Embrace the suck!

Yep! That’s right! Embrace the suck! Lean in! Roll with the punches! Suck it up! I’m sure there are other expressions, platitudes even, all meaning pretty much the same thing: you likely have to go through some stuff you (really) don’t like to get to get the life you really want to live.

(And no, ‘Embrace the suck!’ is not of my own invention. It’s apparently something rookies are told during their training to become navy seals.)

So what’s this about embracing the suck?!

Read on below or watch the video I did on this very subject.

Well….

When you’ve finally admitted to yourself that you hate your job/career/life, it can be really tempting to take up one of two attitudes.

1. Wallow in self-pity and convince yourself you can’t afford to leave your job/life behind because that would mean some kind of ruin for you (financial, emotional, ….)
2. Moan a lot about how you have no idea what your ideal job/career/life looks like even though you know you hate your current job/career/life

Recently I saw a lot of posts in reaction to an article in a British newspaper that stated a lot of people 35 and over hated their job.

I found it rather shocking to see how many people reacted to that news with posts along the lines of the attitudes mentioned above.

Until I remembered what – all those years ago – my own choice of poison used to be: I moaned! A lot!

I knew I hated my job/career (and by extension my life) but had no idea what I wanted to do instead.

It took a long time but eventually I realised that very job gave me an incredible opportunity. From the safety of job security I got to figure out what was important to me and how I wanted to see that realised in both my work and life.

So….

If so far you’ve gone for one of those 2 attitudes mentioned above, why not take a different approach?!

For now, embrace the suck of working in a job/career you hate.

For now, roll with the punches of living a life you don’t love.

And….

Start using part of your time to figure out what you really want to do.

Stop wallowing or moaning and take your destiny in your own hands

Also….

There is no need to add more uncertainty to an already uncertain situation. This is exactly what you’d do if you were to immediately quit your job/career/life.

I’m not saying that’s not an option.

There are people who did just that and landed on their feet just fine. But if you’re not one of them, go the alternate, more safer route!

It’s the very route I took myself. I embraced the suck, leaned in or whatever you want to call it.

I continued doing something I really didn’t like with a new spring in my step. I was working my way towards the life I wanted to live!

I only quit when I knew where my route was taking me and I was ready for the next step.

So….

How will you be taking your destiny into your own hands?

As always….

Go dare greatly

Photo: Embraching the suck with 100 more metres to climb| © Gerdi Verwoert