How do you know things in your life are going right or wrong? Do you have any measurements, techniques, or feelings to gauge how life is going? Most people just want to get by day to day and not like to think about these things.
You will die a miserable, unfulfilled, and meaningless life!
Sorry if that is a bit harsh, but it is reality. If you want to get a little bit more out of life than to just get by, then here is a technique that I have developed so you know where you are and what to do. This technique can be used in many different life situations such as a job, career path, relationships, money, or even your fantasy football team. My wife is currently playing her first fantasy football league and finding out how insanely infuriating it is to lose by less than one point… twice.
The technique is simple, like all things Nerd Zest. Four feelings broken down to gauge your mood of a situation. They are “Get me Outta Here”, “I Don’t Know”, “I’m Good”, and “Ready to Grow”.
You can use this chart to evaluate any part of your life that you want where it makes sense. Let’s take your job as an example. Does your current job keep you satisfied, earn you enough money to live how you want, and allows you to learn and grow to earn higher pay and responsibility? If you said yes to all of these, then stop reading…..you don’t need this. But, if you said no to any one of these, then the chart can help you identify where you land and where you need to go.
I’m Good
This means that you are satisfied with all aspects of your job and that you are pretty happy. This is good for the time being, but you should always be looking for ways to improve your current situation even if you are satisfied. There will come a time when you need to look beyond the current situation and take action to improve or alter your plan because of outside forces. This is a good place to be. Enjoy it while it lasts because you could easily slip into one of the two down sides.
I Don’t Know
This means that you are unsure if this is really the right place for you. This might be because you are early in your job assignment at a new company that you may not know exactly where you fit in or if this job will be the most beneficial. You may be in a place in life where you just completed a large project and are unsure of what to do next. Or, you may just be coasting through without any real direction, but things are not bad. This is this is alright too, but again, life will not wait for you and will very quickly pass you by as you sit around not taking action.
Get Me Outta Here
You may be in a situation with your current job that you dread waking up every day and need to make a change. If you don’t know if you are in this situation, go back and read my Alarm Clock Ratio post. That will let you know if you need to change. Weather you are in a dead end job, an industry that is not growing, or work with a boss you can’t stand and makes you life miserable, you know you need to make a change and make it fast.
Ready To Grow
This is where you get when things become boring and mundane. There is no excitement anymore, the newness has worn off and you no longer have joy in the work or the job. This is natural state when you have been doing something for a long time, you’re comfortable and successful, but there is something missing. This is when you start looking into the next best thing…..a promotion, a move to a different department, learn something new, develop a new skill, and improve your situation. Once you recognize that you are here, develop a plan of action to take the next step.
Think of this as a pattern of evolution with any situation. Where you want to be most of the time is I’m Good. But if you find yourself in I Don’t Know or Get Me Outta Here, you need to make some change to get to I’m Good. If you are in I’m Good, then you need to start to look at the next best thing sooner rather than later. To live with Nerd Zest, you need to always be looking to improve and to grow or else you are left behind.
So where are you? I’m in the Ready to Grow quad at the moment. I am learning to Blog, developing a system of success, a brand, and in real life, managing a team of quality engineers. Earlier in life, I was in the I’m Good and I Don’t Know stages quite a bit. I also had my share of Get Me Outta Here moments too.
Do some evaluation of your own situation and understand where you are. If you are in either I Don’t Know, or Get me Outta Here, immediately start to make some changes and get out of these areas. If you are in I’m Good, start to make some plans to get you to the next level of whatever you do.
Now go, take action, time will not wait for you.