You’re awesome at your job. You know it, feedback from colleagues and clients has affirmed it, and you consistently deliver results that are above and beyond what’s been asked of you. You repeat this pattern enough times and it becomes the norm—which, frankly, can be exhausting.High achievers are prone to this pattern of behavior, which is usually completely unsustainable. Eventually, you realize that no matter how many cup...
Do you feel like you’re in a rut?Has your motivation disappeared without any signs of a comeback?From time to time we all fall in a “funk” — when we feel plagued by a lack of focus and feel down for reasons we can’t put our finger on.Sound familiar? Blame the solopreneur blues.While the solopreneur blues is not a condition in the scientific sense, every entrepreneur, freelancer, or creator is familiar with the feeling of lo...
For the past two months, you’ve had your eye on that promotion. It’s between you and your colleague, and you really want the job. So you put in crazy hours, deliver top-notch work, and take on extra projects to show your work. You don’t see any reason it shouldn’t go to you.But then time comes for the promotion to be announced, it goes to your colleague instead. What could possibly have gone wrong?Turns out, it may totally...
Has anyone ever accused you of being a people pleaser at work? You might have felt put off, thinking, “Yeah, I like making sure everyone in the office is happy. What’s wrong with that?”The answer? Nothing. It’s admirable to be a pleasant co-worker and a leader who helps others be successful. In fact, individuals labeled as “people pleasers” are often kind and have honorable intentions. They usually accept heavier workloads,...
“Hey, do you have a moment to chat in my office?”No matter the context, those words can strike fear in the hearts of even the most confident top performer. And sure enough, no matter how well you do at your job, receiving negative feedback from your boss, a client, or even your direct reports can be hard to swallow.Throughout your career, you’ll always be given feedback in some form or another, and it will likely highlight...
Let’s face it: The traditional 9-to-5 work lifestyle is long gone.For many of us, it’s not unusual to stay at the office until 7 or 8, or to burn the midnight oil working on a freelance gig, startup idea, or extra project to get ahead at work.Even if your company promotes a healthy work-life balance, your workload may get out-of-control busy at some point and you’ll simply need to bring work home in the evenings or over the...
Humans share an innate drive to connect with others. We’re evolutionarily wired to crave inclusion. Eons ago, this was linked with our survival; in pre-historic times, rejection triggered fear. If someone became isolated or was ousted from the group, his or her life would be at risk. Because the consequences of being rejected were so extreme, our brains and behavior adapted to avoid disapproval from others. In fact, researc...
As young professionals, we’re taught to network like our careers depend on it. Your professional network can open just about any door. All we have to do to capture that holy grail of networking is put ourselves out there, and then we’re golden.We’re told to just “start networking,” but in reality it’s never that simple. When you’re new to the professional networking scene, figuring out how exactly to create meaningful conne...
Have you ever noticed how many times a week you say “yes” to a person or project– only to end up regretting your decision? Of those commitments, how many were actually in line with your business priorities?If you lack standards or fear rejection, it can come at a high cost: missed milestones, losing clients, physical exhaustion, irritability, and stress.When your default setting is to reply “yes” to each and every request...
You’ve finally gotten the promotion you’ve been waiting for—the one you know you’ve deserved for months now—and you couldn’t be happier.You feel on top of the world, invincible, and light—for about five minutes, until things start to go south.You swear your boss has been looking at you funny for a few days in a row, your computer crashes just as you’re about to send in a report, you lock yourself out of your apartment, and...