I am 30 years old (with 2 masters degrees-MPH, MS in microbiology) with a very nice job, excellent co-workers and a tremedous boss, however, I am not satisfied. 99% of my responsibilities are sitting behind a desk, working on numbers related to healthcare cost. You see, I am an an analyst, and my job is to do the cost analyzing for those in the sales department. Previously, I use to negotiate contracts, I found the people interaction very exciting and rewarding, however the company I worked for was totally pathetic. My life goal is to own a healthcare consultanting business, but I can not risk doing this full-time right. I really feel that I have not established my "mark" in life yet. Despite my age, I truly feel I should have a sense of accomplishment, but I don't. I want more. This is not a financial thing, but a sense of "making my mark in life." This probably sounds confusing, but it is the only way I can think of to express my thoughts. Is there anyone out there who understands where I am coming from? If so please let me know how you were able to find that level of self accomplishment, what was your motivation?

-- Guy Cobb (ncobb@prodigy.net), December 20, 2000

Answers

Guy, accomplishment and your car keys have one thing in common, you put them down and you don't know where you left them. Lets look at "self-accomplishment". What is it? It certainly isn't your history because I can see from what you have written that you have had many accomplishments. It isn't in the present because otherwise you would be asking a different question. So it really in the future? Accomplishments that are in the future are not fulfilling unless they become the brethren to accomplishment, which is called goal setting and measurables.

So my question to you is, where did you put the keys down and do you know the best way to find them? One answer I have is to start looking at the last place you remember being and trace your way back until you find them. Waiting for accomplishments to happen is one of the craziest occupations that I can think of because those are ones, which you will never find. An accomplishment that never was will remain unaccomplished.

So what is my motivation. It is to find the keys in my history, to look back and get off the comparison treadmill and just sit back and enjoy being me. Society isn't going off to any place, it will still be waiting for me tomorrow as it is today, so what is the fastest way for me to find anything? I say start looking in the obvious places as well track back to where I have already been.

We decide to see life from a depressing viewpoint, we think that there is something noble in our suffering and in attaching ourselves to all the negative things we were told we are as we were growing up and then we wonder why we lost motivation. Nobody lost it for us, we did it all by our own merry selves. We kicked ourselves, beat up on our own expectations, made promises we know we would never keep, and we end up doing a fine job of punching our own face and then we wondered what happened to our motivation. If we do that to ourselves, what do you think happens to our motivation?

Every now and again, it's good to give ourselves a reality check, a wake up call, a smell the roses moment, to slap ourselves out of our self created dormitory. We are human beings and we are made up of all sorts of things including hormones and clever natural chemical stuff, and our thoughts are always going to be our best and worst injection. If we keep giving ourselves the wrong kind of shots by asking questions that we already know the answer to, after a while our mind gives up because what's the use of continually computing an answer for us, that it has learned that we are never going to apply.

If we do apply it, we risk the unknown and yes we do have a natural internal protective system that says "Are you damn sure you want to do that?". That's a good and healthy protective system but what happens if you don't apply those answers? Then that same protective system becomes our personal nightmare. If we don't apply the answers our mind is giving us, then we have to find satisfaction in the life we have. If we decided that in reality the chances are that come this time next year, our life isn't going to change much - then what's stopping us from finding satisfaction in the things we do now. Dissatisfaction needs action to move us out of that burning house called burnout and take that fire with us to power to our journey.

Where is the satisfaction in a life when know we won't and don't apply our answers? It is in nature; it is in a comedy club that we have never visited; it is in enjoying food that we never had time to eat well; it is in making new friends and acquaintances. The benefit of stop chasing an unaccomplished future is to be able to stand still long enough to realize that there is a rich embodiment of life all around us. When we stop moving, we can see that the world is moving and we can sit back and watch that show and enjoy that movement. If accomplishments are about speed or movement then you have to move with them otherwise how will you accomplish what you want by standing still. Yet if want to accomplish standing still, then you better know that you achieved it and if you were made to stand still, then stop moving your mind when your body isn't moving with it. When your mind keeps moving and nothing else does that is called a perpetual fantasy.

How do you make a mark in life? By being and finding out who you really are. How did I find my level of self-accomplishment? By letting go of some of the bullshit in my mind about about what society thinks accomplishment is and of course, most importantly, I learned my own way in life to find my lost keys.

M.

M Profile at: http://www.fastcompany.com/fasttalk/replypost.html? p=9738

"To be or not to be that is the question" A quote by Willy Shakes. Mantra of M. "Life is about Private Relations not Public Relations"

-- Mark Zorro (zorromark@consultant.com), December 20, 2000.

One of the most inspiring and instructive people I've met working at Fast Company is Dan Hanson. A former exec at Land O' Lakes in the Twin Cities, Dan was -- like you -- "promoted" (even though you changed companies) to a desk job and missed the connection he'd previously had with other people and teammates. He had other stuff going on that promoted a job change (like cancer), but his story might offer some ideas on what you can do to return to the work you prefer.

Coping: Dan Hanson http://www.fastcompany.com/online/20/hanson.html

You might also learn from our conversation with Timothy Butler and James Waldroop, who've given a lot of thought to how to find personally -- and professionally -- rewarding work. Their ideas on how we make career decisions and what to do once we've made them might be incredibly useful in your new situation.

Is Your Job Your Calling? http://www.fastcompany.com/online/13/hbrplus.html

And even though you didn't reach your current inflection point through a promotion, we offer tools and tips on how to make the transition from being a team player to being a leader. Check the following article out for some ideas and insights on what you might be able to do to make your mark in your new organization -- and transition to work better suited to you.

Congratulations, You're Promoted (Now What?) http://www.fastcompany.com/online/09/promoted.html

Lastly, one of my colleagues recently switched roles here at FC. She was hired to do one thing, did it well but wasn't that happy. Now she's doing something that's more up her alley. I'll see whether she can stop by and offer some of what she learned when navigating that change.

Heath

-- Heath Row (heath@fastcompany.com), December 21, 2000.

Some information that has changed my (and thousands of others') understanding of myself, my needs, and my behaviours (as well as those of others), can be found in MBTI personality types. Find out your personality type at http://www.keirsey.com/ by taking their 70- question online test (http://www.keirsey.com/scripts/newkts.cgi). You can also do the official MBTI test at an accredited psychology institute if you prefer (not free). Then take a look at http://www.personalitypage.com/

You will surely be pleasantly surprised and have a new understanding of your fundamental needs.

-- Serge Levert (serge_levert@NOSPAMMAGEhotmail.comNOSPAMMAGE), December 25, 2000.

Guy - Your story sounds quite like mine about 5 years ago. I left a big company, a nice-but-not-rewarding-job, and went solo at 29 years old, with a one year old and two year old and a stay-at-home wife. And it was the best decision of my professional life. The flexibility & success of my new role as an independent consultant enabled me to leave a mark in places I value. But there are two things (at least) I've learned about this that I can pass on - 1) the timing to go solo & build your own business will never be perfect, so make your plans and just do it; 2) once you've 'made your mark', you will probably want to make more, bigger marks. So I guess I would caution you on thinking that establishing your 'mark' in life is a finite goal - I think you will find that 'making your mark' is more a process of causing/enabling positive differences in peoples' lives than a result of financial/personal success.

-- Steve Bogner (sbogner@insightcp.com), December 26, 2000.