Your Inner Caveperson And Career Stuckness

17th Jul 2016 | Leave a comment Your Inner Caveperson and Career Stuckness by Ross McIntosh Several years ago, once I dared to consider leaving the Civil Service after more than 20 years, my ideas have been laden with anxiousness and doom. In his e-book The Happiness Trap Dr Russ Harris explains the evolution of the human brain, from cavewoman to the current day. As the world was full of danger the preliminary function of the human mind was to keep us alive. Today most of us are on the lookout for more than just to stay alive, yet our mind’s essential purpose is unchanged. This can generally impression necessary profession decisions. The earlier our ancestors may establish signs of danger the longer they survived. With each generation they turned extra expert in survival techniques. For example, if early man was considering a solo journey exterior the cave, the brain would suggest that there might be a lion outdoors, waiting to assault. Today our minds main function is still to spotlight dangers and their catastrophic penalties. At my profession crossroad s my thoughts generated thoughts corresponding to “how can you think about leaving a safe job?”, “what about your good salary and pension?” and “how might you survive within the exterior world with an unsure jobs market?” These thoughts, generated by my survival-focussed, caveman brain, strengthened my apprehension and could have prevented me from taking action. In the Stone Age if you have been rejected by your group you’d be out within the cold, wild world with all its risks, alone. This meant death. So the thoughts of the cavewoman (or man) was constantly comparing itself with the rest of the group and asking questions like: As I ruminated on leaving the Civil Service my mind was saying, “you received’t be as profitable as Helen or Paul who left and established a new career”, “you don’t have any transferrable skills” and “you should keep here with what you know”. The comparison with others phenomenon helped my ancestors survive, however was truly hol ding me back and preventing me from thriving in my profession. As a caveman, the more weapons, food and youngsters you had the higher. More resources = higher survival. Translate this to the modern world. Don’t we all want more? A promotion, a pay rise; few of us would flip down a promotion in status or sources. But is more all the time better within the trendy world? We work with clients who're very profitable in their professions and maintain senior roles with substantial rewards, yet they know that a further promotion isn't the answer. I had achieved successive promotions within the Civil Service which supplied us with a great lifestyle, but what I was looking for was no more standing or reward, but more that means in my profession. I found that reflection on the evolution of my brain actually helped me to know the ideas and feelings generated by my mind at my profession crossroads. If you feel like your caveman and cavewoman mind is holding you back: â€" What ideas is your tho ughts producing to fulfil its perform of safety? â€" Who do you examine myself with by way of your career? â€" Are you influenced by the need for ‘more’? â€" How helpful are these ideas when it comes to constructing the sort of profession you really want? Career Change, Getting Unstuck teaching Tags: Dealing with difficult thoughts and emotions, Psychology of profession change Your email handle won't be printed. Required fields are marked * Comment Name * Email * Website Save my name, e mail, and web site on this browser for the following time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your remark knowledge is processed. « The Essential 5 Point Checklis... Eggs or Pancakes? The Catastro... »