Great Circle

I was chatting this morning with a good friend of mine in Sydney. She was commenting on how totally unenjoyable her job was - largely because it had nothing to do with her vision and ambitions.  The pay’s ok, the people are ok, it’s just not what she wants to do with the good stuff inside her!

It got me thinking again, what is it that keeps a talented person stuck in a job that saps their energy, represses their genius, stagnates their growth & doesn’t allow them to pursue their dreams and calling?

Perhaps for many, it’s the Golden Handcuffs.

Now, while there is a generally accepted HR definition for the term (rewards and penalties designed to discourage key employees from leaving a company says one HR Magazine article among others) - let’s simplify it even further.

Many people feel that - to move forward into their dream and tap their genius - they will initially have to cut ties with the security of a set salary level and that fortnightly deposit in their bank account.

To break away from that security is a scary thing - especially when you have mortgage etc etc. And yet it’s questionable as to whether that’s a valid reason for remaining so unhappy and unfulfilled (or impounded as another friend of mine puts it) for year after year. 

So if you want to move into your dream and calling, how do you break these golden shackles? And how do you do it without simply showing your boss how long your middle finger is - and then ending up unemployed and still no closer to your dream??

I know that in 2003, I was slowly working my way towards breaking them by defining myself in my workplace, by setting my sights on the next stage, by getting ready to leave the unpleasant but secure status quo and try some thing new

… but then I was taking TOO long - and a back injury forced my hand! So I can’t say that I actually overcame this one myself. I had no choice!

But I hear this lament often so I’m very  interested in the comments of anyone who has found a key or two that unlocks the Golden Handcuff.