Have You Been in the Game Too Long?

Everyone has a comfort zone and it’s easy to stay in a place that is warm and cozy and closed off to threats, you can feel protected in a place like that, but are you really? Often that type of environment gives a false hope of what is really happening in your life. This is especially true in business and careers where people are making good money, have freedom to do their work unsupervised and don’t feel the need to keep pushing themselves forward. In business if you aren’t pushing yourself forward you will find yourself dead in the water wondering why everyone passed you by, you need to keep improving and redeveloping. This is also true for careers.

I was on the panel for a career fair a few weeks ago and was talking with an individual that had been driving truck for many years. He had some incidents on his license from the past and had worked for companies that didn’t see those issues as a threat. Recently he was fired for what seemed like no reason at all, but when listening to his story I believe the company he worked for started to see a pattern and decided to no longer take the risk. He is now having trouble getting a job doing what he has done for his whole life. As I spoke with him at length we determined that he may be better to start looking at other positions in the industry that don’t require driving capabilities therefore taking the focus off of his record. He was extremely happy with this new direction and went bouncing out of the event.

If he had started to look at another path even when he was driving he may have been able to move in that direction without losing income or reputation. When you’re eighteen or twenty it is hard to see the future past the age of forty, anything after that seems like old age. As you move along in life you need to keep evaluating your future and that may be due to employment, health related matters, or retirement goals. Always be evaluating your current position, is it fulfilling, is it stable, if something happened to the industry or company tomorrow do you have other talents you can do? Asking these types of questions periodically will help keep you open towards learning new skills, keeping your eyes open to other opportunities, or improving your own intelligence. Don’t do what I see too many people do, just bobbing along in life hoping it will turn out alight in the end. The end may be closer than you think!

About the Author

Bruce Outridge is a business and leadership consultant and author of the books “Running By The Mile” and “How to Start an Artistic Business in 12 Easy Steps.” For more information please visit his website at www.outridge.ca