Don't Lean

Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In is #1 on the list of New York Times Bestsellers. Sandberg says that women unintentionally hold themselves back from successful careers; that they need to be more proactive, more assertive; that in their pursuit of corporate success, they “need to sit at the table, seek challenges, take risks, and pursue their goals with gusto.”

On the other hand, Elaine Pofeldt, writing in this month’s issue of Money Magazine, warns that too much ‘leaning in’ may be exhausting. She suggests that if we want more fulfilling lives, maybe we should “lean out,” get off the treadmill, leave the high-powered job and pursue work that is more satisfying and rewarding.

I wonder if we should be doing less leaning and more listening.

Recent figures suggest that nearly 70% of folks are unhappy with their work.

Maybe the old metrics of success aren’t working.

Maybe the answer is not to lean in… or to lean out… but to get clear.

Again.

Reclaim what is was that quickened your heart; discover again what ignites your spirit.

When we’re little, we have such grand, clear visions for our lives: what we want to be, what we want to do, where we want to live, where we want to go and who we want to do it all with. And then somewhere, often, the cart goes off the track. We get sucked down rabbit holes in our careers and our personal lives… and one day we wake up wondering how we got ‘here’ and whether it’s ‘too late’ to change course.

It’s never too late to change course.

As a coach, I work with folks who feel so trapped.

But we are the jailors and we hold the key.

Stop looking for the answers outside yourself, among the gurus and the pundits. Turn down the volume. Get quiet.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What are the circumstance of my life asking of me right now?

• What is it that I really, really want?

• What is my heart calling me to do?

• What excites me?

• Where would my gifts shine most brightly?

• What would be “too much fun” to do?

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” Steve Jobs once said. “Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

You don’t need to lean. Stand tall. Listen to your heart. It always knows the way.

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Walt Hampton is a career and success coach. He is the bestselling author of Journeys on the Edge: Living a Life That Matters. Visit his website at: www.walthampton.com