I annoyingly find I do this when something in my career isn’t quite the way I want it to be at that moment in time. I start comparing myself to others my age and where they might be, what project they are working on, what roles they are moving into, their past experience, the list could really be endless!

And it can become quite the downwards spiral if I let it! So I don’t.

These are the things that help me mind my own business when times get a little down:

• Doing something else that helps upgrade my skills – I have started to engage with others in my industry and have begun using my network to start working for myself. Its scary but very satisfying. It is something I am doing on my own with my own terms and the only people I have available to compare myself are to the ones I look up to so I can see how I too can be successful in my new venture.
• Having patience – putting things into perspective, understanding where I am at a particular point in my career and re-evaluating where I want to be are the first steps in this point. I then recognise that it can’t instantly happen e.g. I can’t magically understand and be a master in a new project management methodology within the next week no matter how much I want it! It will take time and of course effort to make it happen.
• Take action and then take some time off – however long you are able to take off, even if its just a day, take it. With that time off, use it to do something to take you a step closer to what it is you want to be doing and where you want to be. Reach out to a mentor and meet them for a coffee, sign up to that course, launch that website, apply for another job. Whatever will make you feel like you have accomplished something with your time. Then, do something fun. I recommend something that you might not do too often. I enjoy going to symphonies at the Opera House. It reminds me that there is a much bigger world out there!
• Keep going – it’s ok to feel down for a little bit and its perfectly normal, don’t worry about that at all. Once you feel what you need to feel, pick yourself up and keep going. There will always be ups and downs so you can be guaranteed, an ‘up’ is coming around to you soon enough.

Bigger steps I have taken have included changing my job and industry altogether. For example, I was part of a cohort of about 20 graduates. We were hired for a two year program within an industry that most people continued working in for years after. It was the type of industry where many people spent their entire careers. Not that there is anything necessarily wrong with this, just in this case the culture tended to be quite toxic and not very innovative in many areas. When we came to the end of the program we all had to find jobs, presumably within the industry, on our own.

At a catchup following our graduation ceremony the week before, the first questions being asked around the table as we were sipping our drinks were about what role we had scored and what level it was at. This continued for years that followed and it was generally just annoying and a little stressful to being constantly compared to everyone else in the group. So this (but among a few other major reasons) I decided I wanted to move out of the industry. I took a risk and found somewhere else to work and I flourished in my new work world. It was fantastic.

It allowed me the freedom to not have certain people and situations around me that reminded me of where I might need to be at a particular point in my career. My mind was free to soak up my new environment and eagerly learn new things. Basically, I was allowed to mind my own business and excel!

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It took me years before I arrived at a place where I was recognised for my potential. Working hard on gaining experience and exposure to different people is the foundational first step. I also made sure I was genuinely showing that I was keen to take on more work.

I recall constantly saying to my superiors that I wanted to work on any project that was going around! This all took a lot of patience and persistence but it was worth it. And I encourage you to do the same.

Sometimes an internal opportunity didn’t work out for whatever reason. I would go through the emotions of frustration and then get on with it. I would always start to search for work outside of what I was given. For instance, I would offer to take on a problem I noticed, or turn what I was given into something creative.

Example 1 – The stuffy storeroom

I was once given a task as a graduate where I was asked to tidy the storeroom. It was stuffy with lots of boxes with old paperwork. At first I really didn’t want to do it and wondered why my masters degree was going to waste. But then the organiser in me took it on, one box at a time. I read through old records, scanning and recording and uploading them into the organisation’s electronic database.

I did a good job, was able to find out a little more history about where I worked, and could notice something tangible from my hard work. It paid to just take it on enthusiastically (instead of groaning to my manager about it). I was able to take another step in being seen as someone reliable who will do a good job with whatever she is given. The cherry on top was receiving a note of appreciation from the records management team on my efforts. I had made important records permanently available for the entire organisation to easily access. I had grown my relationship with them too!

Example 2 – The confusing policy

A later task I was given involved analysing very poorly written and confusing policy document about the ethics research process for the organisation. It was a very confusing guide for staff members wanting to undertake research. I honestly wasn’t too interested in the topic and didn’t want to work on something no one else wanted to do.

But I changed my mindset and wanted to understand and solve this puzzle. I wrote out key steps on fun post-it notes and rearranged them as I read through the document. I was able to develop great flow charts that stepped staff through what they needed to do, who they needed to speak to and documents they needed to complete. My manager was over the moon and kept saying what an excellent job I did at analysing the document. I had turned it into something meaningful that people would actually use.  

In the end

Although it took time, one task led onto another and then another and my reputation grew. The tasks became more difficult as I slowly demonstrated that I was keen to do it all and my initiative didn’t go unnoticed. I was able to finish off my placement with a solid list of work experience, several excellent references, and best of all, a job offer.

So the next time you feel like your current job isn’t your dream job, take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Find creative ways to turn boring tasks into opportunities to propel your career forward. That one task will most certainly lead onto another and you want the next task to be a good one! So put in the effort that is required. Show that you are reliable and that your team can count on you. At the end of it all, you will feel proud of what you have built for yourself and your reputation will grow in ways you can’t even see yet.

Check out more articles to drive forward your personal initiative here.

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