The Trap of an Amazing Job Title
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Don’t Let Your Ego Make Decisions For You
This morning I was reading an article by the prolific Tim Denning that really resonated with me. It resonated with me so deeply, as I have found myself in this exact situation. And over the course of my career, I have noticed that most people get caught up in this game.
We let our ego and our need for recognition drive our career goals.
This is insanity. But it is also normal.
Our society has conditioned us to always be looking to move up the corporate ladder. If we stay in the same spot, doing the same work, while others around us are being promoted – we develop a sense of inferiority. We feel others are “better” than us. After all, they are moving up while we are still in the same spot. And that is a blow to our ego.
I have been there. More recently than I would like to admit. After all, I am a career coach. So I should have this stuff all figured out, right? Well, I can admit it – I am human. I still let my ego get in the way sometimes, as much as I try not to. But there is a real primitive need we feel to impress others.
Having a fancy job title clearly signals to people – and to yourself – that the work that you do matters, that you are important.
Seeking external validation like that is dangerous. Because you end up doing what you think others think you should do. You seek “success” based on someone else’s definition of what success looks like. And you may even end up moving into a job that you don’t even like, just so that you get that feeling of being so damn important. I know – I have made that mistake, and it came with significant consequences to my mental health.
Getting promoted or snagging some fancy job title is not worth it if it does not align with your definition of what you want your work to look like. Don’t let your silly ego end up pushing you in a career direction that will make you miserable.
Tim (the other one, not me) concluded his article with a brilliant statement;
Bingo.
Do great work, work that you enjoy doing, that stretches you a bit. That makes for a brilliant career. And that is such a key piece of being able to live an amazing life.
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Quotation that I have been pondering
While I cannot be certain, I suspect that many of you are like me in the sense that you over-complicate things. The most complex projects all comprise a series of small, simple steps executed in a logical sequence. That is enough to put a man on the moon. But we make things harder than they need to be. Which brings us to this week’s quotation;
I am convinced that we make things more complex than we need to out of fear. It is easier to keep thinking things through, rather than executing. Because if you take action, you might fail. And that is scary.
Journal Prompt
This week I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the quotation above and write down whatever comes to your mind around the following question:
Don’t over-think it. Note down whatever pops into your head. Spend 5 minutes doing that, and then reflect on how you can simplify one or two of these items. Don’t make it some grandiose intention; that is not how meaningful change happens. True transformation happens step-by-step, with consistent progress.
Have a great week – one where you move yourself forward, even just a little bit, towards living the life that you truly want to be living.
Nothing is more important.
Tim
