The problem is not the problem, the problem is your attitude about the problem

Taken straight from the philosophy of Captain Jack Sparrow and a sentence I regularly visit.

We all have challenges and pressures in life that we can allow to get on top of us and feel like we have no way out. I sometimes allow myself to be driven by anxiety, so over worrying and doomsday scenarios are a daily normality for me.

The ability to take a step back and re-frame what’s actually in front of me in the present has been a powerful tool and most of the time I find that the problem is not the real problem.

Why not take a new approach and re frame your mindset to tackle what you may have convinced yourself to be the unjust problem? maybe you’ll find it was not the real problem after all.

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L&D teams need to practice what they preach

I came across an interesting quote recently, while listening to a podcast between the comedian Russell Brand and self-help guru Tony Robbins:

“We all teach, what we most need to learn”

It struck me as I had been thinking about the capabilities of learning teams and how many people are actually keeping their own skills up to date, embracing continuous learning and actually practising what we preach to everyone else.

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What it is to be alive

The sun reaching across the branches of a tree, the pain overcome from the tribulations conquered, that feeling of enjoyment, of love with/from another – this is what it means to be alive.

It’s a cliche in today’s world, yet living in the moment is all we can truly do.

It provides perspective on what is and what we have in that tiny piece of time, so be grateful for it, appreciate it and feel what it is to be alive.

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The difference between a job and a career

A job is an occupation, a career is something built through the love of passion.

Those building a career know the why, they are fuelled by the reasons they do what they do.

Those in a job know only the what, only the what must I do to keep this job and my “safety net” in life.

A career is a lifelong journey of exploration, the what if, the I could and the this would be amazing to try. It can be an arduous journey full of challenges no doubt and these will shape you, make and even at times break you.

Yet it is the building of a career that can define you, allow you to share with the world what you’re truly capable of, to understand maybe that this is what you were meant to do.

A job is a job, it’s an occupation that pays the bills, keeps the food on the table, it’s a steady approach to the modern way of living. A job is like a ship permanently in the harbour and ships were not made to stay in a harbour.

Careers are full of opportunities, full of ways to better and challenge oneself.

Careers are an opportunity to do something, be something and leave something bigger than yourself. They are joy, sadness, excitement, passion, failure and success all rolled up into one.

Jobs are like a bus, they come and go but rarely do they deviate from the”planned route”.

A career can be a labour of love, you’re building something that brings you purpose and hopefully joy. It’s a route for you to be of service to others and embrace all the opportunities life can bring if you’re willing to accept the challenge of course.

But a job or a career are just work you say, I’m not so sure my friend.

That’s what it’s all about really, the work, or is it?

Those who have jobs do the work with no questions, those who have careers are creating the changes to make our world that little bit better.

Do you ever think about what you’ll say when it’s all said and done?

I had a job and it was ok, it paid the bills and filled the days or did you do something more?

For those who chose the career, they built, they fought, they were lost at times but they built something that was true to themselves. It was hard, yet it was fun.

So what do you want?

The red pill or the blue pill?

A job or a career?

The choice is yours, but the real difference between a job and a career? Maybe it’s about leading a life worth living or living a life.

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