Career Refresh Digest #27
Welcome to the latest edition of the Career Refresh Digest.
This last week and long weekend (being Labour weekend here in Aotearoa New Zealand), has been wild! Parts of the country have been absolutely slammed by 100km plus winds, hail storms and floods – none of which is usual for this time of year.
I’d moved a big event from mid-winter to Labour weekend thinking it would be a safer bet weather-wise. Little did I know!
I guess that’s just nature reminding us that the best-laid plans can get upended at a moment’s notice.
And that can happen in our working world also. This edition explores that theme. Happy reading!
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WORTH THINKING ABOUT
What you can and can’t control at work
When stuff happens at work that is frustrating, even infuriating, it’s easy (and normal) to feel consumed by your response to whatever’s going on. While reframing how you think about it won’t make the cause of the frustration disappear, it can take the sting out of it.
Best way to do that? Think about what is, and isn’t, in your control.
For example:
What’s within your control or influence:
Your energy, effort, boundaries and mindset, the way you communicate and your relationships.
What’s not within your control:
Restructures, leadership changes, organisational priorities.
Whatever it is that is frustrating or upsetting you about work, consider which category it falls into. If you can do something about it, do. If you can’t, try to let it go.
If the thing you are upset about is never going to change and you are not prepared to live with it, you have a decision to make staying in that environment.
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WORTH DOING
Spring clean your mindset
Sometimes the beliefs we hold onto cause us angst and keep us stuck in places we don’t want to be – but when we stop and take notice we might realise that belief has hung around well past its use-by date.
For example, maybe we have a belief that we should be grateful to have a job and that it’s fanciful to think of work as being something we actually enjoy. Potentially that belief was handed down through generations, ever since the Great Depression. There might have been something to it back then – people really should be grateful if the job is the only thing between you and starvation. But is that still true today?
Try doing a ‘belief audit’.
Write down three career assumptions that you’ve been holding onto (eg. “It’s selfish to want a job I enjoy”)
Decide whether any of these still feels true in today’s context.
Replace any outdated beliefs with a statement that feels more accurate.
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WORTH REFLECTING ON
How flexible are you to changing plans?
“The only constant in life is change”, so the saying goes.
Plans will change, either because something outside of our control changes, or because we’ve changed and the plan no longer suits.
It’s interesting that if it’s the former, people tend to more readily accept and adapt, than if they have a choice.
For example, if someone makes a plan to become CEO in x number of years, and they realise their lifestyle choices and desired family life don’t match with the demands and responsibilities of such a senior role, changing the plan can feel difficult, as if it’s a sign of failure.
But when the plan changes, it doesn’t mean you’ve gone off track – it means you’re paying attention. Life and work evolve, and so should our goals. The more we stay connected to what matters most, the easier it becomes to navigate change with clarity and confidence.
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If something at work has been frustrating you and you're not sure whether to act on it or let it go, a 15-minute conversation is a good place to start. Book a free call here.
- Lucy
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ABOUT THE CAREER REFRESH DIGEST
The Career Refresh Digest is a fortnightly newsletter for mid-career professionals who feel stuck or out of step with their work. Each issue shares practical insights and tools to help you reset direction, make clearer decisions, and reshape your work to better fit your life – drawing on recommendations, research, and insights from client work.