15th December 2022

Ticking the boxes isn’t enough

It ticks all the boxes but it doesn’t feel right.

Last month I saw a beautiful windmill in the distance. I’ve always loved the look of windmills but have rarely seen one up close. I was not familiar with the area but my route took me right past so I stopped and walked in to the tiny site.

Usually I enjoy being out in nature alone but here I couldn’t settle. Even though I loved the look of this windmill from a distance, when I got close up, something changed.

It felt wrong.

It’s not uncommon for clients to talk about what they see:
– It’s a good company
– There are some great people here
– I have the role I thought I wanted
– It pays well

and to use that to determine how they “should” feel.

But sometimes, no matter how something appears or how many boxes it might tick, it just doesn’t feel right.

This isn’t necessarily a signal that it’s time to leave but it is likely that there is some important information for you within that discomfort.

Notice your feelings. Listen to your instinct.

You don’t have to be led by them* but by when you only look at what you can see (rational, logical, “real”) you could be missing something.

What feelings might be appear to conflict with what you are seeing?

*although I did get back in my car pretty quickly!!