Have you ever spoken out loud to somebody about something you really want to achieve, or an approach you would love to take to something, only to get the response ‘That’s all very well, but in the real world…’?
I have noticed a few common features in this:
1. The thing being proposed is often a much needed change
2. It is very often solving the real issue and for longer term security, rather than a more superficial one that will only work in the immediate term
3. It is used to justify why we should settle for less and therefore not disturb the comfortable (but ultimately insecure and limiting) rut that things have settled in to.
To my way of thinking, to really live in the ‘real world’ you need to do 2 things:
1. Start identifying and solving the real problems, and
2. Be prepared to change your approach to something new if the old way hasn’t delivered the goods.
As Einstein said – no problem was ever solved by the same level of thinking that created it. So in this New Year, while you are perhaps thinking about how you want to move ahead in these challenging times, just bear in mind that the way things have worked up to now are already proving to be insufficient. The old solutions – such as work hard and trust that your employer will ’see you right’ – just aren’t an option any more. This version of the ‘real world’ is well past its sell by date, and we are all seeing the cracks yawning open.
All evidence indicates that to really ‘get real’ we need to start tuning into the bigger landscape of what is going on and introduce fresh thinking into identifying and solving the issues we are faced with.
In order to thrive rather than merely survive, we must together take the steps needed to understand the new models of career self-management and means of steering our own ship through the challenges presented by this new and turbulent 21st century. Indeed this is the journey we all must take in the century ahead.
This requires some new thinking on our part. It means realising that in the current economic situation, more than any other time, anything is possible. It means taking responsibility for getting to the heart of what we actually want and need as individuals. It means learning how to evolve our career on our own terms – limited only by our choice to use our gifts and talents towards outcomes that we find personally rewarding and motivating – rather than tolerating only doing what we are ‘allowed’ to do.
By cultivating an independent approach to – let’s face it – the future security of ourselves and our families (let alone quality of lifestyle) we can begin to free ourselves from dependency on our employer or the vagaries of the economy. We can become more confident in what we want and need, and therefore our own personal goals, and can then choose the vehicles that best allow us to move up the value chain and really use our skills and gifts to our own advantage. Once we take these steps towards dealing with the real world as it actually is we can be more assured of a career that moves apace or ahead of the sudden shifts and changes in our environment.
