Injecting more control into your career

March 15, 2015 12:44 AM

There’s a direct correlation between work commute and overall
happiness. It’s been proven in a number of studies, one of which showed that
each minute added to a commute affected people’s anxiety, happiness and general
wellbeing.

Yikes.

Turns out, commuters
are more likely to be anxious, dissatisfied and have a sense that their daily
activities lacked meaning than those who don’t have to travel to work.

What’s
interesting is, commuting isn’t really the issue here. As my mentor used to
say, your problem is never your problem. Often time, it’s the thing behind the
thing that’s causing the pain.

And so, these people’s experience of unhappiness
doesn’t stem from their commute, but from their lack of control. Squeezing into
a crowded train or sitting mindlessly in traffic or trudging frustratingly
through the snow, these experiences make people feel like they have
less control over their lives. As if their happiness was being held hostage by
the powers that be.

Commuting, then, is merely one symptom of a larger
problem. They’ve set themselves up in lives which seem to be largely out of their control. For example, let’s say an employee had a two minute commute
to the office. Sounds like a dream, right? Not so fast. Because once she
arrives at work, her job forces her into a situation where one person has the
power to make or break her life. Whether it’s her boss, her biggest client, her
desk mate or her direct report, she feels at the whim of one person tochoosehersuccess or failure in any endeavor.

That’s not a commute problem, that’s a control problem.

And so,
the goal isn’t to find an alternate route to work. The goal is to create a work
system thatputs you out
of the reach of the powers that choose or reject you. Which may take years to
achieve, but if you’re always on the lookout for ways to maximize the freedom
of your schedule and environment, and if you’re always finding new ways to own
your world, you’ll constantly boost your sense of control. And freedom won’t be
far behind.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

How are you growing in your ability to be in control of yourself?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…

For a copy of the list called, “20 Types of Value You Must Deliver,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!

* * * *

Scott Ginsberg

That Guy with the Nametag

Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.

[email protected]

www.nametagscott.com