How to get out of the box you keep getting placed in

When we are employed, we are assigned roles.

Often when we are assigned roles, we are labelled.

This labelling is convenient and often allows us to be the ‘go to’ person for that particular thing.

For example, Lynda is the project manager.

The project manager organises, manages stakeholder relationships and assesses risk (to name just a few).

If a project management questions arises, it might be said, “Oh, just ask Lynda. She’ll know.”

And at first it’s really lovely to be defaulted to. You fit the label so you must know the answer and to know the answer is to possess the knowledge and to possess the knowledge is valuable, right?

But what if that knowledge is no longer of value to YOU, the one within the label?

What if that knowledge (or skills or expertise) is not where you wish to reside any more?

What if that label becomes a box?

Well, don’t stay there!

Oftentimes clients will say to me that they feel ‘stuck’ in their roles before taking the steps to do something more fulfilling, be it running a business or simply moving industries.

What holds people down though? What keeps them stuck? We all have the power to make a choice and become ‘unstuck’, don’t we?

Here are some tips to help with the unsticking;

Start talking – start saying, OUT LOUD, what it is that you’d prefer to be doing. Tell everyone. Start positioning yourself as someone who is just down right keen as mustard to dabble in that new thing. And DO IT OFTEN. People will remember and one day may start saying, ‘Oh, I know Lynda was asking about that. Let’s see if she can help.’

Volunteer your time – start doing the thing you wish to do FOR FREE. You may not be an expert just yet, so you’ll need some experience. And how do you get that? People aren’t likely to pay you for being green, unless it’s very little. So, get yourself ripe for the picking.

Expect and handle rejection – it’ll happen. You’ll get a fresh start or what looks like a glimmer of hope, only to be disappointed. But whatareyagunnado? Give up? Do that if you’d like to remain in the box. Otherwise, hustle. Feel that sh*tty thing, give it a good 30 second marinade, then shake it off and go again.

Can you see the light at the end of the box?

With love

Lynda

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