I walked out of the room dejected.
Work had been tough lately, but this was ridiculous.
The CEO just ripped my my project apart. She told me that my work was a waste of time.
As I walked down the hallway back to my desk I decided to give up. Why try hard for someone that didn't care about me?
She had it out for me for years, but I stayed because I was scared. I didn’t have the confidence to find a new job.
I look back on the man that I was 8 years ago quite often. I imagine what I would say to myself if I could just give myself advice.
This is what I would say:
Hi Buddy!
I know you’ve had a rough few years with your career, but there is nothing to be afraid of. You are a talented guy with lots to offer.
Don’t let anyone, especially the CEO who doesn’t appreciate you, kill your confidence. You have a lot to give and you need to give it to people who appreciate it.
There are lots of reasons people stop treating you well. They feel more powerful. They enjoy seeing someone else struggle. They aren’t very caring. They don’t treat themselves well and want to take it out on everyone else.
You’ll eventually help thousands of people live more grateful lives. You have so many gifts to give to people. Don't hide. This is the time to dig deeper and learn and grow as much as you can. All the knowledge you are gaining now will help you impact more people in the future.
Life can be good if you take the time to appreciate what you have.
Thanks,
Karl
Life Lesson
Taking time each day to focus on gratitude has changed my life. I struggled because of my attitude. I expected life to give me what I needed.
Once I adjusted my expectations and began to appreciate what I did have, that's when my career really blossomed.
I struggled for many years and I still struggle at times. Long meetings can be a bit rough, but I always try my best to focus on the good aspects of the meeting or difficult situation as much as I can.
You are on a gratitude journey whether you choose this journey or not.
I remember when I was fired from a job because I didn't want to pu in extra effort. I was afraid to try because if I failed then it would be my fault. If I didn't try then I had an excuse.
I used to apply this same idea to my life. I would never dig deep enough to be an expert in anything. This changed with my book Bring Gratitude. I felt this pull to go deep and help myself as well as others.
I was grateful for many things before I kept a gratitude journal, but I didn't appreciate them as much as I do now.
It's up to you to decide how much gratitude you want in your life. How much do you want gratitude to help you?
Small Steps
I would like to challenge you to keep a work journal for 30 days. After just a week you should notice a difference in your energy levels. You’ll also notice an improvement in your productivity.
It's important that you write in your gratitude work journal at the end of each day. It’ll help you process your day and deepen the memories on the good stuff that happened to you.
Keep the gratitude focused on your work. You can get the boost that you need in your career by focusing on the relationships and projects at work.
A typical gratitude work journal might look something like this:
- I'm grateful for my coworker Tim because we laugh together.
- I'm grateful for my customers because they always ask such interesting questions.
- I'm grateful for my paycheck because it helps me pay my bills.
Make sure you focus on your what and why. The why is important because it will help you infuse gratitude into your attitude.
You can test your current gratitude level in the Gratitude quiz. It can help you see where your mindset is at currently and what you can do to help grow your gratitude.
