Inaction and Entropy

You are in a toxic work environment. You want to quit.

You walk up to a mentor, confess you are scared to quit, but want to.

Imagine that mentor saying, " Good. You should be scared. Its tough getting another job out there. "

Shock?

The mentor wasn't done. " What if one year later, you have the same feeling though? What if its 5 years later? "

What are you more scared off? The immediate pain, or the realization over time that in your fear you embraced a horrible version of entropy?

Fear, is useful.

Fear means we are scared of doing something. We are usually scared of doing something when the probability of failure and corresponding impact on us is high.

Fear, thus, tells us we need to get ready.

Maybe our CV isn't up to the mark? Maybe we need to spend some time in education. Maybe we should get mentors. Attend networking events.

As an emotion, Fear should be a trigger to force us to begin thinking and taking actions, strategically.

We have always been told, when NOT to take action. Do not speak in anger, do not make decisions about food when you are hungry, do not spend money you you dont have.

We must however, be very careful about INACTION, in times of fear. Its the most natural and easy thing to do.

Afraid of heights? Lets not go mountain climbing. Afraid of water? Lets never swim or visit a beach in our lifetime. Afraid of commitment? Lets watch porn and be single all our life.

How do you know if you are visiting a therapist who knows what they are talking about?

Lets say you have a fear of heights. Some therapists would give you medication for anxiety.

Most however, would take you once to the first floor for 5 mins and walk you back down. They would expose you to your fear in bearable dosages to help you move forward.

In our corporate life, we face a number of fears.

1) Fear of speaking up in order to not draw attention to ourselves.

2) Fear of negotiating a higher salary for fear of being fired or being frowned upon.

3) Fear of asking for help on a project for fear it will show us in a bad light in front of management.

Here is my view. WE ARE RIGHT TO HAVE THESE FEARS.

1) Before speaking up, have we done enough due diligence? Have you taken the time to speak one on one to everyone around you to gather their viewpoints?

Activism without Activity.

2) Have we done any research to see what our equivalent salary is in another companies? Have we worked on ourselves to be employable in other companies if we need to move on from this one?

Negotiating without having the ability to walk away makes you a slave.

3) Did we have a plan when we started? Do we have one now? Do we know exactly what we need help with? Do we have defined timelines on how long that help is needed?

Help without specificity is akin to helplessness.

Our fears, could easily be our greatest guides. Markers at a crossroads, showing us where we are lacking.

Its in our best interest, to develop a line of sight.

This is what everyone else calls.... a vision.