A year ago I felt disempowered in my job. I knew as hard as I might try to cultivate joy, happiness, and agency in the workplace, the opportunities for those things to be a reality were diminishing. It wasn’t easy to take voluntary redundancy in way, because I knew that would come with a huge life overhaul. But then also, the decision wasn’t that hard either. If I faced the truth, life wasn’t working, I was stuck and disempowered. And so this post I write for you, if you are feeling disempowered, disenchanted, or lost in your work, with the hope that you find the opportunities for change in your own situation.
Recently I saw old colleagues, at an event. Some emancipated, some still in post. All of them dealing with the slow implosion of that work context. As I left, a sense sharpened in me, of what I needed to hear a year ago, before I decided to take the leap into my new life. I write here, see if it resonates with your own reframing of work, either in post or the healing aftermath.
Decide not to be beholden to fear. If you are staying in post out of fear, fear will define that role for you. Fear of change will mean you try to cope with more than is safe for you, you will overlook your own comfort, safety, and flourishing in order to uphold the status quo.
Do not side with the oppressor. The journey to getting your own clarity and direction begins when you emancipate from the context you are in and the messages you are told. Whether you stay in post or make the decision to leave, mentally disentangling yourself from the institution; the system will enable you to think more clearly and cultivate autonomy. Withdraw your psychic energy from the system.
Call out the shit. In the smallest of ways, start to notice when you perform agreement to keep the peace. Notice, how do you really feel? What are you suppressing? What would you say if you called out the shit? And what happens, if when you work out the shit, what would happen if you voiced that?
If you want support in cultivating your creative life outside of a job, either while staying in post or life after, I can help. We can do the unpacking together over a period of time, but more importantly, I can help you find what you really want to do, and help you to get on with doing just that.
Workplace thoughts