How often have you woken up in the morning thinking, "I want to stay in bed, I'm too tired to get up, I don't want to go to work," or "If only I had different coworkers." This sets the stage for a negative day. If a few things go wrong that day, you think, "I wish I had stayed in bed."
Have you ever considered how often you allow such negative thoughts to dominate your thinking? You live with the attitude: I have to go to work, otherwise I won't be able to pay my bills, feed my family, or provide my children with a good education. What law says you have to go to work, that you have to earn money? I realize that these are bold questions to ask you. The temptation to resort to excuses is great.
An effective question that definitely provides clarity is: What price are you willing to pay for not going to work anymore? What price would you have to pay to change jobs? If you now focus on everything you would have to give up, what your friends and family would think of you, and what obstacles you would have to overcome: How quickly would you jump off the horse that is leading you toward freedom and wishful thinking? How quickly would you get back on your old nag and ride along the familiar path of everyday life, which may seem safe and comfortable, but is also monotonous and demotivating? Better the familiar misery than the unknown new.
If you continue as before, then you have already made your choice again. You have decided to stay with the company, to work with this boss and these colleagues. You have made your choice, regardless of your motives and what prompted you to do so. By deciding to continue working at company X, you have contributed to everything that is happening NOW.
You can twist and turn it any way you want, but you always choose: which apartment you live in, what kind of relationship you are in, how much importance you attach to your job, etc. And you have the option to deselect it at any time if you want to. For example, if you don't deselect the company you currently work for, then you don't want to deselect it. It's your choice and your responsibility.
You know how many people have said, "I would do anything for that, but I don't want to pay the price." Every decision has a certain effect, which we also choose, and for that we have to bear the consequences or responsibility .
How important is freedom to you?
Many people will probably say – yes, very important. How often do you decide or choose something that you don't really want? An example: Christmas is just around the corner, and as usual, you are invited to Christmas dinner at your in-laws' house. Do you really want to go? If so, accept with pleasure. If not, you say yes anyway—right? How do you feel about this evening now?
If you choose something you don't like, if you do something that doesn't bring you joy, or if you do things because you think others expect you to, are you free?
Another example of attitude: You know that today you have to assign a task to employee XY. You also know that Mr. XY is not one of your favorite employees. This employee usually takes longer to understand things. He also asks more questions than others, and it takes longer to get the results you want. Does this sound familiar? What is your attitude toward this employee?
I'm not saying it's easy to choose a positive attitude or make that decision. But once you've decided on an attitude, stick to it, with all the consequences that entails. Don't take it out on other people and don't blame external factors for it.
Have you chosen your setting today?
