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  • July 9, 2025

Gators, Ninjas and Bad Hair Days

June 3, 2010 by Karen Swim

Cropped version of :Image:Puu_oo.jpg Category:...
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I am sad today. Or perhaps more accurately I am in a mood, though sadness is part of what I feel there is also restlessness, discouragement and a bevy of emotions bubbling beneath the surface each fighting to reach the top. But at this moment it is sadness that seems the most tangible. I submitted my blog to AdAge and was rejected for not having enough points. Funny, it’s how I was feeling when I awakened, not enough points to win the prize, to take my business to the next level to have a good hair day. Some points but not quite enough to finally be “in.” Yet, the rejection was also motivating. I printed it out as a goalpost, something real to work toward. Points I could do, just keep filling the bucket one point at a time until I had enough. So for a moment I was happy to have a problem I could solve.

None of this of course has anything to do with business. Unless you count my brutal honesty that life has those peaks and valleys but there’s always a rainbow, yada yada. I know not very motivational but I warned you I’m in a mood.

I’m sad that I have career marketing clients who have lost their income and are having to make hard financial decisions. I am heartbroken that the Gulf Coast has yet another natural disaster the repercussions of which will ripple for years to come. I’m frustrated that I am not moving fast enough toward the things I want in my business. I’m mad that my hair will never do what I want and my book editing is not yet done.

I wish I could paint like Janice Cartier, for today I would cover a canvas in big broad strokes of red mixed with goldenrod, there would be swirls of green grasping at the pockets of tranquil blue. I would paint until everything within was reflected on that canvas and I would be left spent, clean and ready to replenish my soul. But I cannot paint and today cannot even seem to write. I am left with an uneasiness that comes from having much to say and yet nothing at all that seems worth saying. So I write it down anyway hoping that the act of writing is like an ax that cuts through the thick brush blocking my passage. Yesterday there were gators as I waded through the swampland of my mind, they are gone and though I’ve reached higher ground I am struggling to make my way through the mound of driftwood and broken branches scratching at me as I seek the path once again.

And in the midst of my funk and inner tumult there is business.  I must push the muck aside and find the words for others. Inspiration is fleeting and I reach out to grab hold with arms and legs like the Ninja warriors riding the log to the next obstacle in the course.

Thoughts come and taunt me daring me to catch them. I am not fast enough today and must rely on something other than creativity. There is no time to allow myself to simply be until the balance has been restored so within this quagmire I must simply do what must be done. They are counting on me, and I will not let them down.

The business lesson or inspiration in all this “stuff”? Hmmm.Your feelings will not always align with your objectives so you must anchor yourself in the field of commitment and channel the energy beneath the feelings to press on and get the job done. Good that. Pressing on and hitting publish.

How about you any gators snapping at your heels? How do you get it done on the days you just don’t feel like it?

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Filed Under: Business and Career Tagged With: business, inner conflict, work life

Dazed and Dissatisifed in Corporate America

January 6, 2009 by Karen Swim

Sculpture/billboard Melly Shum Hates Her Job (...
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Written by Karen D. Swim

How was your vacation? “Oh man it was great,” she offered with obvious joy in her voice. She then hesitated and her voice dropped, “but it was a mistake to take off two weeks because now I don’t want to go back to work.”

Every Friday night, Eva leaves the office with a bounce on her step. By Saturday afternoon, she is counting the dreaded hours to Monday morning. By Sunday night she is so miserable that she is unable to enjoy the remaining hours of her weekend as she thinks about returning to work on Monday morning. Eva has Sunday Syndrome.

Understanding the Illness

Sunday Syndrome is one of the many glaring signs that it is time to evaluate your job. Over the years I have seen the syndrome so often that I can spot the signs even in absence of the words being spoken. You may be surprised how many people have traded “job security” for happiness. They convince themselves that it is easier to remain with the devil you know than to jump headfirst into the unknown. They are wrong.

Staying in a job that makes you miserable is an injustice to both you and your employer. You’re showing up and doing the work but believe it or not you and your employer deserve better. Your employer wants people who identify, improve, reduce, grow and generally contribute value to the organization. You want to be stimulated, challenged and engaged. When you and your employer are aligned, you both win.

Digging Deeper for a Diagnosis

Assess what really bothers you about your job. Is it the work or the environment? Are the deadlines and demands overwhelming or are you so bored that counting paint chips would be more exciting? Is it the company culture or just your department?

What do you like about your job? What tasks would you gladly perform even if they were not part of your job?

Choose the Right Cure

The obvious cure is to change your job, and if the company, culture and work are what’s ailing you then this is the path you should choose. However, many people fail to explore a less obvious but often viable option – change your job but keep the company.

Job roles and descriptions are not written in stone.  Do you have ideas that will improve efficiency? Are there unfulfilled needs that you can manage in addition to your current duties? Can you volunteer for a special project? Are there unmet needs that would result in a newly created position? Prepare a written plan and present it to your supervisor. You should treat this as you would a formal interview for a brand new job. Identify the pros and cons and be prepared with answers. Assess the costs and the return on investment. If your supervisor is not immediately sold on the idea, propose a trial period in which you can measure the results and meet at the end of the period to discuss.

Whether you propose a brand new job, or modifications to your current one, you will never know what is possible until you ask.

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Filed Under: Career Marketing, Inspiration for Business Tagged With: career management, changing careers, employment, work life

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