Have you ever been stuck on a roundabout unable to take an exit?
Or some kind of spaghetti junction where it’s almost overwhelming?
Unable to take an exit because you’re not 100% sure which one is the right one to take in order to get where you’re going?
Unable to take an exit because the sat nav is several seconds behind you so unable to guide you at the exact moment that you need the guidance?
Do you know what I mean?
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done it, and then in the end have just taken any exit because
a) the roundabout is making me so dizzy I can hardly see straight and I’m getting more and more stressed so just need to get off it and see where it takes me
and
b) I know that if it is the wrong exit for where I’m trying to go, that the sat nav will catch up and tell me in it’s super annoying voice that I need to make a u-turn (which as a side note my daughter has questioned why it’s not called an “n-turn” because that is more like the shape of the maneuverer you need to do but that’s another story for another day and probably indicates how many times I do this!)
So, I had to laugh when in a recent coaching training session, when they used being stuck on a roundabout as an analogy for when you can’t make a decision in general life.
It’s not the end of the world if you take a decision (i.e. exit) and then realise it’s not helping you get where you want to go.
Yet so many of us get stuck on that roundabout of indecision.
Maybe it’s analysis paralysis and we are so busy evaluating options we don’t realise we’re stuck and not moving forwards.
Maybe it’s fear of what will happen is we make the “wrong” decision.
Which if you think about logically is quite absurd because generally, just like the roundabout analogy, you can course correct and do a U turn, or an N Turn or whatever turn you darn well like but at least you’re moving rather than being in that awful, confused state of indecision.
Is this resonating with you or is it just me?
I’d love to know.
So, on that note I will leave you with a challenge.
Write down 3 things that you are not happy about in your career but have been putting off deciding about.
Is it that you are not being stretched at work?
Is it that you know deep down you could do so much more than you’re doing in your current career but don’t know how to go about even working out what, why, where, when and how?
Perhaps it that you just feel generally fed up with your current role but feel guilty about feeling fed up because you get paid a decent salary for what you do so shouldn’t complain?
Whatever your thing is, write it down and then do one of the following:
1. Decide to stay stuck on the roundabout as you’re much happier to do nothing about it and do your own head in moaning about it rather than doing something about it.
2. Look at the pros and cons of the options you can see and take the decision to just choose one and move on. After doing this you may realise you are indeed satisfied with your current role, just not your organisation that you work in, or vice versa. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is, because once you do this you know what you’re dealing with and can move forwards in whatever way works best for you and the life you want to be leading.
3. Get a career coach help you choose which exit to take off the roundabout (which is an exit — maybe we can add to the analogy by calling this one a stop off at the services??).
Go on, what are you waiting for?
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