Expectations vs Intentions

I know I have visited this topic before but I had a wonderful example I wanted to share.

We finally experienced our Mediteranean cruise!  We have been talking about this trip for the past 8 years and planning it for several months so expectations were bound to be high.  In Italy we visited Florence, Sienna, San Gimignano, Pisa, Rome, Taormina (Sicily), Amalfi coast and Pompeii.  In Greece we visited Athens, Rhodes, Santorini and Mykonos and we also visited Kusadaci Turkey.  It was a whirlwind of activity and incredible scenery and we had an amazing time.

My expectations for certain places were particularly high – this included Florence, the Tuscan countryside, Amalfi and the Greek islands.  All of these places were beautiful but I noticed that because reality didn’t match my mental image of what they “should” be my experience was effected a bit.    This was in stark contrast to the experience I had in the places I had little expectations of like Rome, Sicily and Turkey as those were some of my favorite experiences.

My overall intention for this trip was to be “present” in each place, fully taking in all the sights, sounds and culture of each city and country, especially since we were seeing so much in such a short time – to notice the differences and celebrate the fact that we were here!  While I did that most of the trip, I found that when my expectations were high, it distracted me from being present because I was comparing it to something rather than seeing/experiencing it for what it was.

How will I used this awareness in future travels?  I will decide a destination by what it has to offer but will hold back from viewing images of what it looks like or others evaluations of the experience they had there.  This way I will be able to discover in the moment what each place has to offer, seeing it as it is, not what I imagine it should be.

How have expectations gotten in your way?

I am going to share some some images from each of the places we visited, if you don’t want them to shape your expectations of these places, don’t look 🙂

Florence
Amalfi Drive, Italy
Santorini, Greece
Rhodes, Greece
Tuscan countryside
Rome

Take Ownership of Your Career

Great participation and conversation ensued during a recent Taking Ownership of Your Career seminar in Raleigh, NC!  Taking ownership means being strategic, proactive and committed to your  growth.  Is is not sitting idle waiting for someone to notice you or offer you more opportunity.

We talked about when and how we know we are getting too comfortable in our current careers/jobs.  Some responses included:

  • no longer challenged or inspired
  • we stop growing
  • no longer intellectually stimulated
  • it feels like a job not a career
  • we start pushing the limits, seeing how much we can get away with
I also asked the group what matters most to them in their career.  Some of their responses included words like fulfilled and challenged – so I asked them to get more specific, choosing words that better describe what really matters. Here is what some shared:
  • being engaged (in their work)
  • being creative
  • feeling accomplished
  • variety
  • service
Being more descriptive like this helps you know more clearly what you are seeking when making taking greater ownership of your current career or seeing a career transition.
We also talked about the importance of your mindset and beliefs when taking greater ownership of your career.  This includes what you believe about yourself (capabilities, potential, adaptability, etc), what you believe about the world of work (there is something I am interested in learning more about or pursuing, there are opportunities no matter what the economy, there are many people I can learn from, etc)
Taking ownership of your career requires stepping out of your comfort zone, either small steps or giant leaps.
How willing are you to step into a bit of discomfort to take your career to new heights?

Stretch out of your comfort zone?

Last week I delivered a presentations 7 Signs You Are Ready to Stretch and Actions to Take to a group of people in career transition.

The 7 signs we focused on were:

  • You are restless – feeling an “itch” to do something more or different
  • You are seeking – feeling a need for greater purpose in what you are doing
  • You are bored – seeking greater passion in your work or life
  • You are in a rut – feeling a need to change things up
  • You are feeling a pull – feeling ready to act on an idea you have
  • You have an opportunity – one that is out of the norm for you
  • You are questioning – wondering what impact you are having
Some great conversation too place around these 7 signs.  Some thoughts and ideas the audience shared:
  • Never close a door until you look through it first – when a new idea or opportunity shows up that is out of your comfort zone, take the time to review it with open eyes and an open mind
  • Take notice of what actions you do on a daily basis that are within your comfort zone – begin to take daily small steps out of your comfort zone.  This will get you out of your rut, address your restlessness and may even spark new passion
  • Volunteer – especially in an area that is out of your comfort zone – may also boost your passion, give you greater meaning and even spark an idea to pursue

What signs are you noticing that it’s time for you to stretch?

What thoughts do you have to get you out of your comfort zone?