Do you go about your work feeling like you need to leave your personality on the curb on the way to work? Can you imagine what a job would be like if you could just be yourself and get paid well for it?
Over the course of consulting with hundreds of clients, we’ve found those who love their work and excel in their work consistently …
- Know themselves, their gifts and their limitations, then
- Embrace their gifts, then
- Learn how to use their gifts to produce benefits for others, and finally
- Get into a career that needs those benefits.
Many obstacles get in the way of this. One thing that I see often, especially in this economy, is what I call The Great Pretender Game. This is when people feel the need to pretend to be someone other than who they truly are just to get by at work…
People typically play The Great Pretender Game because it provides them a false sense of security. They falsely believe that behaving how others believe they should behave will lead help them keep their job. Sometimes that does work in the short run, but rarely in the long run.
It's because when people play The Great Pretender Game, they lose their sense of self. They lack a sense of purpose. They don’t have a sense of validation of their uniqueness. They become just a number, and it's just a matter of time before they become resentful of "working for the man".
Despite what many in the corporate world try to tell you, you are unique. You are valuable. You deserve to be in a place that embraces your uniqueness. When you get into a career that is validates your uniqueness as an individual, you'll be a happy camper.
Speaking of validation, I ran across a video that is on point with this topic. It's very cool. (It’s at the bottom of this post.) The first part of it is kind of corny, but it gets the point across. It’s all about embracing the gift that you have been given, and creating an atmosphere where your unique contributions are embraced. Watch it. It’s well worth the 15 minutes it takes to watch it. You’ll love it.
If you'd like to find out how much you're using your Given Talent (the "real you") at work and at home, try our free Reality Check by clicking HERE.
Author:
Dave Dutton - Founder of stuckinarut.com - Answering the question for all ages... "What do I want to be when I grow up”
