MOTIVATION: Why Work is Such a Slog–A Simple Fix:

 You see others who seem to love what they do, thriving in their careers, and you wonder: What's wrong with me? Why does work feel like such a slog? Why does it feel like I'm constantly trying to keep up, instead of excelling? And then, Doubt creeps in. You start to believe, maybe you're just as not talented as others. But here's the truth: You're not stuck because of lack of talent. You're stuck because of something core to your being. Something that you've been ignoring for years. And the longer you ignore this, the more frustrated, unfulfilled, and stagnant you'll feel.

In today's Monday Motivation, I'm going to help you kickstart your work week by helping you rediscover who you really are.

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Topics:

Escape the 9 to 5 

Escape the 9-5 

Career Coach 

Career Advice 

Career Guidance 

Career Transition 

Career Change 

Next Step Careers Limited

Auckland Wellington Christchurch New Zealand

Episode Transcript

Shure MV7 (00:00):
You wake up, get dressed, and go to work.
Day after day, you grind throughtasks that feel like hard work,
but not in a way that fuels you.
You're good at somethings, okay at others.
But instead of leaning into yournatural talents, you spend your energy

(00:21):
fixing weaknesses or forcing yourselfinto tasks that just don't fit.
first, it's just a small frustration.
But over time, you feel drained,underutilised, uninspired.
You see others who seem to love whatthey do, thriving in their careers,

(00:42):
and you wonder, what's wrong with me?
Why does work feel like such a slog?
Why does it feel like I'm constantlytrying to keep up, Instead of excelling?
And then, Doubt creeps in.
You start to believe, maybe you'rejust not as talented as others.

(01:04):
That maybe, you're not meant tohave a career that energises you.
But here's the truth.
You're not stuck becauseof lack of talent.
You're stuck because ofsomething core to your being.
Something that you'vebeen ignoring for years.
And the longer you ignore this,the more frustrated, unfulfilled,

(01:27):
and stagnant you'll feel.
In today's Monday Motivation, I'm goingto help you kickstart your work week by
helping you rediscover who you really are.
You're a working professionalstuck in a 9 to 5 job.
You know you're capable of more, butno matter how hard you work, it feels

(01:52):
like you're spinning a hamster wheel.
You want to make change, but youdon't know where to even start.
I'm career coach Dr Steve Oiley, hostand creator of Escape the 9 to 5.
I help other working professionals likeyou take the next steps in their career.
And design a career that works for them.

(02:12):
This week's motivational quote?
Everyone has talent.
What's rare is the courage to followthe talent to the dark place it leads.
Everyone, including you, has talent.
Not just the lucky few, not justthe people you admire, you too.

(02:34):
if you're not a jock of the sports team,a top academic at school, or talented at
something obvious like building or music,You tend to get forgotten at school,
and this flows into your adult life.
We all have talents, hidden strengthsthat not only make us unique, but are

(02:55):
our way of contributing our best selfto society, if we know who we are.
But having talent isn't enough.
The challenge is having thecourage to follow it, even when
it leads you into the unknown.
Because here's the thing about strengths,they're not always obvious to you.

(03:18):
They don't always fit intotraditional career paths.
And sometimes, following themmeans stepping into discomfort,
risk, and uncertainty.
And that's why most people never do it.
Everyone has talent.
What's rare is the courage to followthe talent to the dark place it leads.

(03:42):
The dark place is the discomfort.
The dark place is doingsomething different.
The dark place is the inevitablejudgement you'll get from other people.
But it's not a permanent dark place.
It's the necessary pain anyonegoes through as they grow.

(04:02):
Most of us spend years tryingto improve our weaknesses.
Or at least trying tobe a jack of all trades.
Instead of maximising our strengths,we believe that to be successful,
we need to be well rounded.
But the truth is, the mostsuccessful people are the ones who
double down on what they do best.

(04:25):
Being a jack of alltrades leads to burnout.
Focusing on your strengthsleads to mastery.
And if you're not working toyour strengths, your job will
always feel like a struggle.
So How do you start working with yourstrengths, instead of against them?

(04:50):
But in the meantime, there'sthree things you can do.
1.
Identify your strengths Startby asking yourself What are the
things you did best growing up?
you for?
What tasks feel me?
When do you feel themost energised at work?

(05:17):
The answers to some of thesequestions might give you a
clue to your natural strengths.
Some may be obvious.
I'm quite good at communicating.
It was noticeable to myparents, siblings and teachers.
I excelled at public speakingand talking to strangers.
Hence why I do a podcast.

(05:39):
But my very top strength is less obvious.
Futuristic thinking.
No one noticed it growing up.
And the only symptom I showedas a child was dreaming up
future scenarios in my head.
I didn't even realise it wasa strength until I was 30.

(06:00):
Some of your strengths may be more subtle.
Maybe you're someone whosticks firmly to their values.
Maybe you're someone who finds the mostefficient way of getting jobs done.
Or maybe you have highempathy for other people.
Not all strengths are obvious, andthus certainly not all celebrated.

(06:23):
If you're not sure what your strengthsare, visit my website, nextstepcareers.
nz and I'll share a freestrengths assessment with you.
It only takes 10 minutes.
2.
Stop fighting your weaknesses.
If something is a constant struggle,it's probably not your strength.

(06:44):
Yes, some weaknesses need to be managed,but if you're forcing yourself into roles
that don't align with your strengths,you'll always be average at what you do.
But even worse, you won't perform well,you'll constantly feel drained at work.
And it's unlikely you'llprogress very far in your career.

(07:06):
Instead, find ways to work around them.
Can you delegate certain tasks?
Can you get a colleague to take onmore of what you suck at, and you maybe
take on more of what you're good at?
Weaknesses are to be managed, not fixed.
and if you want a good rule of thumb,Focus 80 percent of your time working

(07:28):
to your strengths and 20 percent ofyour time managing your weaknesses.
3.
Lean into discomfort.
As they say, no pain, no gain.
You've got to step out of yourcomfort zone if you're currently
not working to your strengths.
And this might lead somewhere unexpected.

(07:50):
Maybe you've always beengreat at relationships.
But you've stuck to a taskheavy job that drains you.
Maybe you're naturally creative, butyou've suppressed it because you believe
a real job should be something else.
Maybe you're a natural leader, butexperiences in your childhood or

(08:11):
cultural beliefs lead leads you toignore your instinct for leadership.
Leaning into your strengthsmight require big changes.
A career shift, new training, or steppinginto a completely different industry.
And yes, it's scary.
But if you have the courage to followyour strengths to where they lead, the

(08:34):
rewards are going to be game changing.
Everyone has talents.
What's rare is the courage to follow thetalent to the dark place where it leads.
Thanks for listening toescape the nine to five.
I'm career coach, Dr.
Steve Oli, your host, and thanksfor being part of our movement.

(08:54):
See you next