasing the better part of yourself to make it happen.

Finding and keeping career success means you are not giving up on what you want and you will take the necessary steps to ensure you will attain it.  Maybe you need to go back to school, move to another country, or make a career change to find your passion.  Maybe you are already doing what you love but you are struggling to make ends meet and think you need to be doing something else in order to be successful.  It does not matter if you are a filmmaker, actor, accountant or engineer, there is greatness, inspiration and success in knowing you are expressing the best part of you and success will surely follow.

Keeping distant goals in mind might seem like a long shot when you are looking to be the hero of your own story today.  Striving to be the best version of yourself means you know what you want and you are ready to make it happen.  Honoring yourself puts you in a position to honor those that matter in your life as well.  Giving thanks to a higher power, your family, your friends humbles you enough to recognize the road to success is not easy but if you are capable and willing to do it all for you and for someone you love success then is not far off. Keep on chasing your dreams and continue to dream bigger and a more powerful version of who you want to be.  You are your own career hero make your story count!

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