(My Starbucks moment)

I should pay more attention to the side of my coffee cup. No, not because of the warning “The drink you are about to enjoy is extremely hot” but for the great message it sometimes provides. I feel that I have read and re-read one particular Starbucks “The Way I See It” quote many times and finally decided I needed to take action on it.

Starbucks “The Way I See It # 26” is a quote by author Po Bronson that states:

“Failure’s hard, but success is far more dangerous. If you’re successful at the wrong thing, the mix of praise and money and opportunity can lock you in forever.”

How right he is! I realized I had been sucked in by the more money and the fact that I have done the same line of work for so long it seemed like easy money. The sad reality is that all though I have had a number of successes work wise, the big successes had nothing to do with work. I have done all the big successes in my off-work hours (getting married, buying a house, that second graduate degree)

I had not been challenged and had not really progressed to my true potential. Worst of all is that I languished in my comfort zone. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not whining that I was hard done by or feel sorry for myself. I think what I have really come across is that moment where I say to myself “Stop being so safe. Take some risks. Do what you want to do! It’s time to take stock and re-evaluate where I am going.”

I had been working as an aide to various politicians for over 15 years. Yes, everyday was different and there were plenty of opportunities to meet interesting people and attend interesting events but really… there is no mental or emotional reward. That line of work has its ups and downs but is also very susceptible to burnout. I now realize I have been locked in to the collision course with burnout.

What can we learn from this? Hmmm? Well I really think we all have to more frequently evaluate what we are doing?, what gains we are getting?, and what pains are we getting?

It is far too easy to let things slide by thinking that all is going well because you really haven’t had any big failures. The reality however is quite a different story. Time has ticked away and your head may hurt from banging it against a wall for too long. The pain may have been softened by monetary reward or small praises but when you have banged too long a hole opens up. That hole leaves your now soft, mushy brain (lack of challenging yourself might do that) exposed to a greater world of disappointment.

So take more time to look around at what you are getting out of your daily, weekly and even monthly activities. Are they getting to where you want to go? Do you even know where you want to go? Without evaluation the wheels can keep turning but are they really moving anywhere?

I know I am looking to move forward with my new adventures.