Think like an Expert & Avoid 'The 'Rut'!

If you are not currently employed in a profession of your choosing, you may consider planning your way out and starting a career that you daydream about. You may be already taking steps such as reviewing courses you can take or activities you can get involved in on evenings or weekends (or during the day, if you do shift work). During those quiet moments at work, you might do some quick internet searches or even stare at those reminder pictures around your work area to help you visualize your escape to a more desirable work situation. After all, if you must work, why not enjoy what you do? Why stress out over it?

A problem arises when you get worn down by the grind, you are not giving your current position your 'all' and as a result, your productivity goes down and you get into a rut; not that you care, because you are on your way out, anyway. However, something magical happens when you make the decision in your mind that your days at your current position are indeed numbered after you've decided to pursue better things. Your posture will straighten up, your countenance will appear confident, yet pleasant and you will pay more attention to your wardrobe and be sure everything is symmetrical and professional looking. This happens because you are starting something new, even though you have not yet left your current workplace.

The truth is, you don't actually have to wait for the epiphany to happen before you undergo a noticeable change. In fact, you can preempt the epiphany by acting like an expert well before any sort of sudden, intuitive insight takes place. That way, you are better prepared for a major change in career and more doors of opportunity will open as a result.

Consider this: two people, working side by side, both dream of a better workplace or career. One of them sports a negative attitude every day they go to work and everybody notices it. The other is always in high spirits and acts like a professional, no matter what the situation. Both of them are wanting a change but only one of them is well prepared for it. 

In fact, it is doubtful that the first person actually has any sort of exit plan because if they did, they would probably be in better spirits. That person also runs the risk of being let go first if business slows down and if they aren't at all prepared, they may be in trouble, whereas the second person would already have some sort of plan in place, but it is unlikely they would be let go first because of their pleasant demeanor.

Acting like an expert day in and day out raises a kind of force-field in front of you that others cannot easily affect; they must treat a pro like a pro. Acting like a 'crabby crabberson' every day removes any safety shield and instead puts a target on you. Crabby people are no good for morale.

So, no matter what you do for a living, acting like an expert will help achieve an untouchable status and buy you time to figure out where you want your career to go, whether it is further up the company ladder, a well thought out lateral move or a completely different career. Positive-thinking experts are less likely to find themselves in any kind of rut, no matter how rough the waters get.

(Cartoon courtesy of Mike Moore at motivationalplus.com - thanks Mike!)